Boulder, Colorado based bluesman Johnny Ohnmacht is excited to make Lethbridge one of his first ever stops ion Canada, when he plays the Slice, Saturday, Oct. 20.
He will be connecting with Calgary musicians drummer Hollywood Bob and bassist Victor Szuroczki for a couple Alberta shows in Calgary and a solo show in Okotoks, the night before the Lethbridge show.
“I love doing that. I’ve toured Mexico and South America and I’ll pick up a band of local musicians to play with me,” he said from Colorado.
“I like doing that. As a trio, it’s easy to steer. If the bass player turns left then I can turn along with him. It’s not as if you have to work with a horn section and are always asking what key you’re in. I play blues and funk music. If they can play it. I can do what I do. It’s always a lot of fun laying with new guys in foreign countries always interesting to hear how other people play it and where they pause.It‘s always a pretty nice surprise,” he continued.
“It’s like a musical adventure every time.”
He will be playing blues classic and original music.
“It’s like high energy blues, funk and soul. I love Chicago style blues. I’ll play Albert King, B.B. King and Freddie King and all the classics. I think it’s very high energy, danceable stuff,” he said adding there will also be originals from his previous CD including his most recent “Tough Times,” which was released in 2012.
“The guys have the videos and the music from the CDs I’ll be bringing with me I sent them, so they’ll have it in hand. We’ll have one rehearsal before the shows,” he continued.
He has been playing the blues for many years.
Ohnmacht grew up idolizing Stevie Ray Vaughn, Freddie King, B.B. King and other blues icons.
“I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn play the Red Rocks amphitheatre. I was spellbound. And I was the only kid in school who had ever heard of him,” he enthused.
He said there is a solid blues scene in Colorado.
“It’s good. It‘s solid there’s venues If they know what you do and are good at what you do, there’s a place for you play,” he said.
He has been taking with Canadian blues festival organizers about future shows.
“ That’s the best way to get in front of a lot of people is at a festival. So I’m doing it one step at a time,” he said.
The Johnny O band plays the Slice, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. Admission is $20.