Austin’s Eric Johnson has rubbed elbows with the greats, covering a wide range of styles that extend his legacy well beyond the iconic, acclaimed single, “Cliffs of Dover.”
Eric Johnson, who plays The Intersection Sunday, hasn’t been afraid to walk out on a musical ledge. (Photo/Max Crace)
For decades, Eric Johnson’s guitar-playing has been a force of nature, deftly covering an astounding range of genres – rock, blues, jazz, country – while appealing to mainstream fans as well as guitar aficionados. With a host of Grammy nominations and accolades under his belt, the Austin, Texas, native may be best known for his iconic tune, “Cliffs of Dover,” which won a Grammy Award in 1991 for best rock instrumental performance.
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Since the 1970s, Johnson has played and recorded with many of the greats in the business – Carole King, Cat Stevens, Chet Atkins, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Peppino D’Agostino – and his most recent album, 2010’s eclectic “Up Close,” boasts guest appearances by Jonny Lang, Steve Miller, Sonny Landreth and Malford Milligan. He’s been inducted into Guitar Player’s Gallery of Greats and Musician magazine once ranked him among the 100 greatest guitarists of the 20th century.
On Sunday night, he’ll perform in concert at The Intersection, part of a brief U.S. tour featuring drummer Wayne Salzmann II and bassist Chris Marsh. Doors for the all-ages, seated show open at 7 p.m. Sunday; tickets are $20. Get details online here.
Earlier this week, during a Milwaukee tour stop, Johnson chatted with Spins on Music about his career and his music.
Q: After such a long and illustrious career, what’s the most important lesson that you’ve learned?
A: I’m thankful for that career. My biggest lesson is to go with the serendipity that presents itself. There’s all sorts of music that comes up and you surf with the flow that presents itself. We all have the tendency to grab the wheel and hold tight (and try to steer things). Flow energy is different than mind energy. Hopefully, we learn that (flow) energy is grander and more sublime, so we must use our mind energy to support it. … That’s still the best way to make art.
Eric Johnson insists he’s “not a master of any style.” (Photo/Max Crace)
Q: So what kind of advice would you give to younger musicians pursuing a career in the music business?
A: The best advice is to be really honest with yourself and be able to edit yourself – not necessarily to be hard on yourself but to be able to honestly look at what you’re doing … because then you’re able to improve what you’re doing and make more profound music that people enjoy listening to. Follow your passion. Find the music that really makes you happy and that you want to play.
That takes some guts to do especially as the years roll along because you’ll become what you are and what your history is. That’s a dangerous ledge. … You have to have enough courage to walk out on that precipice and say you’re going to leave this other thing behind. You’ve got to get out there and do it. … I think the audience celebrates that. It’s taken me a lot of years to understand that people aren’t there to see me play perfect; they’re coming to get the vibe, to get an emotion.
EMBRACING “A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT STYLES”
Q: Your music spans so many genres, and that diversity is certainly evident on “Up Close,” which covers a lot of territory.
A: I can do it all to a certain level. I’m not particularly great at any style. I’m pretty good at a bunch of different styles. I’m not a master of any style, but I enjoy that. I’d rather have 10 library books that I’ve kind of read mostly, than two I’ve read back to back. It works better for me to slide around.
(For “Up Close”), I just picked from songs I had that I had finished that I could put on the record. I had thought of making a record that’s more focused, that’s not so many different styles. Now, I don’t know if that matters. You can put stuff up on the Internet as you go. When I have enough new pieces, I’ll put them out as an album then. I have two pieces that are completely done right now that I’m going to put up real soon.
Q: It’s impressive that you had guest stars such as Jonny Lang and Steve Miller on that album.
A: I’m always learning something from them and there’s always a different vibe and a different musicality (with each guest in the studio). It’s always a good thing.
SNEAKING INTO NIGHTCLUBS AS A TEEN
Q: You have a song on that album, “Austin,” inspired by your teens when you would sneak into nightclubs so you could sit in the back and watch bands perform. Tell me about those days.
A: The star was Johnny Richardson and the Georgetown Medical Band (a 1960s-era psychedelic/folk band). He was a really fine guitarist and I learned a lot from him and from (guitarist) John Staehely. They were just really good players and I would slip in and hear them play. It was an interesting time in the late ‘60s. It was the beginning of the guitar fuzz tones and feedback, and it was like the first generation of it. These days, it doesn’t have the same, “I’ve never heard that before.”
Eric Johnson (Photo/Max Crace)
Q: What did your parents think of that?
A: They were a little worried when I didn’t want to go to college and just play music. But they were always really supportive of my music. My dad loved all music and he was always playing different styles of music. They set the pace for me.
Q: Which guys in particular influenced you the most?
A: Nokie Edwards from The Ventures, and I was always into Brian Jones, George Harrison, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, John Mayall, Cream’s “Fresh Cream” and “Wheels of Fire,” and (Jimi) Hendrix, and Wes Montgomery, one of the greatest that ever lived. Those guys kind of invented it, but I learned a lot from them.
STEERING CLEAR OF “ANTICS AND GYMNASTICS”
Q: Clearly, you’ve now become one of those guys, a musician who guitar geeks and other musicians look up to. Is that gratifying?
A: I think it’s flattering, it’s nice. And then you don’t want to slip into that that is your calling card. You can play as well as you want, just make sure it’s in music and not just antics and gymnastics. That’s pretty superficial. As interesting and mind-blowing and captivating as that might be, it’ll last about 20 minutes. You’ve got to know that people want to hear music.
Q: “Cliffs of Dover” helped define your career. Is that a blessing or a curse?
A: You end up playing it all the time and … really, I don’t mind. It’s definitely a blessing. I made some good money off of it and built a career off of it. I mean, geez, I don’t think I should have an attitude about it and not want to play it. The compromise is, play it and then play something else. It’s only two or three minutes.
Q: What’s your plan for the next year?
A: Put out songs, one, two or three at a time. We’re going to go to Europe in the spring. And I’ve got a double bill with Mike Stern in New York at the Blue Note in August. I’m trying to not tour too much this year because I want to get into the studio and do a bunch of new songs. Of course, if Paul McCartney called and said, ‘You want to go out?’ I’d probably do it.
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Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
