Eric Johanson - The Deep And The Dirty

Size: 111.8 MB
Time: 47:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. Don't Hold Back (4:06)
02. The Deep And The Dirty (3:47)
03. Beyond The Sky (3:45)
04. Undertow (3:22)
05. Just Like New (4:20)
06. Elysian Fields (4:21)
07. Galaxy Girl (3:30)
08. Familiar Sound (4:12)
09. Gets Me High (3:46)
10. Stepping Stone (3:41)
11. Borrowed Time (4:14)
12. She Is The Song (4:46)

Blues-rock guitarist Eric Johanson is pleased to announce the upcoming release of his new album, The Deep and the Dirty, available via Ruf Records, on July 28th. Today, Johanson unveiled his latest video, “Don’t Hold Back.”

While creating The Deep and the Dirty, Eric Johanson’s previous album cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard Blues chart. It was his fourth time reaching the Top 10. And for a Louisiana native who’d grown up idolizing bluesmen like Freddie King and Robert Johnson, it felt pretty good. Even so, genre success didn’t discourage Johanson from reaching beyond the blues for The Deep and the Dirty’s eclectic, electrifying songs.

“I’ve never tried to stay within one box,” he says. “Blues is at the root of the different styles of music I play — hard rock, Americana, New Orleans funk, country — but I don’t see the lines between genres, and I’m not following a standard form. What I find important about the blues is the rawness of it. The expression of it. The humanness of it. That makes The Deep and the Dirty a blues album: the raw self-expression.”

Produced by Jesse Dayton (Supersuckers, Rob Zombie) — another roots-rock innovator who, like Johanson, uses the blues as a springboard for a bigger, broader sound — The Deep and the Dirty (whose title refers to the American South) fires twin barrels of sharp songwriting and fiery fretwork. Johanson wrote these songs during an era that found him at home, live-streaming acoustic performances and releasing two volumes of his Covered Tracks series to a quarantined world. At the earliest opportunity, Eric returned to the road, gaining a fresh appreciation for the musical chemistry generated by a well-oiled touring band. The Deep and the Dirty captures these contradictions and subtleties with songs infused with messages about embracing the current moment recorded in the studio as a band playing together live.

Bassist Eric Vogel (Big Sam’s Funky Nation / Fred Wesley) and Grammy-winning drummer Terence Higgins (Ani DiFranco / Warren Haynes / Tab Benoit) joined him in the studio, recording 12 songs in two days. “When you’re playing this kind of music together, you create moments that can’t be replicated if you’re recording each part separately,” Johanson explains. “I don’t write my guitar solos beforehand or record them separately, either. I need to interact with the band to take the solo somewhere special, so we need to record live. Even if there’s a mistake or two, it feels like an honest representation of the moment.”

Johanson has been capturing moments for years. Born in Alexandria, Louisiana, he received his first guitar at five and became a self-taught prodigy. By his teens, he was a staple at regional blues gigs, often joining much older musicians on stage from New Orleans to Memphis’ Beale Street. Meanwhile, his tastes expanded to include rock acts like Tool, Soundgarden, and Nine Inch Nails, influences which surfaced when Johanson began writing his own songs and experimenting with everything from rock & roll to beat-driven electronic music. Living in New Zealand for four years broadened his horizons even further. And by the time Johanson resettled in New Orleans during the 2010s, he’d developed a style of music that unapologetically encompassed all his influences. Solo albums like 2017’s Burn It Down introduced that sound to a larger audience, while sideman work for acts like Cyril Neville (The Neville Brothers) kept his guitar chops sharp.

“Music is a way for me to try and make sense of my world and myself,” he says. “The Deep and the Dirty is an evolution of what I’ve done before — a little more in your face, up-tempo, and rocking. I came out of the slow years with much energy, wanting to blast off.”

The Deep And The Dirty MP3
The Deep And The Dirty FLAC

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Eric Johanson - The Deep And The Dirty

Album: The Deep And The Dirty
Size: 110,7 MB
Time: 47:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Blues-rock
Art: Front

1. Don't Hold Back (4:06)
2. The Deep And The Dirty (3:47)
3. Beyond The Sky (3:45)
4. Undertow (3:22)
5. Just Like New (4:20)
6. Elysian Fields (4:21)
7. Galaxy Girl (3:30)
8. Familiar Sound (4:12)
9. Gets Me High (3:46)
10. Stepping Stone (3:41)
11. Borrowed Time (4:14)
12. She Is The Song (4:46)

