Artist description Benj-o-matic follows in the footsteps of other great solo projects. A one man musical machine, but not your typical 4-track-demo record....THIS IS FOR REAL! Recorded at Earthtones Recording in Greensboro, NC and touring the world via mp3 every day!!!

Music Style good tunes with a twist (and some hooks)

Musical Influences Chris Cornell, Chris Whitley, Nuno Bettencourt, Richie Kotzen, Eleven, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Jerry Douglas, Bill Monroe, Bela Fleck, Kiss, Ernest Tubb, Jason and the Scorchers, Robert Johnson, Kings X, Nine Inch Nails and anything else I can get my hands on.

Similar Artists Take a listen and tell me.

Artist History Been playing guitar since I was 15. Got into production about 10 years ago. Been playing in various bands for over 12 years. Always played just guitar and did background vocals with bands, but decided to see what my lead vocals sounded like. Started writing solo stuff, seriously, about a year ago.

Group Members Benjy-Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Drum Kit, Drum Loops, Bass and all vocals. Special Guests throughout.

Instruments Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Bass, Drum Kit, Drum Loops, Hammond Chord Organ, Vocals

Albums "Gitchu Sum"

Press Reviews My mom thinks I'm good. "I picked this one (Soda Pop), but all his songs have strong hooks. Really worth a listen!" - Hookmeister Radio "Home brewed, whammy stuff"- Power Pop Paradise Radio "Working largely as one-man band, Benj-O-Matic makes good as a '70s-bred rocker doing what he can to keep things up to date with melodic, southern-tinged guitar rock. It's not exactly hip, but it is well put together." -Listen.com "A white-trash love song (Fine Romantic). As someone who grew up a small-town midwesterner, the lyrical references in this song really hit home for me. Think of it as a much more realistic version of "Jack and Diane"." - Best of the Web 2 Radio From ESP magazine's September 4th issue: Benjy Johnson has very little time to spare. He wears many hats: band member (he plays with the funky rock band Crushed Velvet Jones); solo artist (he's written and recorded a CD full of very infectious funk-pop tunes under the name of Benj-o-matic); studio owner (he owns, manages and runs Earthtones Recording Studio in Greensboro); record producer (he engineered, co-produced and mastered nearly every track on Will Rock For Food, Volume 1, a 17-track compilation CD showcasing band talent from three states). And in about six months, he'll be adding another big chapeau to his collection -- full-time dad. One might surmise that the more one has to do, all that energy sort of feeds itself, and that idea has worked its magic well so far for Johnson (at least until those 4 a.m. feedings come into play), who is showing no signs of slowing down. His original project, Benj-o-matic, which Benjy says started off as a way to test out the equipment in his new studio, has really taken off, and he says he's been toying with the idea of forming a band around the project. The compilation idea, Johnson says, came out of an idea that Crushed Velvet Jones (CVJ) bandmate Clay Howard came up with. "We had been on another compilation," explained Benjy, "and we thought that we could have up-to-par bands on something of our own. We wanted to put something together for our friends whom we'd played with. Every band paid $50 each to cover recording costs and time (averaging 4-5 hours per song), and they got a spot on the CD -- tracks were arranged by musical style."Clay took care of every bit of the graphics design stuff (with artist Brown Biggers) and handled all the printing and duplication -- the CD cover features a cool sepia-toned shot."I recorded all the bands, mixed the CD, mastered it and arranged it all."And if folks are interested in obtaining a copy?"We're offering them online (www.earthtonesrecording.com), and we've put them in local stores (Record Exchange, for example), and we've given 20 to each band to sell or give away at shows. It's basically a promotional tool for everyone involved."Musically, the CD is a melange and should satisfy that craving for something new. The first portion (Tracks 1-6) features pop music -- rockier stuff by Crushed Velvet Jones and Benj-o-matic, a rolling acoustic/harmonica-tinged number from solo artist Sam Hensley; and a poignant and rather disconsolate acoustic track from Alex Hall. Harder music highlights (tracks 7-11) include a fresh track from Bloom (the only female lead vocal) and a rather interesting and brash recitation/sonic soundtrack selection from Elvis X. The rest of Will Work... is somewhat eclectic -- "Little Dog Duncan" by Steve Weston is a wacky, fun, country ditty, and "Superstar" is a pleasant Donovan go-go throwback by C Spot Run.Besides the obvious exposure bonus for the bands involved, the CD serves as a real opportunity for Triad music lovers to audibly check out the bands whose names you've seen listed in the ESP Guide."On a community level," says Johnson, "I think it's made an impact because some of the bands are regular gigging bands that most people know, and some of them are just good musicians that we felt people should hear."And speaking of which, people should be hearing a lot more from Benjy Johnson, CVJ, Benj-o-matic and "Will Work..." in the coming months. Some of the bands featured on the compilation (CVJ, Haiz Rail, Shinkicker and Hotplate) will share the stage at Fuzzy Ducks on Saturday, September 16.And Johnson is nothing if not prolific. His own stuff is available for download at MP3.com, a still-underground medium Benjy says "is becoming what FM radio was in the 1960s."Johnson's solo material might be characterized as Southern-fried funk rock -- it's rock, but it's been beat up a bit, rolled around in the dirt and run through some funk PC. He does experimental things with his voice -- stuffing it, compressing it (let's see what happens when I push this button right here!) and has boatloads of fun. Johnson (who plays every instrument on his not-yet-released CD) writes conceptual, quirky lyrics that are a hundred miles away from the boy-meets-girl, woe-is-me, I'm-so-riddled-with-angst variety. It's refreshing. And radio would lay down and die for his pop funk grooves.Not bad for a guy who began "writing stuff just to see if I could do it."That is how some of the best music gets written -- when you're writing for yourself and the light in your head goes off and blinds you brilliant.

Additional Info Hey! How are ya'?

Location Greensboro, North Carolina - USA

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