Hailing from Oregon, Neil Gregory Johnson is best known for his freewheeling finger-style guitar and soulful vocals which relay stories of love lost, life on the road, and life as an ex-barfly turned family man. Earlier this year, Johnson released his debut E.P."Extended Play Catalogue Vol. 1" and here he thoughtfully answered his Essential 8 where he spoke of musical mentors, songwriting and inspiration, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and more!
Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? I grew up in a musical family, so my parents are both indirectly and directly my mentors, I've been watching them perform and have performed with them most of my life. I learned and still learn a lot from my dads willingness to improv and jam and sing with heart. His taste in music is very Neil Youngesque, which I appreciate. He tends to be more reserved with an audience. I learned how to entertain from my mother. Over the years I've gotten to watch all the different ways she can interact with an audience, her gravelly vocal style, and her catalogue of old rock n roll, country, and soul. She is brilliant songwriter as well. It never ceases to amaze me. She tends to be a lot more extrovert, she tells jokes and keeps people on their toes. I like to think that I've tried to take the best of both performing styles from them. Also, thanks to them I feel like I have a well rounded taste in music. Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? A good conversation with an interesting person can get my wheels turning. Learning experiences tend to make for good fodder. Sometimes if I feel like a song is a little to surface or shallow, I like to go a little deeper and maybe a little more poetic. I love puns, limericks, and spoonerisms. I like to add reference, I also love cultural slang and riddles. There isn't good or bad way to write in my opinion, just habits. One of my sub conscious habits is to write for the anti-hero. My favorite people are real, unabashadly flawed, and not afraid to admit it. So I try to represent those people and I aspire to be that as well. “Three Days on The Wagon” and “Loving & Leaving” from my e.p. are good examples of anti-hero songs. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? “You gotta put butts in seats.” (That's your value in the music industry.) - Ramblin' Jack Elliot “No music stand allowed on stage, it's cheating.” (How you supposed to entertain people when you're staring at a sheet of music?) - Momma Dawn Day (my mother) “Hang 10 when you're playing those leads.” (Hang your feet off the stage, play for the audience, and enjoy your moment.) - Dino Denino of The Dino Denino Blues Band
What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out?
After all your friends and family stop being impressed that you're out playing regularly, that's when you will be tested. You will essentially be alone in a world full of people who truly don't care. Don't be angry about that, you aren't entitled to their attention. It's your job to capture their attention (in a good way) and make them forget about the world for 3 min and 30 seconds. Rinse and repeat. Always try and get paid. But play the freebee gig like you're getting paid, and and say thank you. Always walk with the confidence that you are worth your weight in gold. DO NOT be cocky and get a big head because there is always someone working harder than you, and no one likes to be around people who think there shit don't stink. My two cents.. ha! What’s your favorite/”go-to” food on the road? Coffee! HaHa! Do you have any touring tips? Eat light and healthy, Drink lots of water, exercise when you can. Also try to keep drive time to 6 hours a day before the gig, if you're the one driving. What’s your dream venue and why? Where? The Crystal Palace in Bakersfield CA. Why? There is a rich history of country music on the west coast that largely goes ignored nationally. It's a pet peeve of mine, and a personal mission to revive the spirit of the Bakersfield sound as well as bring attention to this when I perform. I consider myself a representative of west coast music, and I am passionate about my roots as a person and a musician. The Crystal Palace is the epicenter of the Bakersfield Sound.. so naturally I would love to play there, and become more familiar with that history. :) Have you met any of your heroes? If so, how did it go? Back about 3 years ago I got to meet Ramblin' Jack Elliot at a gig I was playing in Cottage Grove, Oregon. I remember being a bit embarrassed because it was a dead night. It was a Tuesday and there were probably 5 people in the room counting the bar tender. It felt a bit serendipitous because I had told a story earlier that night on stage about my journey learning about American folk music. I mentioned some names, in that spiel Woody Guthry, Hank Williams, Elizabeth Cotton, Johnny Cash, and Ramblin' Jack Elliot. About 30 minutes later 82 yr old Ramblin' Jack randomly walks in with a couple of friendly regulars that had seen my show before, and his manager Ms. Vicky Lee who happened to be Albert Lee's cousin, and backup singer, as well as former manager for Buck Owens. They were on the way up to Portland to play a show the next day. We sat, sipped whiskey, and listened to him and Ms. Lee tell stories all night. Jack even got on stage and performed a song with my guitar. I was star struck to say the least. It was a thrill, and a night that I'll never forget as long as I live. :) Website/Facebook/Twitter
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