Hearing Aide: Dan Johnson and the Expert Sidemen’s ‘Suck It Up, Cupcake’

MAY 1, 2015 BY AMY LIEBERMAN

Upstate Live

Honest heartfelt lyrics, and a raw unadulterated voice to go along with them, help to shape Vermont-basedDan Johnson and the Expert Sidemen’s latest album titled Suck It Up, Cupcake. Listening to this album, the band’s fourth, you get the sense that Dan isn’t trying to impress anyone, yet he manages to do just that. So sit, back, relax, and imagine you are sitting around a campfire with a true storyteller who just so happens to be a great guitar (and pedal steel and mandolin and banjo) player, and who has his friends Pete Murphy, Brian Elsenbeck, and Roger Noyes (the Expert Sidemen) along to back him up.

Gleaning influence from none other than Bob Dylan, which certainly comes through in many of his tunes, Dan has also been singing and picking along with more locally well-known (to Upstate NY) musicians, including Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, who have taught him to appreciate the more acoustic and traditional yet simultaneously individual sides of folk music.

To add to the pure sound of this album, Dan chose to record all the parts in his Vermont home, using Garageband for the mixing and mastering, making this artist a talented songwriter and recording artist to boot! Although a couple of the songs are a bit cheesy, which kind of comes with the territory, being that this album falls under the country music genre, each song has a way of working its way into your head, and sticking there all day. Perhaps it’s the easy-going quality of Dan’s voice, or the familiar sounding riffs reminiscent of traditional folk tunes, or the soothing tones of the pedal steel guitar featured on several numbers, but his songs do have an infectious quality.

Once you give Suck It Up, Cupcake a listen, you won’t have to wait too long to hear them performed live, as Dan Johnson will no doubt be playing some of his new tunes during his upcoming shows, which include stops at Skinny Pancake in Montpelier, VT on June 14, Radio Bean in Burlington, VT on July 4 and a performance at Upstate NY’s very own Hardball Café in Cooperstown on July 10, and the Bellstock Festival in the Catskills on July 16.

Daniel Johnson 'Mercury 85'

By David Malachowski

Updated 1:23 pm, Wednesday, January 7, 2015

TIMES UNION

Daniel Johnson is quickly making a name for himself in the Capital Region. Last year, he released a fine debut CD with his Expert Sidemen called "Bound For Abiquiu," and this year he follows in a timely manner with a solo outing called "Mercury 85."

Sending his sidemen on a short vacation, Albany native Johnson kicks of this collection with the surely autobiographical "Out on the Road," a laid-back ode to the highway where Johnson lazily sings "been eatin' hot dogs and Frito Lays, out on the road for 17 days, the inside of my cup smells like a dirty gym sock. I ain't got a boss, and don't have to punch a clock."

This could be very well be the ultimate road song.

"Rose" tells of a traveling man in love, in a beautiful Dylan-esque way. In "Having A Good Time" he admits "My life gets a little bit messy sometimes," while in "Sweet Little Jane" he's on a lonesome highway, again.

The title track is a love song to a car, a Mercury. Years ago, people wrote songs about cars all the time, but it's a rarity today (maybe writing about a Saab, Saturn, Volvo or Mitsubishi doesn't have the same ring) and it sure needs to come back.

Rejection story "That's What the Door Is For" hits hard while white line fever powers "Drive" and burrows deeper.

Johnson's voice takes a straightforward, almost Arlo Guthrie approach, often with just a pointed, distorted guitar over a simple, strumming acoustic.

This is an honest, gritty and raw record, in an early Neil Young way, which has no use for frills or filigree, minimal small talk and is full of emotion and heart. With sidemen or solo, Johnson satisfies.

Hearing Aide: Dan Johnson’s “Mercury 85”

MAY 30, 2014 BY MICHAEL HALLISEY

Upstate Live

Despite calling Vermont home, the origins of Dan Johnson’s music career lie here in Upstate New York, where he first strummed his guitar to the public inside where Valentine’s Music Hall and Beer Joint once stood.