This set is blues music that’s a few steps ahead of the old curve. A gnarling, fuzztone-drenched blaring opening tune attacks like hornets. It’s not Canned Heat or the Butterfield Blues Band but this Eric has a marvelous blues voice. This opener reminds me of the excursions made by the late Alvin Lee who often added a little electronic splash to his dynamic rock vocals (“Standing At the Station”). Here, Johanson weaves so many nice guitar tones throughout his fretwork that the guitar playing alone makes each tune interesting. Though his voice is perfectly suited to these indelible atmospherics the title track finds Eric with his God-given voice. No knob tweaking. This one’s a little swampier & laid down in a genre as old as the Delta. This is the Louisiana native’s 12-track expressive & raw collection. He admits he’s not wholly blues influenced & doesn’t see the lines between genres on The Deep And The Dirty. Eric negotiates his own fully fueled showcase with mood-inspiring tunes.

Produced by Jesse Dayton the pristine-sounding CD doesn’t feature blues playing by the book but explores some keenly dramatic blues performances (“Beyond the Sky,” “Stepping Stone”) without getting caught up in the barbed wire cliches of blues. “Undertow,” a cut that explodes with solid drums is fairly typical stuff. But the energy exuded is superb. A line like “How far do you wanna go…” really drives the seductive sound. The guitar runs are fairly common but the cleanliness of Eric’s playing which meanders here & there into Alvin Lee & vintage Ted Nugent’s (“Marriage On the Rocks” suite) territory is electrifying.

It doesn’t have the torque of the late Roy Buchanan or the sparks of the late Stevie Ray Vaughn, but sometimes that’s not what’s required. Eric cooks roadhouse hot on a low flame & still gets the pot to boil. The success of this is that Eric (lead guitars/vocals) varies his sound & approach enough to keep the set consistently interesting. There’s a snarl to his guitar — sets it apart from the average saloon bar blues band hero. Eric avoids the basic menu of blues. He adds the necessary spices & never stagnates. The majority of the song titles are a little elementary but that comes with the territory. Many newer musicians play like virtuosos but when it comes to lyrics or song titles they’re raccoons caught in headlights.

“Elysian Fields,” is sung again in a vivid Alvin Lee rock voice. Evocative & fascinating. Sometimes summoning ghosts is good. The blues contained herein have character & uh, lots of ghosts. Good ghosts. /John Apice, Americana Highways

Personnel: Eric Johanson (guitar, vocals); Eric Vogel (bass); Terence Higgins (drums).

The Deep And The Dirty mc
The Deep And The Dirty zippy

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Eric Johanson - Covered Tracks, Vol. 1

Size: 95.0 MB
Time: 40:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. 25 Or 6 To 4 (3:55)
02. Head Like A Hole (4:36)
03. Oh I Wept (5:08)
04. My Babe (2:48)
05. Feathers And Down (4:26)
06. Midnight Rider (3:25)
07. Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes (3:35)
08. Deep Deep Water (4:11)
09. House Of The Rising Sun (4:55)
10. Hard Time Killing Floor Blues (3:35)

Pivoting away from 2020’s intensely electrified Below Sea Level, New Orleans native Eric Johanson follows his sophomore effort with a collection of raw, acoustic covers. The ten songs on Covered Tracks: Vol. 1 feature a diverse selection ranging from a pop-folk ballad by The Cardigans (“Feathers and Down”) to traditional pre-war numbers courtesy of Skip James (“Hard Time Killing Floor Blues”). Though the original prose and structures of the material span across several genres, Johanson conveys a solid sense of artistic identity in that many of the tracks diverge wildly from the originals, and end up sounding as if they were Johanson compositions.

As with any covers album, selecting a mix of some best fitting songs along with a few unexpected, off-genre ventures constitutes half the challenge of a successful offering, and Johanson does an excellent job of keeping the variety interesting. The other half of the battle lies in finding ways to reimagine songs without leaning on excessive instrumental diversions, instead finding a way to convincingly make the tunes one’s own. The sparse slide guitar accompaniment and direct vocal delivery help Johanson achieve the second objective.

Starting with Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4,” Johanson strips the track down to its iconic chord structure, adding his own touches by replacing the original horn flourishes with sharp, concise slide licks. Without electrifying the guitar’s contributions, his voice gets equal billing here and on the rest of the album’s tracks—something not witnessed on his previous records. Johanson’s voice sounds comparatively youthful against his guitar tone, which does sound like it could have originated in earlier blues eras. But that doesn’t imply that his vocal tone lacks soul. On the contrary, the vocals on Free’s “Oh I Wept” bear an eerie resemblance to the blue-eyed soul of Paul Rodgers.

