Notorious in Toronto’s west side as the Trumpet Man at the monthly critical mass bike ride, he is also a founding member of artist/activist group Streets are for People! and is a fixture at the popular Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market and Baldwin Village, as well as at the annual CarFree Day and Blackout Anniversary parades.
A twenty-year veteran of the Toronto scene, Johnson spent most of the 90’s as sideman and manager of indie Swing-Punk sensation Big Rude Jake & his Gentlemen Players. His trio the Dimestore Orchestra enjoyed a three-year residency at the Cameron House, before morphing into a blistering protest rock band called the New Kings. After five years of indulging rage and frustration, the New Kings passed and this abundant energy has been re-routed into Rambunctious, a nine-horn, one drummer party band, improvising dance music under Johnson’s direction. In 2007 Michael visited the trumpet festival in Guca, Serbia, where he traded his silver King for a beat-up old fluglehorn; he’s now putting that horn to use in Toronto’s only Balkan-Klezmer-Gypsy-Party-Punk Super-Band?, the Lemon Bucket Orkestra.
A self-taught street musician, Johnson has always been more connected to the world of indie-rock than jazz, and has toured with The Old Soul, and Kelly & the Kellygirls, and has recently been seen sitting in with the likes of The Beauties, Freeman Dre & the Kitchen Party, Worldly Savages, and Ludy Dobri.
Michael Louis Johnson & the Red Rhythm in their seventh year of residency at the Communist’s Daughter have garnered international acclaim and the show is considered by many to be Toronto’s hidden gem.
In 2010, Johnson was a lead character in the documentary feature, “A Different Path” by Monteith McCollum. The film premiered to rave reviews at SXSW film festival in Austin, and Hot Docs in Toronto. Johnson performs with McCollum on the soundtrack, (available through Urban Meadow)
Johnson has also enjoyed a career in theatre and film, as writer, director and actor. His first play, “Absolutely the Last Supper!” was a hit at the 1992 Montreal and Toronto Fringe Festivals and his one-man show Twisting for Peace was featured in the 2003 Rhubarb Festival. In February of 2000, he partnered with his friend Sean Power to create Lady Speak Easy. The play focused on the life of Billie Holiday and enjoyed a sold-out run at New York’s legeandary LaMaMa etc. Of Johnson’s music direction New Yorker magazine wrote: “music of a quality rarely heard in the theater.”
As an actor he has enjoyed small roles, mostly as short-lived cops. His most famous role is Needle-Nose Norton in the 1998 cult hit, Bride Of Chucky. He has directed music videos “Cold Steel Hammer” for Big Rude Jake, “Dear Mr. Fantasy” for Big Sugar, and “Reverie” for Dimestore Orchestra. His short film “Le Départ” played on the small screen (a vintage TV set) as part of the Creative Activism exhibit at the Toronto Free Gallery, the Actions exhibit at the Canadian Centre for Architecture (Montreal), the Graham Foundation (Chicago) and the CMAV (Toulouse, France). The film enjoyed it’s big screen debut in New York City at the Bicycle Film Festival, and also toured the Toronto and Montreal BFF (2009), and Portland’s Filmed by Bike Fest. (2010)
videos:
“Requiem for Justice” Michael Louis Johnson plays to protest the dropping of charges on Michael Bryant for using his car to murder Darcy Allen Sheppard – filmed by tino
Michael Louis Johnson interview in the Austin American-Statesman at SXSW 2010
“Parking Meter Jazz” Michael Louis Johnson at a parking meter on Queen Street – filmed by stro
Michael Louis Johnson playing for “Critical Masque” filmed by ianflett
“Boobie’s Coming Back” music video by Michael Louis Johnson
“Chili Bean’s Final Carouse” – Michael Louis Johnson sitting in with his old friend Big Rude Jake