A phenomenal blend of self-awareness, spirit and muscle.
--Relix 

Osborne’s music ranges from muddy backwater blues to upbeat country rock, and fills in many of the gaps in between. He’s a songwriter [with] astonishing range, and his vocals are expressive and pitch-perfect.
--NPR Music
 
Osborne’s an intense roots rock player, and he’s especially wicked when he whips out a slide. His greatest attribute is his ability to conjure intimate feelings from the darkest depths and the highest heights of his soul and share them through song. 
--Guitar Player

Between the potency of his incredibly deep songwriting, his soulful vocals and his subtle, expert guitar work, New Orleans’ Anders Osborne is a true musical treasure. He is among the most original and visionary musicians writing and performing today. OffBeat magazine recently named Osborne the Crescent City’s Best Roots Rock Artist and declared him the city’s Best Guitarist for the second straight year. Guitar Player calls him, “The poet laureate of Louisiana’s fertile roots music scene.” 

Since the release of his 2010 Alligator Records debut, American Patchwork and his 2012 follow-up. Black Eye Galaxy, Osborne has earned hordes of new fans. He has toured virtually non-stop, either with his road-tested trio, as a solo artist, or as a guest with his countless musical admirers, including Toots And The Maytals, Stanton Moore, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Keb Mo, and The Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh. He’s appeared on Galactic’s song Dark Water from their Ya-Ka-May album, and in 2011 produced and played on critically acclaimed albums by Tab Benoit, Johnny Sansone and Mike Zito. In late 2012, Osborne recorded his new six-song EP,  Three Free Amigos, a semi-acoustic collection cut in a relaxed, easygoing atmosphere, with friends joining him in various combinations, creating true musical magic. According to Osborne, the way this EP was recorded “is not what I usually do. I may never do it again. I wanted to keep it loose and give fans something different.”

Three Free Amigos, produced by Osborne and Warren Riker, features six Osborne originals, ranging from the road-diary reminiscence of the title track to the Bo Diddley-flavored Jealous Love to the reggae-rocking Marmalade to the warmly philosophical We Move On.  Osborne examines love’s healing power and strength on It’s Gonna Be OK (previously recorded by Theresa Andersson) and offers profoundly simple advice in Never Is A Real Long Time. He is backed on some tracks by his road band – bassist Carl Dufrene and drummer Eric Bolivar – and on others he’s joined by friends Michael Burkhart on Hammond B3 organ, Johnny Sansone on harmonica and accordion, Billy Iuso on acoustic guitar and Maggie Koerne on background vocals. A few songs from the improvisational recording sessions even feature Osborne playing bass and drums. 
 
Since his recording debut in 1989, Osborne has written virtually all of his own material and contributed memorable songs to a wide variety of artists. Two tunes co-written by Osborne appear on Keb Mo’s Grammy-winning 1999 release Slow Down. Country superstar Tim McGraw scored a #1 hit with Anders’ song Watch The Wind Blow By. Osborne’s compositions have been covered by artists as diverse as Brad Paisley, Tab Benoit, Jonny Lang and Kim Carnes. His song What’s Going On Here appeared in the 1996 feature film Fled, and Osborne, along with Ivan Neville, wrote and recorded the title track for the 2010 Kate Hudson film Earthbound. He can also be seen performing in a recent episode of HBO’s New Orleans-based drama Treme.

When Osborne planted his roots in New Orleans almost 30 years ago, he could not have realized that he would become one of the city’s favorite sons. He was born in Uddevalla, Sweden in 1966. With a love of music, a knack for the guitar and a serious case of wanderlust, Anders began traveling on his own at 16. He wrote constantly, soaking up the life experience and honing his craft. In 1985, after landing in New York with only five dollars in his pocket, Osborne hitchhiked to New Orleans to meet up with a friend. “Once I got to New Orleans, everything I heard in my head — the music, the way people treated each other — was happening. I knew I was home.” He naturally absorbed the spirit of the Crescent City into his soul, as he was fully embraced by the city’s vibrant music community. “I just knew I was where I was supposed to be,” Osborne says.

Anders spent his first few years in New Orleans writing and developing his sound and style, all the while continuing to soak up the music of the city. He cut his first two albums for the independent New Orleans-based Rabadash Records in 1989 and 1993. The excitement surrounding those releases led to a major label deal with Sony’s Okeh imprint in 1995. Osborne released a series of successful albums for Shanachie and MC Records, all to wide critical and popular acclaim, before joining forces with Alligator Records.  

