Matthew Johns Band

Back in early 2014, Jason received a call from high-school band mate and long-time friend,  Matt Facciolla while at work. “Hey man, you wanna play?” was the voice on the line…to which Jason said “Yes!”

Versatile and multi-talented, Facciolla has appeared as direct support for several national acts, namely One Republic at the Sundance Film Festival, The Goo Goo Dolls, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s, The J. Geils Band as well as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Foghat and more. Matt has been featured on stage with many prominently hailed musicians including Hugh McDonald of Bon Jovi, Danny Toler of The Allman Brothers Band, Boston and more. Jason has been friends with Matt since their Buffalo days, and previously they shared co-writing duties when they were bandmates in TDM.  Matt represents a unique blend of classic rock, hard rock, country and pop genres, which has a wide appeal to all audiences regardless of their age and generation.

Two weeks after that phone call, Jason flew to the waterfront of Sarasota, Florida, and played keyboards for 15,000 fans, opening with Matt for Foghat. It was the first time Matt and Jason had shared a stage in over 20 years. The gig went well, and Jason was asked to be the keyboardist for Matt. This led to other performances, both large and small, including opening for the Vinyl All Stars (a band that includes Steely Dan / Doobie Brothers alumnus Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Boston former members Barry Gordreau and Fran Sheehan, Leroy “LRS” Romans (The Wailers/Third World), Robert “Mousey” Thompson from James Brown’s band and Fosterchild’s Danny Beissel. Hugh McDonald (Bon Jovi), Cliff Williams (AC/DC) and former Gregg Allman Band drummer Chaz Trippy) at a charity concert. Besides his keyboard abilities, Jason also added vocal harmonies to Matt’s live performances.

Initially what began as “live” support, evolved into recording new songs in the studio for Matt’s upcoming album. Jason and Matt still worked synergistically, even after all the years of their original work.  After laying down tracks at GCR Studios in Buffalo under Producer/Artist Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls, as well as a show for nearly 20,000 people at Buffalo’s Canalside, Jason also did some additional composing and tracks in his studio, The Operating Room, which are to also be incorporated into the new album. A hiatus briefly occurred with the very unexpected passing away of long-time bass player Joe Fanara, but now with a new band name (previously Fishbowllulu), Matt is back to recording and live shows. New York City performances with Jason have been planned in the upcoming months. Learn more at matthewjohnsmusic.com.