Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

[Lewguitar]

I just heard him last night for the first time. Pretty amazing guitarist. Hard to do something new on the blues...but he sure does. Really creative and interesting lines this guy comes up with. I'm going to hunt down his CD today. Lew

 

[BlueSnMettle]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

I just heard him last night for the first time. Pretty amazing guitarist. Hard to do something new on the blues...but he sure does. Really creative and interesting lines this guy comes up with. I'm going to hunt down his CD today. Lew

I've heard of him Lew, there's an article in the March Guitar Player about him & Gibson makes a Custom Shop Johnny A. Signature model. I was thinking of getting the CD, now I will for sure knowing he has the Lewmeisters seal of approval. Thanks Lew!

Peace,

Darrin

 

[BluesJunkie]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

He has two albums, his debut "Sometime Tuesday Morning" and his latest "Get Inside".

I think I like his first album the most. It seems to have a little more subtlety and better song writing. The second album is still killer, but the first one was hard to beat. I'd rate "Get Inside" 9 out of 10 and "Sometime" 11 out of 10.

Sometime Tuesday Morning

Get Inside

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

I remember seeing his Gibson Custom Shop Model a few months ago and I thought to myself....."who the hell is Johnny A.?" I still haven't had a chance to listen to him yet.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

I just ordered his 2 CDs the other day. I mentioned him in the thread that was around here "Guitarists You've Heard of but Never Heard". I also read that article, went to his website & really dug the music. So I ordered both discs!

Really nice to see all the different influences...rock/jazz/blues... rolled into one amazing package!

 

[Curly]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

they play one of his cuts on local radio

I think the closest reference is Brian Setzer, but Johnny A's got a different tone and feel

good stuff!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

Sheesh! I'm going to have to start reading Guitar Player again I guess. Never heard of the guy before the night before last! Lew

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

Lew, did you actually see him ?

From what I gather...haven't gotten the CDs yet, but like Curly said...kind of like a Brian Setzer vibe w/o the big band backing him.


http://www.johnnya.com/

SHE'S A LOOKER !!!!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

Lew, did you actually see him ?

From what I gather...haven't gotten the CDs yet, but like Curly said...kind of like a Brian Setzer vibe w/o the big band backing him.

Nope...heard a song on KBCO, the local Boulder radio station. He's coming to town to play the Kinetics Ball. It's a yearly event here in Boulder where people spend all year building fanciful pedal powered all terain vehicles that self destruct as they race each other around the Boulder Reservoir and then attemp to cross it. Most fall apart long before they attempt to cross the res! Lew

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

Aaaahhhh, Good Times!!!

 

[BluesJunkie]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

He sounds slightly Setzer-like on the second album, but he's much more versatile.

The first album has a lot more subtle chord work and stuff. His sound is hard to describe, but if Chet Atkins and Wes Montgomery had a kid who went to the Crossroads, learned Jeff Beck's sense of sparse phrasing, and spent his formative years listening to the Beatles and Hendrix, he'd be something like Johnny A.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

He sounds slightly Setzer-like on the second album, but he's much more versatile.

The first album has a lot more subtle chord work and stuff. His sound is hard to describe, but if Chet Atkins and Wes Montgomery had a kid who went to the Crossroads, learned Jeff Beck's sense of sparse phrasing, and spent his formative years listening to the Beatles and Hendrix, he'd be something like Johnny A.

What I liked about the cut I heard was the lack of cliches. He seemed to be coming up with alot of original riffs and phrases. Blues licks I'd never heard before! That's tough to do with a simple medium like the blues...

Lew

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

He sounds slightly Setzer-like on the second album, but he's much more versatile.

The first album has a lot more subtle chord work and stuff. His sound is hard to describe, but if Chet Atkins and Wes Montgomery had a kid who went to the Crossroads, learned Jeff Beck's sense of sparse phrasing, and spent his formative years listening to the Beatles and Hendrix, he'd be something like Johnny A.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA......EXACTLY LIKE ME.



ONLY this guy can play!!!!!

 

[butnut]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

I read the review on his sig guitar...did'nt have a clue who he was, now I gotta find those CD's...sounds like some great guitar work.

 

[Lee_M.]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

I read the review on his sig guitar...did'nt have a clue who he was, now I gotta find those CD's...sounds like some great guitar work.

Nut,

That is the sweetest Avatar pic, ever! Sorry, that was fftopic: !

 

[B2D]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

I like this guy! He's a instrumental virtuoso but his songs ae more along the lines of jazz, R&B, a little Latin, and pop. Very enjoyable to listen to.

I wanna see him live when he comes to town.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

Setzer huh? The tune I heard the other day was great but I honestly thought of George Benson the moment I heard it. I am picking something up from him Sunday, either way.

 

[BluesJunkie]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

Setzer huh?

I've heard a lot of people on the net compare him to Setzer, and on a few songs, he sounds very, very slightly like him. Most of the time, he sounds completely different from Setzer and IMO much better. I think people make the comparision based on the new album, because there are horns on a few songs. Also, Johnny's chord selection sometimes sounds vaguely like something Setzer might play.

 

[tone4days]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

i heard him yesterday for the first time on an indie college radio station here in town (WTMD 89.7 FM) .. a sweet instrumental number ... had alot of nice phrases ... made me wanna hear more

for the guys with the CDs, let us know how they sound
cheers,
t4d

 

[Wattage]

Re: Johnny A...anyone heard this guy?

OK I picked up the new one "Get Inside", what a player! I can see why Setzer is mentioned, not for his tone but Mr. A gots some chops! and he throws in some rockabilly influenced licks and subs here and there. For the most part it is very upbeat but there are some more melacholy moments as well like Krea Gata where he gets a little Wes-like. I can't quite put my thumb on who he reminds me of - I hear some Robben Ford, some Larry Carlton, George Benson, Mark Knopfler, Chester and Lester, some SRV and even some Jimi - all good. I don't know too many of the jazzier cats so I am sure to some he will be more reminiscent of some others. Some of the tunes are just so-so and he tends to overplay it a little from time to time to make up for that but overall any guitar player I know is going to dig the hell out of it and I am sure a lot of folks will like it because it is a pretty eclectic mix of tunes. A different take on Jimi's "The Wind Cries Mary" somewhere around a cool jazz/hot guitar version, the horns didn't thrill me but I liked it.

Steve Vai's label. Nice packaging, very clean production, great tone and playing and I am just guessing but since the drummer is Ron (Ronnie?) Stewart, I bet it's the same guy who used to play with the Joe Perry Project since he's from Mass.