The Guitar Player's Resource
Blazing a soulful wah-wah path through mid-tempo rock rhythms, with little regard to commercial restrictions, is Boston area axe man Dave Johnson on his self-titled demo CD-R. The demo features a collection of instrumental tunes he has written from 1994 through the present day, influenced by such greats as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Buckley, Chris Cornell and Joe Satriani. Johnson loves slow grooves, bluesy melodies and tons of 'wah-wah' abuse - it's clear he spends a lot of time stepping on that pedal, he's quite good at it. The first two tracks on the demo "The 420 Groove Thing" and "The Blues Inside" are compositions recorded in 2003, and show his prodigious improvisational chops, tasteful phrasing and tonal preferences. Johnson's aptitude lies in his ability to make his instrument speak and blend, even on early demos such as "Lost Without You". Just more time writing and recording (and more writing and recording) will hone his talent, and help him achieve his goals.
Dave was born into a musical family, with both his father and brother playing the guitar, and accordingly, he got his first guitar at age 12. His early influences were bands like Megadeth and Metallica until his brother showed him scales and modes, while introducing him to Shrapnel Records artists such as Vinnie Moore, Marty Friedman and Tony MacAlpine. Dave grew to appreciate Moore's feel, fluidity and chops, as well as Friedman's vibrato, bends and attack. When he felt confident in his playing, he joined a few local rock bands, and played originals in the heavy metal vein in clubs and bars. Later, staying with his brother in Niagara Falls, Dave was inspired to write his first few instrumental tunes.
Currently, Johnson is working to get his name and music out there in order to get feedback from musicians and others in the industry. He has also recently entered the Guitarmagedddon 2005 competition through a local Guitar Center store. Johnson will continue to write instrumentals and work on his style and tone.
Dave Johnson
United States