Monterey Bay Blues Festival 2009

Alvon Johnson

Review by LenCat

Photos by Mike Albov and LenCat

Copyrights PhotoGrafiti

 

It's opening night at the 3 day MBBF and the opening act is ready to go on - on the same stage

that Jimi Hendrix played on at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. 

A group of young stagehands holds the 30 foot tall stage curtains from blowing open.

Out in front, famed KGO radio announcer Ray Taliaferro speaks to the crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen

we decided to go the top to give birth to the 24th festival. The man behind these curtains

with his wonderful group is the one, the only, the great, the magnificent, the outstanding -

give him a big round of welcome - ALVON JOHNSON!" 

 

At pronouncement’s end, the stage curtains open and the crowd erupts with cheers.

Alvon, dressed to the T's in a black sparkling smoking jacket, black and white striped shirt & tie

and white brimmed hat, waves to the crow and steps to the mic. "All right I told you what

I was gonna do" he says with a broad smile. ".... Let's get down to the blues".  

The band breaks into the Little Milton classic, "The Blues is Alright", and the crowd shows its approval with another big cheer.

 

Alvon's voice is silky and soulful with a classic "old blues man" timbre. Yet his style is all his own. He slips in a slight raspy growl here and there yet tails off on his phrases with a little vibrato that shows a real "class" in his style. I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to but I can't. THEN, he breaks into a guitar solo on his sparkling silver G&L Telecaster! He tastefully pulls off licks reminiscent of Albert Collins then goes on runs that remind one of Freddie King. His picking style is clear and concise. His tones are clean and crisp with just enough bite to excite. I guess that's one of the reasons that he was voted Guitar Player of the Year in 2005.

 

 

Oh but he's not done yet. Sure he sings like an angel and plays like the devil but on top of all this, he's a consummate showman. He struts up and down the stage. He's waving to the crowd, bending over backwards. He reels back on his heels and points to the air.

He's mugging for the camera that feeds the giant screen on the side of the stage. He dances all the way to the far end of the huge stage and points to the crowd with his right hand while hammering notes on the guitar with his left. All the while he has a smile on his face that seems to say,  'You can try but I dunno if you can have more fun than I am having'. 

Begging to differ, the crowd IS having fun. The sides of the seating area are packed with people dancing in the sawdust. There are a dozen or so people standing at the edge of the stage to take his picture. He has a great sense of humor and jokes with the crowd and they lap it up.  Alvon is not alone. He is backed by his band of all pro musicians: Eddy Hall on drums provides a more than solid backbeat. He knows how to break it down and bring it up. His fills are perfect and he knows where, when and how to use them. Rusty Allen brings the bottom end with full and strong bass playing. His smooth and tasteful lines bring the songs to life without overpowering them. Keyboardist Jimmy McKinney lays down exquisite chordal progressions as well as his own well-timed solo fills. When McKinney goes into his own full solo he replicates the sounds of trumpet, xylophone and various other instruments. Alvon looks off stage, away from the keyboard and jokes that there's a trombone player in the wings. The band runs through some classics as well as some great originals from Alvon's catalog.  

 

Off stage Alvon is one of the most accessible and personable musicians you will ever meet. Before his set I ran into him at his van, which is plastered with HUGE graphics of his latest album "Guitars and Cars". He was more than happy to strike a posein front of it. Backstage, he gladly gave me a rundown of his gear and also made time to talk. I asked him “if you could pick one guitar player in history to sit down and play with, who would it be?” Without hesitation he said "Wes Montgomery". Montgomery is the reason he now plays without a pick. After the set he is at the CD signing booth, shaking hands and slapping backs with the regulars that come to see him. He has a big group of fans and knows many of them on a first name basis. 

 


 

 

As advertised on his banner, Alvon also gives guitar lessons. 

I'm sure he could teach one to play but can anyone really be taught to be a master showman? 

This guy and his band are the real deal. He delivers fantastic interpretations of classic blues and

jazz songs as well as his own original music. His performance at this festival was fantastic.

 If you've never seen Alvon, do yourself a favor and catch him.


 

LenCat is a veteran singer/songwriter/guitarist

who has recorded and performed in the Bay Area for 25 years.

Check him out at http://lencat.com.