 |
|
SEND TO FRIEND
| POST OPINION
|
| King Johnson, a living legend |
By Will Jordan, wjordan@nashvillecitypaper.com
June 05, 2003
|
GETTING THERE
Who: King Johnson
When: Doors open at 8 tonight; Two Cow Garage at 9, Foggy Bottom at 10, King Johnson at 11:15 p.m.
Where: Exit In, 2208 Elliston Place, 321-3340
How much: $8
|
Funk and soul rockers King Johnson continue to live up to their name.
The Atlanta-based band that blends “bayou-based rhythm and blues with funk-infused jazz, melodic roots rock and soul-shuffling boogie,” named themselves aptly after a combination of their favorite blues heroes.
“Our favorite blues players were either named Johnson — Lonnie Johnson, Robert Johnson — or King, Albert King, B.B. King. We thought we’d mix the two. It sounded like a mysterious blues legend,” laughed guitarist/vocalist Oliver Wood.
The band’s six members, which include bassist/vocalist Chris Long, drummer Greg Baba, percussionist Chris Uhler and the two-man horn assault of Marcus James, Adam Mewherter and Wood, whose brother is notably Chris Wood of the jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood, are ready to take on the world and are doing so, one city at a time.
The band is currently touring extensively throughout the Southeast, Midwest and Rocky Mountain region for its fourth release, Hot Fish Laundry Mat, which officially hit stores in April.
“Hot Fish Laundry Mat is definitely our best one yet,” Wood said. “It’s certainly sold more than the others in the few months it’s been out.”
Wood said they have previously been lumped into the jam band category, but have expanded their listening base with the latest album, released by Landslide Records.
“It’s neat because Hot Fish Laundry Mat seems to be accepted by a blues audience as well as a jam band audience,” He said. “We’ve always been affiliated with homegrown music, kind of a jam band collective. But we don’t think of ourselves as a jam band or a blues band, but our own little stew of all that stuff. That’s why we enjoy playing so much. We don’t have too many boundaries when it comes to genre.”
King Johnson’s charisma on stage, which includes an array of instrumentation — from an African shekere to an 8-pound sledgehammer — is a frenzied affair. They also have an expansive horn section that features everything from a trombone to a tuba, cornet, slide whistle sax, clarinet, flute and fife.
“We’re different every night,” Wood said. “We don’t even do a set list, although we work from a large list in our heads. It’s a spontaneous thing. Our sets are definitely horn-driven. We have two guys that sound like four guys.”
|
|
| |
|
Please Login
The City Paper will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2003 in observance of Independence Day.
Recognize it? Be the first one and win!
A weekly look into local engaged couples and the wide world of wedded bliss.