Located off Albany’s New Scotland Avenue, Valentine’s was a popular venue for live music before it succumbed to a local hospital’s progressive movement to expand last year.  Johnson, along with his Expert Sidemen, had hosted his Americana music series every Tuesday night featuring the likes of Woody Pines, Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, The Farewell Drifters, Hamell on Trial, JP Harris and the Tough Choices, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, and Eastbound Jesus.

Valentine’s is gone, but Johnson’s Americana sound continues today with the release of his latest, Mercury 85.  The album was released on May 27th.

“Most of the album is about people I’ve known,” said Johnson, “especially folks from the time I spent in Buffalo, but also moving from New York to Vermont, and life changes [too]. The songs mostly use driving and cars as a metaphor for writing,” he added. “I’m curious about what other people get out of the songs so don’t want to go crazy breaking it down.”

Mercury 85 is Johnson’s third album and features twelve original songs that were all recorded at his home in Jericho, VT. It presents a departure from the live instrumentation of his previous releases, featuring drum machines, amp modeling and MIDI instruments to support his acoustic guitar, banjo and mandolin. While the instrumental support has taken some new turns, said Johnson, the songwriting remains rooted in storytelling and first person narration with strong poetic imagery.

Johnson’s unassuming approach to the mic is intended to allow the story to take the spotlight: Well-matched with his low-key but welcoming attitude towards the listener. The presentation is reminiscent of Bob Dylan, as each song tells a story surrounding common people remembering yesterday, lamenting today, and looking forward to a better tomorrow. Never does there seem to be a resolution to change. As with “Rose”, for which Johnson only recently released a video, the protagonist speaks to another about a woman he casually met at a bar his band had played. Over the course of one night, skirting around the truth and telling lies over cups of coffee, he fell in love. But, it’s apparent he has since spent a long span of time searching her at each bar he happens to play and seems to have given up hope on ever finding her. “If you ever see this girl, she’s got a tattoo of a rose.  Tell her that I miss her when the chilly wind blows.”

Johnson attributes the country landscape of his new home for the stripped down production of his latest release. The focus on the storytelling is certainly his strong suit, and is the most appealing factor to this album. This same quality may also be off-putting to the casual music fan used to a contrasting style, but it is a sound that can easily find itself played at trendy coffee houses.  And, for those who appreciate good storytelling, Mercury 85 is worth a preview (and purchase) on Bandcamp or contact the artist directly on his Facebook page.

Dan Johnson and the Expert Sidemen, Mercury 85

By STACEY BRANDT April 15 2015

(Self-released, CD, digital download)

7 Days

Leaving behind New York's Hudson Valley and burrowing in a cabin in Jericho, folk singer Dan Johnson ruminated on, then wrote and recorded, his third album, Mercury 85. A follow-up to his 2013 full-band effort with the Expert Sidemen, Bound for Abiquiu, the new album is spare and honest — it's effectively the diary of a lonely boy's travels scrawled on the backs of dinner napkins.

Johnson generally relies on an acoustic foundation for his folky drawl. But he also experiments with rock-and-roll inflections that add layers and depth. The opening track, "Out on the Road," revs up with drum kicks and a bluesy, reverb-drenched guitar. Reveling in his vagrant wanderlust, Johnson sings, "Eating hot dogs and Frito- Lays / out on the road for 17 days / The inside of my car smells like a dirty sweat sock / I don't got a boss, and I don't have to punch a clock."

The rock by no means overpowers Johnson's mellow vibes. Even on the record's loudest cut, "What Doors Are For," his level of angst doesn't get much past high school band practice in a buddy's garage.

Johnson cruises with gritty twang and steady pace though the record's 12 songs, each evoking a southern, porch-rocking-chair feel. Small kinks in instrumentation and vocal pitch pass for authenticity, stringing his musings together like the white lines on a long stretch of highway.

