Eric Johanson
NewMusicForOldFolks says …
Tab Benoit is putting together quite the stable at Whiskey Bayou Records. Both J.P. Soars and Damon Fowler of Southern Hospitality have albums coming out on the label this year and Jeff McCarty's Step Out was very good last year. But they all have a way to go to top the first effort by Eric Johanson. The Louisiana guitarist has been playing in bands since he was 13 and has played Cyril Neville, Mike Zito and JJ Grey & Mofro among others. Touring machine Benoit has been showing him the ropes on the road and Johanson has been acting as tour manager/opening act. Benoit produced and plays drums and Cory Duplechin plays bass on the album. If Burn It Down is any indication, Johanson will be out on the road on his own soon.
Artist's Info
Website: ericjohanson.com
See him live: Tour dates
Record company: Whiskey Bayou
Genre: Rock ’n Roll, Blues
If you like this, look into: Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Tab Benoit, Selwyn Birchwood
Bio (From the artist's website)
New Orleans based Eric Johanson was tearing up nightclub stages in Louisiana with his soulful blues guitar before he finished high school. He has toured across the US and internationally as lead guitarist for the legendary Cyril Neville, Grammy-winning Zydeco artist Terrance Simien, and performed onstage with Tab Benoit, JJ Grey & Mofro, Eric Lindell, Mike Zito, Anders Osborne, the Neville Brothers, and many more. Recently signed to Whiskey Bayou Records, his debut album was produced and engineered by Tab Benoit at his studio in Houma, featuring Tab on drums, and Corey Duplechin on bass. Following it's release in October of 2017, Eric has been touring across the US supporting Tab Benoit at sold out theaters and performance halls. (more)
Spotify sampler
Recordings
BURN IT DOWN (2017): Eric Johanson is backed on drums by Tab Benoit and Corey Duplechin on bass guitar. Eric’s blues run deep and on “Burn It Down,” an 11 song CD produced by Tab Benoit, his versatile style stays within the blues framework making BURN IT DOWN a sequence of fresh, soulful blues rock tracks. Burn It Down was recorded at Tab Benoit’s Whiskey Bayou Studio in Louisiana. The record was recorded Live with just a few overdubs. “That’s Tab’s way of producing and it definitely keeps you from over-thinking things," says Johanson. “Burn It Down is bluesy without having any traditional blues structures. While it was my intention to make a 'blues' record, Tab really encouraged me to do more of the songs with something unique and different about them. As Tab Benoit told me, 'the blues is a feeling, not a pattern'."
