Johnson's narrow travelogue did contain passage through a crossroads that brought Leo Kottke and John McLaughlin into his life. The guitarist, who's blown minds at innumerable clinics as a rep for the Taylor company, was already formulating a rather unique language when a pal turned him on to The Inner Mounting Flame and Greenhouse. The hyperbolic six- and 12-string pieces that make up Fingertip Ship's solo recital contain wisps of both. But ultimately, the individualism of both discs only cemented his commitment to self.
Declaring that he wants to transcend the stigma of the solo acoustic guitarist, Johnson has steered his sound away from all things benign: There's a subtext of mania in his playing. With the aggressively intricate maneuvers he makes on his new Lance McCollum.double-neck 12-string, no one's going to mistake him for a New.Ager. He invariably turns his instrument into action central.
"Man, the top of this thing is alive," he enthuses. "You can play any note and a range of harmonic closeness will start vibrating. I like to create a lot of complexity with my stuff, let the overtones build up, maybe even bubble over. Every piece I write is generally inspired by the sound of the instrument. It depends on what the composition demands."
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