20 HEADLINER
BRING YOUR ‘A’ G A M E WORDS PAUL WATSON
R
enowned American guitarist and songwriter, Johnny A, was born in Malden, Massachusetts, and grew up in the North Shore area, cutting a career playing out of Boston’s reputed rock clubs in the ‘70s, a time when the city had a buzzing and remarkably eclectic music scene. This self-confessed guitar nut, who grabbed himself a number one single on his first album, was recently inducted into Boston’s Music Hall of Fame, and although he’s grateful for the accolade, he admits the city’s musical roots are getting worn and tired, and opportunity for up-and-coming artists is lacking. Sadly, there are very few decent places left for Boston’s rising talent to play, and gone are the days of WCBN’s Rock and Roll Rumbles: giant battle of the band events put on by the now legendary radio network where 25 (yes, twenty-five!) of the city’s local artists would compete against each other, round after round, engaging the musical community, and providing a competitive and exciting scene. So where is this city’s next Aerosmith or J Giles Band coming from? Well, if all Bostonians adopted the Johnny A way of thinking, perhaps they might not be a blue moon away... His latest album, Driven, was written, recorded, and mixed by the man himself, in his homemade studio, Thanks to a lot of hard work, and a stupendous crowdfunding campaign, it’s been received fantastically well by the music press, and, wait for it... It’s making money! Yes kids, it can still be done – and without major label backing. Yes, Johnny A has toured the world, and he’s no stranger to a major, but this period in his career, I think, might be his most important – and certainly most creative. Despite being, as he puts it, “just an independent musician playing in a pretty tough scene”, he gives real hope to the next generation. So all aspiring hit record makers, sit back, and take note, from the man who knows how, in today’s game...
“MUSIC IS COMMUNICATORY - IT’S SUPPOSED TO EMOTE...” BOSTON I’m now living some 35 miles north of Boston, in the New Hampshire area, but it was in Boston that I made my name, and my living, playing music. Is there still a scene? Well, yeah, kinda, and oddly enough, I am getting inducted to the city’s Music Hall of Fame this year... Maybe that two bucks will get me a cup of coffee, I’m not sure, but it’s nice to be recognised, all the same. In the mid-to-late ‘70s, there was a lot going on; I was on the same bill as The Cars before they got their deal, and what was really great about the Boston scene was its unbelievable musical variety. Boston has always been a jazz city because of the Berklee College of Music, and it’s always had that heavy duty blues thing, and it’s also had a great singer-songwriter scene thanks to the likes of James Taylor, Jonathan Edwards, and even Van Morrison for a while. Then there was the rock stuff, like the J Giles Band, and I remember Aerosmith breaking