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| Scott Johnson steps out with solo CD | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Chris Hansen Orf, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 13, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
“I was pretty comfortable just playing guitar, especially during the crazy Gin Blossoms years when we were so busy (touring). I just didn’t think about any kind of solo career,” says Johnson, who before joining the Gin Blossoms in 1992 led his own band, power poppers The Squares, as a singer, songwriter and guitarist. “But when I was with The Peacemakers is when I started getting the itch (to make a solo record) again, to write more.” When the Gin Blossoms, who sold millions of records worldwide before breaking up in the late ’90s, got back together in 2003, Johnson found himself busy touring again. But Johnson finally found the time in the early 2000s to begin writing and recording his self-titled debut CD, which he will celebrate with a CD release show at Tempe’s Last Exit Bar and Grill on Friday, Sept. 14. The 12-song disc features the power pop Johnson previously explored with The Squares (“Make It Last,” “Think I’m In”) country rock (“Chorus,” “Get Drunk All the Time”) and jazz/pop grooves (“Beautiful Day,” “Need Your Love”). Gin Blossoms fans will take particular interest in two tracks: “Stop,” which was recorded by the Blossoms for their 2006 comeback CD “Major Lodge Victory” but was left off the CD (Johnson got permission from the band’s label, Hybrid, to include the song on his solo album), and “Suicidal Advocacy,” which many fans have already assumed is about Doug Hopkins, a founding member of the Gin Blossoms whom Johnson replaced in 1992 and who committed suicide a year later. “A lot of people think (“Suicidal Advocacy”) is about Doug, just because of the connection,” says Johnson, who says he wrote the song about another ill-fated songwriter who killed himself. “It’s actually about Elliot-Smith.” Johnson is quick to credit bassist Troy Dixon and Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers drummer P.H. Naffah (who will back Johnson, along with some guests including Gin Blossoms singer Robin Wilson — who will sing “Stop” — vocalist Nikki Green and harmonica player Kirk “The Judge” Karman, at his official CD release show) for their work on the disc, and is especially grateful to producer George Keller. “People say playing guitar is a labor of love,” Johnson says with a laugh. “But when you’re in the studio all day with your ears bleeding — George spent hours and hours getting everything just right, and I give him a lot of credit for the way (the record) sounds.” >> Scott Johnson performs 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, at Last Exit Bar and Grill, 1425 W. Southern Ave., Tempe. $5. (480) 557-6656 or lastexitlive.com Contact Chris Hansen Orf by email, or phone (480) 898-5684 |
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