Matt Chamberlain

Last updated

Matt Chamberlain
Born (1967-04-17) April 17, 1967 (age 58)
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums
Years active1988–present
Labels
Website Official website

Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American drummer, record producer, and songwriter. He came to prominence with Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, [1] and has worked as a session musician for a wide range of artists including Pearl Jam, David Bowie, Tori Amos, The Wallflowers, Elton John, Fiona Apple, Bob Dylan, Brandi Carlile, John Fogerty, Sarah McLachlan, and Soundgarden. [2] [3]

Contents

Biography

Chamberlain was born in San Pedro, California on April 17, 1967. [1] He began learning how to play the drums at age 15, taking lessons with Tower of Power drummer David Garibaldi. [3] He enrolled at North Texas State University (now known as University of North Texas) to study music but left after less than a year. After leaving college, he moved to Dallas, Texas and played with numerous bands in the Deep Ellum music scene. [4]

While in Texas, Chamberlain joined Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, and was the drummer on their 1990 album Ghost of a Dog . [1] He was then recruited by Pearl Jam to assist with live performances after the departure of original drummer Dave Krusen. Chamberlain played with Pearl Jam for three weeks in mid-1991; he did not appear on any recordings but is pictured in the video for the song "Alive". [4] He then left Pearl Jam but recommended his own replacement Dave Abbruzzese. [2] Chamberlain next served as the drummer for the Saturday Night Live house band during the 1991 and 1992 seasons. [1]

Since leaving Saturday Night Live, Chamberlain has maintained a prolific career as an in-demand session drummer and has appeared on more than 200 albums. [5] From the late 1990s to early 2020s he played on most sutdio albums and their associated tours with Tori Amos. [6] In 2014 he joined Soundgarden as touring drummer in support of their reunion album King Animal , playing during several legs of an international tour in relief of drummer Matt Cameron who was busy touring with his other fulltime band Pearl Jam. [7] [8]

In addition to his fequent session work, in 1993 Chamberlain formed the jazz-fusion band Critters Buggin, with which he continues to record and perform periodically. [9] In 2005 he was recruited by Bill Rieflin for the experimental Slow Music Project. [10] Since 2007 Chamberlain has participated in the Floratone jazz collective led by Bill Frissell, [11] and in 2020 he formed the grunge supergroup Painted Shield. [12]

In 2019 Chamberlain toured extensively with Bob Dylan. [13] [14] During that period he served as musical director for More Music at The Moore Theatre in Seattle, Washington. [15] In 2025 he toured extensively with Paul Simon. [16] Between 2016 and 2024, Chamberlain won the Modern Drummer readers' poll in the Studio Musician category four times. [17]

Selected discography

As group member

solo

Critters Buggin

Floratone

Painted Shield

Sean Watkins & Matt Chamberlain Duo

Slow Music Project

As studio musician

Amos Lee

A Perfect Circle

Bob Dylan

Brad Mehldau

Brandi Carlile

Bruce Springsteen

Chantal Kreviazuk

Chris Cornell

Chris Isaak

Dave Navarro

David Bowie

Edie Brickell and New Bohemians

Elton John

Fiona Apple

Frank Ocean

Ghost

Japanese Breakfast

Jars of Clay

John Fogerty

John Mayer

Kanye West

Laura Marling

Leonard Cohen

Lorde

Mac Miller

Macy Gray

Of Montreal

Phantogram

Perfume Genius

Peter Gabriel

Randy Newman

Robbie Williams

Rufus Wainwright

Sara Bareilles

Sam Phillips

Sean Lennon

Shelby Lynne

Stevie Nicks

The Format

Tori Amos

The Wallflowers

Willie Nelson and Miranda Lambert

The Who

Zola Jesus

Movie soundtracks

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Corbett, Bernard M.; Harkins, Thomas Edward (2016). "Ride the Wave Where It Takes You". Pearl Jam FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Seattle's Most Enduring Band. Beatback Books. ISBN   978-1-61713-660-3.
  2. 1 2
  3. 1 2 Kornelis, Chris (September 16, 2008). "How to Play the Beat From That One Really Popular Song: Matt Chamberlain". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Himmelman, Jeff (March 10, 2016). "25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  5. ↑ Renfro, Kim (March 11, 2016). "This rock star drummer goes completely under the radar playing for icons like Kanye West and Elton John". Business Insider. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  6. ↑ Dawson, Michael (December 6, 2011). "Updated! Matt Chamberlain on the Making of a Career in the Studio". Modern Drummer Magazine. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Soundgarden Plays First Show With New Touring Drummer MATT CHAMBERLAIN". Blabbermouth. March 28, 2014. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Soundgarden Welcome Matt Chamberlain on Drums in Peru". Loudwire. March 28, 2014. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  9. ↑ Scanlon, Tom (July 24, 2004). "Drummer to the stars calls Seattle home". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Slow Music Project". www.dgmlive.com. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  11. ↑ West, Michael J. (August 16, 2024). "Matt Chamberlain/Bill Frisell/Tucker Martine/Lee Townsend : Floratone". JazzTimes. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Seattle supergroup Painted Shield set to launch again with third album". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia. January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  13. ↑ Collette, Doug (July 18, 2020). "Bob Dylan: Rough And Rowdy Ways". All About Jazz . Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  14. ↑ Greene, Andy (October 12, 2019). "Hear Bob Dylan Perform 'Lenny Bruce' for First Time in 11 Years". Rolling Stone . Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  15. ↑ "More Music @ the Moore - Education & Community Engagement".
  16. ↑ "PAUL SIMON MAKING SURPRISE RETURN TO TOURING". www.hitsdailydouble.com. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Modern Drummer's Readers Poll Archive". Modern Drummer. Modern Drummer Publication. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
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