Willie Dixon’s “My Babe” and Taj Mahal’s “Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes” stay a little closer to the source material, as does “Midnight Rider.” The interest here lies in Johanson’s whole-hearted singing and tight-but-meaningful guitar adornments. “House of the Rising Sun” may hold less appeal due to the abundance of versions that audiences have heard throughout the years, but it does serve as potentially the album’s best vocal performance. “Deep Deep Water” takes the unusual approach of cutting the run-time of Gatemouth Brown’s jazz-influenced original, and sticks to a more spartan, gritty blues feel.

The real stars of the show are “Feathers and Down” and “Head Like A Hole.” Both stand out as the album’s biggest reaches and greatest successes. On the former, Johanson shows a lot of maturity by taking a slow, patient approach, and adding just the right amount of instrumental flair. The latter will garner the most repeats for Johanson’s excellent adaptation of the unforgettable chorus progression onto his slide stylings. The track sounds as if it could have been the original in a parallel universe. The match is as unique as it is perfect.

Like so many others forced to adapt to an unwelcoming pandemic environment, Eric Johanson has spun a difficult situation into a successful artistic project. Covered Tracks: Vol. 1 serves as an example of an artist unafraid to leave the studio gloss behind and offer listeners an honest look into his musical background. The no-frills blues stylings should please aficionados while the far-flung choices might draw newcomers as they get a look at the flexibility of the blues through the eyes of a talented musician. ~Willie Witten

Covered Tracks, Vol. 1 MP3
Covered Tracks, Vol. 1 FLAC

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Eric Johanson - Below Sea Level

Size: 102,2 MB
Time: 43:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. Buried Above Ground (3:24)
02. Down To The Bottom (3:45)
03. Changes The Universe (4:06)
04. Never Tomorrow (2:51)
05. Hammer On The Stone (4:07)
06. Have Mercy (3:46)
07. River Of Oblivion (4:36)
08. Nowhere To Go (2:36)
09. Open Hearted Woman (4:29)
10. Dose Of Forget (2:53)
11. Love Is Rebellion (3:46)
12. Riverbend Blues (3:24)

Growing up as a third-generation Louisiana musician certainly gives you a leg up and insight into the depth of American roots music. Guitarist/singer Eric Johanson, a native of Alexandria LA, now resides in the Crescent City making a living as a music man since his teens. He has long been a protégé of Tab Benoit and spent time in the bands of Cyril Neville and Terrance Simien. Johanson released his debut album, “Burn It Down,” (Whiskey Bayou Records) in 2017 and recorded an acclaimed album with his cousin Tiffany Pollack, “Blues In My Blood,” (Nola Blue Records) in 2019.

For his solo Nola Blue Records’ debut, “Below Sea Level,” Johanson teamed up with two other scions of southern rock and blues, Luther and Cody Dickinson. Sessions at the famed Zebra Ranch Studios in the North Mississippi Hill Country captured the raw energy of the music in a fresh and timeless way that the Dickinsons refer to as the sound of the Memphis Underground. The combination of Luther Dickinson’s production skills with Johanson ‘s earnest song writing, embracing vocal style and formidable guitar skills mixed with the joyous bombast of Cody’s drumming and the deft bass playing of Terrence Grayson from the Victor Wainwright band, created a sumptuous sonic stew. These young guns were infants or a twinkle in their mothers’ eyes when guitar heroes like Johnny Winter, Pat Travers and Gary Moore ruled the FM airwaves, but somehow they were inoculated with that big 70’s blues rock gestalt and are bringing it back to life.

Johanson opens the set of twelve original tracks with the raucous ‘Buried Above Ground’ that has Cody matching Eric’s rolling and tumbling guitar riff, while he declares his New Orleans pride. A sizzling slide guitar intro pulls us into the swaggering shuffle ‘Down To The Bottom’ and Ray Jacildo layers in Hammond B3 behind Johanson’s smooth lead guitar and soulful vocals on the swinging power ballad ‘Changes The Universe.’ The headbanging riff and foot stomping sing-along of ‘Never Tomorrow’ is a bit of arena rock indulgence, before we dive into the stoner rock deep end epic ‘Hammer On The Stone’ in all its Hendrix-meets-Black-Sabbath glory. Johanson details the harsh realities of life on the street and his beloved Crescent City in the industrial tinged ‘Have Mercy’ and recounts the horrors of addiction on the heavy lament ‘River Of Oblivion,’ bearing witness to the many tragedies he has seen in his young life.

