Eric Johanson

BUY TICKETS FACEBOOK RSVP Artist Website Eric Johanson Doors 7PM / Show 8PM Seated show $20adv / $25DOS 21+ (see our FAQ) Eric Johanson has built his career on the idea that roots are a foundation, not a boundary. The New Orleans guitarist, singer and songwriter draws from blues, rock, psychedelia and the musical language of his Louisiana home, turning those influences into songs that are heavy, melodic, raw and unmistakably his own. His guitar may be the first thing that grabs attention, but it has always served a larger picture: songwriting, voice, groove and the electricity of a band playing in the moment. Johanson’s 2023 album, The Deep and the Dirty, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart, expanding his audience with a harder-edged sound that paired thick guitar textures and swampy rhythms with increasingly focused songwriting. He followed it with 2025’s Live In Mississippi, another Billboard Top 10 release that captured the intensity and unpredictability of his power-trio stage show. That momentum carries into The Open Bayou, Johanson’s new studio album and the first released on his own Levee Ward Records. Recorded largely live as a trio with bassist Will Repholz and drummer Jake Gartenstein during three days off from touring, the record pushes deeper into the collision of blues and heavy rock that has increasingly defined his music. Fuzz, slide guitar, hypnotic rhythms and off-center textures run through the album, but the songs remain at the center. Johanson mixed and mastered the record with Bill Skibbe, known for his work with Jack White, The Raconteurs, The Kills and Jon Spencer. Rather than polishing away the imperfections of the sessions, the goal was to preserve their raw spark and physical impact - the sound of three musicians reacting to one another in real time. The result is heavier and stranger than Johanson’s previous work without leaving his roots behind, finding instead how far those roots can reach. Born in Louisiana…