Not-So-Easy Pickings

uitar lovers are indeed a curious bunch. They live in a world of paradox, where patience coincides with rebellion and sensual rhythms lead to spiritual highs. And guitar virtuoso Eric Johnson is no exception. In fact, he is a master of this yin-yang world, as he is both a meticulous musical technician and a passionate guitarist who plays with such raw emotion that his music always holds a spontaneous quality.

But Johnson's seemingly unmeditated playing isn't that at all. Instead, he says he works his pieces over and over again to achieve that impulsive characteristic. And therein lies the reason guitar fans around the world have made Johnson their hero. His music has the ability to excite and soothe in one riff.

"The one thing I really like about my music is its potential to be diverse," says Johnson, who is incredibly modest about his talents. "I am always looking for new sounds and new styles."

However, his fans may not be so open-minded. Johnson says his latest album, last year's Venus Isle, has received a "mixed response." After waiting almost three years, fans were not ready for the album's highly relaxed, almost ambient sound, which is a huge departure from Johnson's fiery 1990 album Ah Via Musicom, which earned Johnson a Grammy Award for the uplifting "Cliffs of Dover."

"People had this expectation of how it would sound," says Johnson. "But this album has more of a healing, soothing quality to it. It's a subtle type of music, not in-your-face."

Johnson said he created the album for a different type of audience than he is used to, but admits he is still a little miffed when people categorize the album as new-age, especially since he is not really a fan of that genre.

But it is hard to miss the new-age qualities of Venus Isle. The album opens with Indian vocalist Amit Chatterjee's chanting on top of slow, spiritual sitar music before sliding into the equally ethereal title track. Despite some obvious tension created with the electric guitar in the background, the intro immediately reveals that Johnson has taken a new, more poetic direction with this album. And he makes no apologies for the different sound.

"I see this as one record on my career," says Johnson, who is a firm believer in trying out new things musically. "It is good that this is a little different."

While his music is usually categorized as being somewhere between rock and jazz, Johnson's sound on Venus Isle shows more classical influence. Keyboards and synthesizers and piano are accented more than the guitar. Johnson says that might be due to the fact that he listens to a lot of classical music including Itzhak Perlman, Aaron Copland, and Stravinsky, as well as jazz classics like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

But hardcore Johnson fans who are put off by all this talk of classical and new-age influences will miss out if they don't give the new album a chance. On "All About You" and "SRV" (a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan), Johnson returns to his sassy style with edgy electric tones. "All About You," with clear pop influences, has a Bryan Adams kind of feel but definitely reintroduces the same fast-fingered guitar work that made "Cliffs of Dover" such a hit.

Growing up, Johnson says he developed a great love for different types of music because of his father's love for everything from the classics to jazz.

"Being exposed to so much so early has really helped my music now," he says.

One of the musicians who touched Johnson's life early on was none other than Elvis Presley.

"He just had such a great voice and such a great sound," says Johnson. "But it was the early years that he was the best. The '50s and '60s stuff-- that's the real good stuff."

Johnson says his other influences include Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Beck, legendary jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, and, of course, Jimi Hendrix.

He says when he first heard Hendrix, he didn't quite know what to make of the guitar genius, but after a while began to appreciate Hendrix's great rhythmic style. During his live shows, which fans swear are a spiritual experience, Johnson regularly covers Hendrix songs such as "Foxy Lady" and "Voodoo Chile."

And Johnson also continues to play with some of the world's best guitarists, having toured with one of his childhood heroes, B.B. King, a few years ago and most recently as part of the G3 concert trio, which includes Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. However, Johnson says he will not be with the tour when it comes to Memphis in October.

Eric Johnson
B.B. King's
Monday, August 18th
Admission $15