Spotlight - Johnny J. Blair
Johnny J. Blair is one of Pennsylvania's most talented performers.
There's really no way to honestly describe what he can do because,
to tell the truth, there isn't much he can't do. There's a million terms
I could use to describe him, but, I came up with one that makes some
sense to me...I'd like to call him the Harry Houdini of the music world.
I've been lucky enough to see him perform solo twice, once opening for
The Cellarbirds and the other was the singer/songwriter event that
Dave Blackledge put together and, not that it matters, but, both
shows were at Fiddlestyx in Milton. Anyway, going back to the Houdini
comparison...if you put an acoustic guitar in his hand, well,
it's a magical event. I know some of you might be thinking that
one guy with an acoustic guitar can't put on that great of a show.
Well, maybe you're right, maybe someone out there has the most
boring show in the world. But, that's not the case here. If you haven't
seen Johnny J. Blair live yet then you don't know what you're missing.
Johnny creates an exceptionally cool vibe when he's on stage. He's got
a great sense of humor when he's up there and he uses that to connect
with his audience. But, that's not all he uses to make that connection,
his performance does it as well. It's almost the same as watching your
favorite rock 'n' roll band doing their thing. I mean, come on, here's
a guy that can hold your attention doing a version of "Amazing Graze."
Now who would really wanna go to a bar to hear that song? Probably
not a lot of people. But, Johnny J. Blair can pull it off and
he can pull it off rather well.
My first experience with the music of Mr. Blair was his "Fire" release,
which was quite an exceptional album. I was really suprised when I
heard this one. It's one of those albums that I'm at a loss for
words about. Back when I was doing my own fanzine, I was gonna
include this release. But, since I really couldn't put my thoughts
into words back then, I asked Germany's legendary musician/writer/radio
personality, Lord Litter, for his opinion on this release and he said,
"It's rather difficult to describe the special flair of this album.
Reviewers have defined the music as a rock/pop/gospel/roots mixture.
Yes, true. But, this does give only a vague idea about the music...not
mentioning the production, the personality and so on and so forth.
Let's put it this way, Johnny's album is a very fine example of
how unique music can turn out when produced by a man with a lot
of experience in complete freedom from fashion music rules and regulations."
The last time I saw Johnny live, he was kind enough to give me a copy
of "Exotic Animals And Beaches Of Pennsylvania." In a press release,
Johnny described the project as a collection of new and old...a few
brand new tracks hitched with rarities from as far back as 1990.
They're all songs that people have heard at different times
and have been asking for and now, as Johnny said, "I can deliver!"
One of my favorite tunes on this release is "Lighten Up." It reminds me of
that Tori Amos song that was in the Robin Williams movie, "Toys." I believe
it was called "Happy Worker." "Dumb Angel" is also another favorite/stand
out track. I believe he performed this one live when I saw him because
I remember this song from somewhere and I thought it was a really cool
tune. I'm glad I now have a copy of it on disc.
As for musical style, I won't even try to put a description in print because,
no matter what I say, it wouldn't do this release justice. It's only got
nine songs, but, there's so much to take in, it's amazing. Johnny doesn't
even need to use any instruments to make an interesting song and the proof
can be found in the acapella version of "I Wanna Be In Pennsylvania,"
which can be found here.
You really need to have an open mind when it comes to the music of Johnny
J. Blair. Personally, my musical taste is hard rock and heavy metal.
That's usually what I'm listening to in my free time. On a local level,
heck, I'm a huge Spinebelt fan, as most of you should already know.
Believe it or not, I can actually compare Johnny J. Blair to Spinebelt
even though their music is totally different from each other. You
know why...because it's all good. That's what I look for in music...it
doesn't always have to be heavy, it just has to be good and
when it comes to Johnny J. Blair...I'm just in awe of the talent this man has.
On the web:
http://home.earthlink.net/~the3blrs