On the whole, Mercury 85 is consistent. Johnson's tunes are lyric driven, poetic and prophetic. The chord progressions are simple, even canonic — picture something like the Soggy Bottom Boys' "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" reimagined by Bob Dylan. That unfiltered talk-singing comes out in full on the blues cut "Allentown," where we find Johnson in a loner's paradise sopping up the last bits of a one-sided affair. "It's a two-room flat way down in Allentown," he speaks over a wandering banjo line. "She don't love me but I'll stay as long as she lets me hang around / She makes me coffee in a Turkish coffeepot / She can't be sold, she swears she won't be bought." Johnson's broken romantic streak gives the songs substance and lends the album a relatable charm.

The trope of lost lovers fades in and out of Johnson's writing. The second track, "Rose," speaks of a one-night encounter with a nameless woman. In a somber yet endearingly hopeful refrain, Johnson informs us that if we see a girl with a rose tattoo, we should let her know he loves her.

Stripped down to vocals and acoustic guitar, the title track epitomizes good songwriting as unapologetic self-expression. Here we get Johnson's life story as he laments absent friends, a broken marriage and an increasingly rundown body. Yes, there are depressive effects to the song, but there's lightheartedness, too. You can't help but appreciate the double entendre in the refrain in which Johnson insists that, despite the haggard appearance of his old jalopy, "it's got a lot of life underneath the hood." (Wink, wink, nudge.)

After the trip through smoky bars and sunset skies that is Mercury 85, Johnson lulls us out with dreamlike fingerpicking on the final track, "Drive." It's a cathartic ending that falls somewhere between toked up and burnt out. It feels right.

Bound for Abiquiu / Dan Bolles / 7Days - Burlington, VT/ 8.21.13

Vermont was hardly suffering a shortage of talented Americana artists. Still, our collective treasure trove of twang was recently made a little richer when Dan Johnson moved to Jericho from Albany, N.Y. By way of introduction to his new Green Mountain neighbors, Johnson and his band, the Expert Sidemen, earlier this year released their latest record, Bound for Abiquiu — which, incidentally, was mastered by Vermont expat Dan Archer. Sparse and dusty, much like its namesake New Mexico town, the album should prove a welcome addition to the collections of local Americana fans.

Johnson sings in a straightforward, unadorned fashion that recalls the earliest works of Uncle Tupelo-era Jay Farrar. Johnson’s directness, combined with his tone-flattening, nasally grit, sometimes masks the depth and artistry of his songwriting. On “The Garden Below” — which could really be a Still Feel Gone outtake — Johnson sings with weary desperation. “Sometimes I feel like an angel, dancing on a needle. / Sometimes I feel like a devil, burning in the shadow,” he sings. Then, “Do angels dream of going home? / Do they dance when they get stoned?” / Do they dangle at the end of a string? / Do they pray or do they just sing?”

Things get marginally lighter later in the album. “Come on in My Kitchen” is an inviting little romp. “Off on the Tide” is a sinewy hothouse number with a mild gumbo flavor beneath the surface. On the Hank Williams-esque “Another Good Thing Is Come and Gone,” Roger Noyes’ pedal steel glides effortlessly over a gently chugging groove as Johnson laments the infirmity of love.

Here and throughout the record, Noyes’ contributions are impeccably tasteful. The same could be said of each of the Expert Sidemen, who are well named. Brian Elsenbeck’s lilting banjo plinks and plucks with just the right tone and attack, and he’s equally effective on accordion. Peter Murphy’s acoustic bass provides a fertile foundation from start to finish. Both offer lively, well-blended vocal harmonies.

Sadly, Johnson’s backing band didn’t make the move to Vermont — but we doubt he’ll have any trouble finding new experts closer to his newly adopted home. In the meantime, as a singer and songwriter, Johnson should find willing audiences in the Green Mountain. He plays both roles, as well as that of bandleader, exceedingly well on Bound for Abiquiu.

