Alex Johnson and Steve Westfield

Sat. Jul. 20, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Alex Johhnson and Steve Westfield are coming to the Armory Cafe! Each will do their own solo set and then the two will jam together at the end. One night only not to be missed!

Suggested $15 donation

F. Alex Johnson creates music that is easy to connect with and hard to forget. His style stems from a love of pop, rock and soulful roots music, as well as acoustic instrumental and finger-style guitar. Whether he’s singing about love, loss, or the joy of everyday revelations Alex tries to maintain a strong sense of place and humor. His solo performances are always exciting and intimate affairs, allowing him a better opportunity to focus the connection between the performer and audience. Using simple, organic guitar effects Alex is able to create a wide palate of sounds. Using a looper pedal he often builds textural aural backdrops, freeing him up for some searing leads that can lift the room. Other times it’s just his voice and a stark acoustic guitar that take center stage. A lifetime of performing under his belt, Alex has learned how to play to any crowd, anywhere, anytime.

Though a Fall River native, Alex has been part of the Western Massachusetts music scene for the past 27 years, co-founding alt-roots sextet Drunk Stuntmen in 1993 and founding and fronting his guitar-fueled trio Colorway in 2013. That band’s third album “These Are The Days” was released last June and features Chris Collingwood (Fountains of Wayne/Look Park) on two tunes. Eric Danton (Paste, WSJ, Pitchfork) called the album “a rock-solid collection of songs with catchy hooks, taut riffs and hard-won wisdom.”

In between all of this (in 2004) Alex joined up with the senior rock stars, The Young At Heart Chorus. As their pit band guitarist he’s traveled around the world several times, notching appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Ellen along the way.

At least one tune from each of Colorway’s three albums has had regular rotation on AAA US radio as well as international play. Alex has shared stages with David Byrne, Ian Hunter, Television’s Richard Lloyd, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Foreigner and The Yardbirds among many others.

Alex continues to tour with Colorway on the road up and down the east coast and as west and east as possible. He’s recently performed solo in The Netherlands as well as Japan where he is enjoying a rapidly growing fanbase.

Massachusetts singer/songwriter Steve Westfield debuted with a collection of sly and frantic songs on Mangled. “Missing” starts off the disc, ranging from gentle guitar-picking to a rousing, rock-fueled section in the middle of the song, with a guitar solo by the Pixies’ Joey Santiago. The title track is next, a purposefully sloppy and relaxed folk song. The mixture of the frantic bassline and the crazy wah-wah guitar at the beginning of “Crummy Little Town” makes it clear to the listener that this album is not the work of a traditional musician. Westfield seeks to break the rules every chance he can get, pushing hard to make the music powerful and complementary to his dry and direct lyrics. The soulful harmonica on “Free & Lonely” brings a new ingredient to the mix, as the mood of the album grows increasingly somber. Buffalo Tom’s Chris Colburn and Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow add instrumentation to one of the most howling ballads of this period of indie rock, “Alone at Last.” That song is quickly followed by the silliest track of the disc, “Clappy Birthday,” consisting entirely of handclaps. The mood soon becomes murky again, as Westfield sings the blues over a variety of instruments, including slide guitar, clarinet, recorder, and bongo. The music borders on a hard rock sound on “Electrocute Me,” before the simple guitar chords of “Life Goes On,” a heartfelt and optimistic epic. Mangled was recorded entirely in Massachussetts.

 

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