Celebrating the British song book of the 60's ...and beyond

To quote the London Free Press (Johnny A. is...) "a musician who resists easy categorization and that's always cool by us."

And as JAZZIZ Magazine so perfectly stated, "Johnny A. has eclectic musical vision and the skills to realize it... A.'s music is both accessible and sophisticated."

Don't miss your only chance to see Grammy Nominated, Boston Music Hall of Fame Inductee and one of America's finest instrumental guitarists, Johnny A. live on-stage at the most spectacular outdoor venue on Boston's North Shore!

Your attendance helps support the #SaveOurStages movement.

JOHNNY A. Just Me...And My Guitars

Lots of folks throw around the phrase "let the music do the talking," but only a few have the fortitude to really do it - to just go out there and play, shunning flash, shrugging off image and reeling in the listener on the strength of the songs alone.

Johnny A. is that kind of performer. For the better part of three decades, the Massachusetts--based guitarist and bandleader has proven himself capable of generating heat at venues from working--class bars to international amphitheaters - and every sort of venue in between. And when the house lights are turned up, he's just as adept at captivating serious students of the six--string with a virtuosity that earned him the rare honor of having his name placed on a signature Gibson® guitar.

"I want to create instrumental music and deliver it like a vocalist," he says "You can be a great player, on any instrument, and people will take notice for a while...but what people really remember is someone who brings them a great melody."

For nearly 20 years Johnny A. has travelled the world effortlessly gliding through, bending and blending, musical genres to deliver his own unique style of guitar instrumental music.

While Johnny has been a bandleader for most of his career, he opted to work alone on this outing. That take-no-prisoners attitude has been ingrained in Johnny A. since he first set foot on a stage, whether as leader of locally-acclaimed Boston acts like Hearts on Fire or in the company of acclaimed artists like J. Geils frontman Peter Wolf - whose band he anchored for more than seven years. It fully came to the fore in 1999, when he independently issued his first solo album, Sometime Tuesday Morning - a disc that eventually went on to sell 100,000 copies and spawn "Oh Yeah," a single that topped the AAA charts (a feat no instrumental song had accomplished in more than a decade).

"When I was in my early bands, I sang, but when I was with [Peter Wolf], I came down with a severe bronchial infection resulting in an extreme case of laryngitis and my singing voice never recovered completely," he says. "I made a conscious decision at that point to focus on instrumental music. I re-evaluated how I played, redefined my approach completely."

That new approach won plenty of accolades from outlets like the Boston Phoenix, which dubbed him "a singular presence on the Boston rock and pop scene, winding jazz, blues, popular tunes, rock, and flourishes of psychedelic improvisation into a tight, passionate ball." The success of Sometime Tuesday Morning led to a second release, Get Inside, which brought forth a radio hit in the form of the title track and earned a spot on the Grammy ballot that same year- and drew the folks at Gibson®, who approached Johnny to collaborate on a custom guitar, the second best selling signature model in the company's illustrious line of instruments.

Ever the restless spirit, Johnny A. continues to glide across genres effortlessly, exploring elements of jazz, soul and even a bit of Chet Atkins--styled country on his instructional DVD Taste, Tone, Space, which was released in 2006.

That stylistic fluidity got front and center placement on Johnny's 2010 release, the live CD--DVD package One November Night, which captures just such a riveting evening for posterity and proves that, in the words of Premiere Guitar Magazine, " Johnny A.'s magic crosses over because, like [Bill] Frisell, he doesn't just play guitar -- he plays music." That year he earned a Blues Artist of the Year award at 2010's Boston Music Awards.

The journeying continues on the 2014 appropriately--titled Driven, a veritable sonic travelogue that takes the listener from the mists of the hypnotic opener "Ghost" through the rough--hewn terrain of "The Arizona Man," before fading out in the mysteriously lovely sepia tones of "Gone (Like a Sunset)."

"My goal was to make a really lyrical album that would stay with people, not an album that would make people think 'wow, that guy's a great guitarist,'" he says. "I'm not interested in blowing someone's head off with my playing, or showing how I can shred. With my favorite guitarists, I always tried to put my finger on how I could pick them out of a crowd. You can have all the chops in the world and be voiceless - I always want to have a voice." And in 2014 Johnny A.'s "voice" was inducted into the Boston Music Hall Of Fame.

Never content with complacency, and always up for a challenge, Johnny again takes an adventurous musical left turn with his "Just Me...And My Guitars" performances to present his distinct, instrumental guitar approach for the very first time in a completely "solo" intimate atmosphere...combining his keen arrangement instincts and guitar skills with his adept understanding and use of effects for a high--wire, one man tour de force, performance in real time without a net!

To quote the London Free Press (Johnny A. is...) "a musician who resists easy categorization and that's always cool by us."

And as JAZZIZ Magazine so perfectly stated, "Johnny A. has eclectic musical vision and the skills to realize it... A.'s music is both accessible and sophisticated." "Devotion to melodies, tight dynamics and succulent tones perfectly temper Johnny's balance of fire and ice."
-- Ted Drozdowski, Guitar World

"Johnny A. has his own signature guitar--and seemingly scores of signature guitar sounds at his fingertips. If he had trouble focusing on a particular style as a budding musician, the attention deficit is paying off handsomely now."
-- Mike Joyce, Washington Post

GIMMELIVE's MAC Drive-In Summer Concert Series is presented in partnership with the Mancheester Athletic Club in their back parking lot surrounded by trees and rock cliffs.

The MAC is 1 minute off Rte 128 at Exit 15 - a pleasant 40 minute drive up the coast from Boston. See Map.

The MAC has been a community within a community for over 45 years. As one of the first multi-sport health clubs on the North Shore, MAC has continued to grow and evolve over the years allowing our members to recreate, improve & maintain their personal best in health and wellness. Their goal is to provide members with personalized programs specifically designed to meet their needs and see results. Whether you're looking to decrease body weight, increase strength, work on post injury/rehabilitation strength training, or even just change your eating habits and decrease stress -- the good people at the MAC can help you get there.