You somehow feel the spirit of Chuck Berry coming through on the Hill Country two-beat romp ‘Nowhere To Go,’ with its ripping lead guitar and cockeyed optimistic “Hail Hail Rock N Roll” feel. He then channels Freddie King on the slinky funk number ‘Open Hearted Woman’ that has a groove as thick as knee-deep shag carpet. The fella’s instrumental skills are on display during the jagged Led Zeppelin styled opening of ‘Dose Of Forget,’ building into a power trio fury. Johanson delivers a treatise on our divisive world on the acoustic driven ‘Love Is Rebellion’ boldly making his own statement on the nature of freedom. He closes out the session by picking up his resonator guitar for a solo reading of ‘Riverbend Blues;’ the plaintive tome paints a picture of simpler times and bitter-sweet memories.

This strong sophomore release, “Below Sea Level,” from Eric Johanson, will surely cast him as a rising star in the blues and southern rock scene and help secure his place in the next pantheon of guitar gods. ~Rick J Bowen

Below Sea Level MP3
Below Sea Level FLAC

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Tiffany Pollack & Eric Johanson - Blues In My Blood

Size: 108,7 MB
Time: 46:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. Blues In My Blood (3:56)
02. Memories To Forget (4:51)
03. Keep It Simple (3:57)
04. Michael (4:52)
05. Diamonds On The Crown (3:08)
06. No Expectations (3:35)
07. Do I Move You? (3:31)
08. Slave Of Tomorrow (5:25)
09. Get Lost With Me (4:53)
10. River (3:35)
11. If I Had A Hammer (4:36)

Tiffany Ann Pollack is a product of the musical mecca known as New Orleans. At an earlier age Pollack began to write songs and sing. Her first professional gig was singing background vocals for Russell Batiste & Friends. She eventually formed her own band Beaucoup Crasseux. Her performing career fizzled and Tiffany studied mortuary science. After the birth of her third child she returned to her music career. She now sings with her own jazz band Tiffany Pollack and Co.

Eric Johanson was recognized as a soulful blues guitarist while still in high school. He’s been the lead guitarist for both Cyril Neville and Terrance Simien. In 2017 Johanson released “Burn It Down” on Tab Benoit’s Whiskey Bayou Records. In 2018 New Orleans’ Offbeat Magazine nominated “Burn It Down” as the “Best Blues Album of 2018”.

Pollack had been adopted at birth. She was reunited with her biological parents when she was twenty-five. Always having music in her soul she learned that her mother, Margaret, plays bass and sings in a jazz band. As luck would have it her aunt, Margaret’s sister, was the mother of Johanson. So Pollack and Johanson discovered they were first cousins and after years of having their mothers edge them to work together, finally united for this project.

The eleven tracks feature seven originals written or co-written by Pollack and Johanson. Also contributing to four of the songs is the Grammy nominated and Emmy winning producer Jack Miele. Miele’s production credits include Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Erykah Badu, The Rebirth Brass Band, The Roots, Jill Scott, Beyonce and countless others. The album is engineered and mixed by Miele at The Music Shed Studios in New Orleans. The album is co-produced by Brentt Arcement.

Six tracks are recorded with a band including Miele, bass, additional guitar and percussion; and Arcement, drums, organ, piano and percussion. The title track includes John Gros on organ. “Memories to Forget” features Johnny Sansone on harmonica. The brass of the 504 Horns helps complete the production on “Michael” with a beautiful solo from Johanson. “River” is the Joni Mitchell classic. Vocalists Pollack and Johanson sing beautifully as their voices perfectly complement one another.

Five more songs feature a band lineup with Phil Wang replacing Miele on bass; and Gros playing both organ and piano. Included are three more specially selected covers. Nina Simone’s “Do I Move You”; Pollack singing a beautiful version of the Rolling Stones “No Expectations”; and a wonderfully re-arranged duet on “If I Had A Hammer”, originally recorded by the Weavers and popularized by Peter, Paul and Mary.

Both Pollack and Johanson are seasoned veterans. They bring a roots based approach to their blues while still reflecting the rich musical heritage of New Orleans.

Blues In My Blood

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Eric Johanson - Burn It Down

Size: 123,1 MB
Time: 52:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2017
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Burn It Down (6:25)
02. She's In Control (3:37)
03. Bang Against The Wall (3:29)
04. Graveyard Queen (5:00)
05. 4 O' Clock (4:46)
06. Live Oak (5:44)
07. Til We Bleed (5:46)
08. The Fugitive (3:55)
09. Oh Louisiana (6:00)
10. So Cold (3:30)
11. On My Own (4:25)

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.

Burn It Down

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