Johnny A
jebbudda
Posts: 5,030
I've been diggin' Johnny A ever since his first solo record on Favored Nations ....Sometime Tuesday Morning .
Being a huge fan of instrumental music I've grown to really apprieciate Johnny's approach to guitar centric music . He really has a gift . He knows how to lock into a melody and replace the vocalist with guitar . I also admire his ability to effortlessly blend styles and genres . You can tell he has spent a lifetime listening to music .
He has helped design one of Gibson's most successful Custom Shop signature lines . Its a hybrid jazzbox/335 /Country Gentlemen / Les Paul . I'd love to get my hands on one someday .
I've really been getting into his music lately . His tone is superb . Amazingly he is one of those guys that doesn't use an amp ! Even live he goes direct ...just a modest pedalboard ...and he plays sitting down all night . I've been performing some of his tunes for a while now....they are awesome choices to start the night off sometimes ... and I'm in the process of deciding on some new tunes to learn . Theres just so much cool stuff . But it takes a pretty serious commitment for me to get all the way thru one of his tunes . Its not normal stuff . Theres alot of thought that goes into one of his compositions . Technique is essential but decidedly secondary in his approach but is still challenging for sure .
Johhny A could be one of those guys that brings guitar oriented instrumental music to a wider audience . I think theres alot of universal appeal to what he does . Guitar players especially should dig Johnny A . They can get a lesson in taste , tone and space .
Its funny that guys associated with wanking and shredding are some of his biggest fans.....Steve Vai loves him . Vai claims Johnny A has revolutionized the concept of chord melodies . Satriani took him on tour as his opening act a few years ago .
Its great to see guys humbled by a musician that knows how to play cool stuff rather than some pyro technic display . Johnny A may be the new " guitar players' guitar player ".
Being a huge fan of instrumental music I've grown to really apprieciate Johnny's approach to guitar centric music . He really has a gift . He knows how to lock into a melody and replace the vocalist with guitar . I also admire his ability to effortlessly blend styles and genres . You can tell he has spent a lifetime listening to music .
He has helped design one of Gibson's most successful Custom Shop signature lines . Its a hybrid jazzbox/335 /Country Gentlemen / Les Paul . I'd love to get my hands on one someday .
I've really been getting into his music lately . His tone is superb . Amazingly he is one of those guys that doesn't use an amp ! Even live he goes direct ...just a modest pedalboard ...and he plays sitting down all night . I've been performing some of his tunes for a while now....they are awesome choices to start the night off sometimes ... and I'm in the process of deciding on some new tunes to learn . Theres just so much cool stuff . But it takes a pretty serious commitment for me to get all the way thru one of his tunes . Its not normal stuff . Theres alot of thought that goes into one of his compositions . Technique is essential but decidedly secondary in his approach but is still challenging for sure .
Johhny A could be one of those guys that brings guitar oriented instrumental music to a wider audience . I think theres alot of universal appeal to what he does . Guitar players especially should dig Johnny A . They can get a lesson in taste , tone and space .
Its funny that guys associated with wanking and shredding are some of his biggest fans.....Steve Vai loves him . Vai claims Johnny A has revolutionized the concept of chord melodies . Satriani took him on tour as his opening act a few years ago .
Its great to see guys humbled by a musician that knows how to play cool stuff rather than some pyro technic display . Johnny A may be the new " guitar players' guitar player ".
Comments
Good article/interview with him in the latest Guitar Player mag. He details his new cd. I can't wait to hear it.
jebbudda....your supposed to post at least one link if not more... :biggrin2:
I think you're right in saying that there's a lot to this guy's music that could appeal to a wide audience--decent sense of melody and a generally pleasing tone--but mainstream popularity is something that always baffles me...
At one of the Dallas shows, he literally blew up his amp. It was on fire and smoking at the end of his set.
I like this one !
To my ears, when he plays, Johnny A sounds like he's using his own personal approach and style rather than sounding like someone who studied a lot of other players and then picked what he liked best. He does things his own way. The way he mixes chord melody into virtually any style makes him a standout. The range of tones and voice he gets out of his signature guitar is also quite remarkable.
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Exactly . He claims he never learned any note for note stuff and never took a guitar lesson . He dropped out of Berkley after two weeks !
Notice how he accents the middle strings in the chord melodies instead of always playing the melody on the high strings . Totally unorthodox . His hybrid picking technique seems really forceful . He digs right in . Plus he switches tones like a madman . All with NO AMP !