With the 2010 release of American Patchwork, Osborne’s fame suddenly reached a whole new level. Critics went wild, with OffBeat saying, “The record is a focused and tuneful triumph. Osborne’s gifts as a guitar player are significant. His voice is so emotionally intense it feels like an explosion. He writes with remarkable eloquence...this is the living definition of great art.” 2012’s Black Eye Galaxy raised the bar even higher. USA Today says, “Black Eye Galaxy contains fiery anthems and dark confessional songs punctuated with incessant, penetrating guitar runs. It sounds like a cry of thanks from a rescued man.”
 
With Three Free Amigos, Anders Osborne shares his passion for life with his friends and fans. The melodic, accessible songs are lyrically deep, instantly memorable, and soulfully satisfying. With further touring ahead and a full album expected later in 2013, Anders Osborne has no plans on slowing down.


“Scott Albert Johnson manhandles his harmonica with a master’s flair. He is a triple-threat artist who can sing, write and blow his emotions clear on out of his harmonica like nobody’s business.”
Goldmine [USA]
 
“Scott Albert Johnson is a great songwriter. He writes about man's journey: who we are, where we stand and where our lives take us. His musings about life are cast in clever melodies, sung by a voice that seemingly knows no limitations. He is extremely versatile on the harmonica… sometimes you hear the influence of Toots Thielemans, then Howard Levy, and then Stevie Wonder. Johnson has made another excellent record.”
Rootstime [Belgium]
 
"Scott Albert Johnson’s new record Going Somewhere knocks me out. The songs are memorable, the singing intense, and the harmonica new and powerful... It’s the most daring rock harmonica record since Blues Traveler came along to shake everybody up with a completely different take on the instrument."
 Richard Hunter, author of Jazz Harp (the original instructional book on jazz harmonica), hunterharp.com

"Scott Albert Johnson is a virtuoso harmonica player and an excellent singer and songwriter as well. After a few spins, the lyrics remain all around in your head. Johnson has made an equally beautiful and special album. ”
Rudolf’s Music [Netherlands]
  
“Scott Albert Johnson is fiercely original. This isn't just an album to listen to. It's an album to explore. Great songs, vocals and harp and instrumentation.”
Jon Gindick, author of Rock N’ Blues Harmonica and one of the preeminent harmonica teachers in the world, gindick.com

 “There are harmonica players and then there is Scott Albert Johnson… One of the best harp players in the world.”
Cashbox Music Reviews

Born in St. Louis and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Scott Albert Johnson was bathed in the wide range of the American songbook, as well as the sounds of his 1970’s and 80’s childhood.  The soul and spirit of that diversity is at the core of his new album, Going Somewhere. Johnson incorporates elements of rock, jazz, blues, funk, country, and world music, mixed with thoughtful lyrics, strong vocals, and virtuosic harmonica playing, to create a unique, modern concoction of sound.

“I’m influenced by almost every kind of music that I’ve ever heard,” says Johnson.  “Growing up in the heart of the South, obviously blues has had a big impact on me.  It’s also the heart and soul of virtually every type of modern music.  But I also grew up a big fan of artists like Peter Gabriel, the Police, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Hornsby, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Daniel Lanois, John Scofield, and Rush, just to name a few.  So I draw on all of that, and I try to write lyrics and music that have an emotional as well as intellectual impact.  Then I throw in some harmonica for good measure.”

Johnson has become a true harmonica master, utilizing a unique and difficult technique known as “overblow,” which allows the diatonic harmonica to be played as a fully chromatic instrument.  He is one of a small group of players who can do this.  He also utilizes digital effects to expand the sonic palette of the instrument, and he counts such harmonica masters as Toots Thielemans, John Popper, Howard Levy, Stevie Wonder, and the late Chris Michalek as major influences.  Yet Johnson sees the harmonica as just one piece of what he does musically.

“I've always felt most influenced by artists who are kind of what I would call triple-threats,” says Johnson. “They sing well, they play at least one instrument very well, and they write great songs. I take each of these three parts of the equation as seriously as any other part. I also feel most in-tune with artists who kind of are ‘their own genre,’ borrowing from many different kinds of music. I hope my music reflects that.”

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