Bound for Abiquiu / David Malachowski / Times Union – Albany, NY / 6.5.13

Albany group Dan Johnson and His Expert Sidemen have made a name for themselves in the Capital Region with a residency at Valentine's and other choice gigs. Calling themselves "experts" could come off as pretentious, but as these nine tracks prove they are indeed just that. Masters of understatement and restraint, they add just enough, and save the rest for another day.

The music they play — written by Johnson — has been called North Country Americana. It doesn't take long to figure out why. The organic warmth counters an Adirondack coldness and loneliness. Produced by Johnson at Warming Room Studio in North Albany, this collection sounds like it was taped on a Warren County front porch or a campfire on Lake Desolation. It's classic bluegrass/folk juxtaposed by steel guitar drenched in reverb. His Expert Sidemen include ace guitarist Roger Noyes (on pedal steel), Pete Murphy (bass) and Brian Elsenbeck (accordion, banjo).

This rough-hewn collection kicks off with the bouncy "Adam & The Snake," a knee slapper with snaky steel and bouncy banjo as Johnson sings, "You don't ever have to die." With the title track, Johnson sounds like Dylan, almost mumbling (not that that's a bad thing) in a Woody Guthrie-type traveling song, while "Come on in My Kitchen" swings, as he tries to entice you with culinary delights. The exquisite "Out Of The Shade" could be the best moment: delicate and hopeful, as little guitar filigrees give way to a sweeping steel drenched with reverb, with Johnson's Neil Young-type nasal delivery that is inexplicably appealing as he sings of swimming holes, summer days and dreams.

Bound for Abiquiu / Pete Mason / Upstate Live / 5.21.13

Albany native and current Vermont resident Dan Johnson, along with his Expert Sidemen, has released his second album, Bound for Abiquiu’, on the heels of a successful Kickstarter campaign. With the album release party occurring this Thursday at Valentine’s, along with Driftwood and The Grassroots Rebels, featuring members of Jerkwater Ruckus, Albany is in for a treat, as Dan showcases a classic country/bluegrass sound through superb songwriting and catchy melodies throughout Bound for Abiquiu.

Opening with “Adam and the Snake Oil Salesman”, Dan’s country-twinged voice showcases his story telling skills while being complemented nicely by the Sidemen, adding in guitar, banjo and steel pedal guitars. Words of wisdom pour from the chorus, “There’s a road that has no beginning, there’s a great big old place in the sky, there’s an up, there’ a down, there’s a middle ground and you don’t ever have to die.

Named for a song and album of the same name by Albany band Knotworking, ”The Garden Below” asks questions that lead to a confession, foreshadowing “Utica Blues” later in the album. “My Three Friends” is a truly traditional country tune, in the vein of Johnny Cash and Steve Earle, the way country music should sound, with lyrics on life’s laments and struggles, the sadness of these followed by the hope for better things around the corner. “Come on in my Kitchen” is not the classic blues number of the same name, but instead a pedal-steel accented plea to a lady to come over for dinner; a short, make you smile tune.

“Another Good Thing is Come and Gone” is a highlight of the album, played and sung in the Del McCoury-style, making it a most traditional bluegrass track. “Dancing Fool”, while not the Frank Zappa song (although Dan’s take on that would be great to hear) is a mellow tune painting a picture of a nervous guy working up the courage to ask a lady to dance, lacking confidence, even calling himself a dancing fool, yet still wanting a dance nonetheless. With a little klesmer intro and accordion adding a nice touch, “Off on the Tide” tells the story of a sailor heading out to sea, sick of the town he’s been at for a spell.

With a nod to Upstate NY, “Utica Blues” is a gambling song set in Utica, singing the blues about the life of a gambler who comes and goes as he wins and loses.  ”Riding into Utica on a dirty old train, when I leave Utica I’ll be riding high again.” For what it’s worth, Utica is the perfect location for this story. Finally, the title track “Bound for Abiquiu” brings a high note to the end of the album, telling the tale of a journey about to be embarked upon. The destination of Abiquiu is a mystery, left to the listener to draw their own conclusion.” Bound for Abiquiu is a perfect album for a sunny summer day or a drive to the Adirondacks or Southern Tier, while picking in the campgrounds at Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival or casual listening to a classic country sound.

Sleep on the Way / Avery Galek / Upstate Live / 10.15.12

Dan Johnson’s warm somber voice complements his band, The Expert Sidemen, with the trickling of banjo finger picking, layered with sweeping brushes upon a snare drum. Their October release Sleep on the Way proves to be an anachronistic cry for the golden years of country and bluegrass. Yet, electrified stepping stones of slide guitar and blues riffs, tinged with reverb, keep the compilation in contemporary standings.

Reminiscent of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, the seven-track album promotes a new age of mellow melancholy with the familiar twang of a sustained string bend. “State Line Blues” begins the album with nontraditional uses of rhythm for country music. The abrasive banjo tremolo and backdrop of prolonged subtle accordion harmony may leave a listener a bit confused; even more so as the song ends with a reggae-style upstroke.

Just a few songs in, “Fredericksburg” proves to be an upbeat tune worthy of being a single. Its melody can be addictively catchy, conjuring feel-good head bobs. Taking a different direction, the use of syncopation is used to stir up a meandering into indie-folk, laced with bright guitar licks, only emphasizing a happy harmony. Dan Johnson and The Expert Sidemen’s Arlo Guthrie-esque story telling brings zydeco-influenced tracks such as “Baton Rouge” to life. Their roots often bleed through their music, but blends well, expressing a mesh of genres quick to satisfy the hunger of halcyon days.

Sleep on the Way / Josh Potter / Metroland - Albany, NY / 10.4.12

Dan Johnson is fond of the term “Americana.” His band, the Expert Sidemen, have hosted the weekly Americana Tuesdays showcase at Valentine’s for the past year or so, and pretty much anywhere you see them listed—for instance, on the Caffe Lena calendar, advertising their record release show this Saturday—you’re bound to encounter the word. Like “roots music,” Americana can mean many things to many people, and nothing on its face, but proponents like Johnson generally use the term to summarize a sound that may include elements of folk, country, rock, bluegrass and old-time jazz according to their common attributes: essentially acoustic instruments and a rural ethos.

Sleep on the Way, the band’s debut album, recorded by Sten Isachsen at Bender Studios in Delmar, has both of these elements in spades. Which is itself nothing extraordinary, given the way the genre has been flooded in recent years by flannel-clad strummers. But unlike too many Americana acts who attempt to earn the genre’s rustic charm with indelicate musicianship and haggard production, Dan Johnson and His Expert Sidemen treat the songs on their record with a gentleness and craft that the stories deserve.

Whether telling the story of a Civil War soldier, singing away insomnia or channeling an invalid outlaw, Johnson renders his characters in plain-clothes language that will stick in your head on just a couple listens. There’s the glimmer of a Southern affectation in his vocals, but if his songs had to be traced to a particular tradition, it would readily be that of John Prine in the way he curls the lyric “Ain’t got a dime or a dollar bill” on the loping “Old Pine Hill.” The heartwrenching chorus of the title track, too, is something Prine could be proud of. Telling the story of a family evicted from their home, he sings, “When we were children carried into the night/Everything was wrong but we were alright/Driving all night and we’re driving all day/Get in the car, you can sleep on the way.”

The Expert Sidemen, including Brian Elsenbeck on accordian, Max Figarsky on drums, Pete Murphy on bass and Roger Noyes on electric guitar and pedal steel, move deftly between the crushing tear-in-bear honky-tonk of “Someone New” and the Gypsy-tinged “State Line Blues,” complete with a Sam Bush-y reggae outro. The licks are tasteful and familiar, two other qualities that are fairly requisite for the genre. Americana is meant to work in a timeless fashion, a goal that often comes off as nostalgic or pandering, but when done right, as Dan Johnson and the Expert Sidmen have managed here, familiar sounding songs bring seasoned focus to contemporary themes and contemporary sounds bring new perspective to tradition.

- - -ITS ALL LOVE - DEEJAY