This guy is clearly good but I don't hear "his" sound or style in here. I hear some other people's good stuff. He has a little Eddie in him with the hammer-ons and pull off triplet thing mid-neck. He lacks that true bluesman feel that Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, etc have. Rhythm section is lame. No feeling at all. The drummer needs to listen to how Johnny Winter's drummers go for it on the blues! I'm not sure how this guy won with the likes of people like Johnny Rushmore looming out there.
It's not the guitar and rock n' roll, blues or jazz that we want back. It's real MUSIC, i don't care if it's rap, as long as it has a human touch and it's creative, it can float on my boat.
@kingorbit It's not a Les Paul, actually. It's an Agile guitar with a Les Paul style body. I only know this because I have it. He was actually the one who recommended it to me (I take guitar lessons where he works).
@EmptyChannelIsEmpty That's a Gibson Les Paul Standard. I won it while doing the KoTB competition. I love Agile Guitars and own a few but that's not one of them. I usually play a Fender or Fender-Style homemade guitar but Gibson offered me a bonus if I won the competition while playing one of their guitars.
great playing I just think he should have picked a song that let him feel more on the electric part of this part of the competition it just seems in spots that he gets out of touch with the music and slides into an ok here we are doing this kind of mood again good playing though just looking for more feeling
It's hard to explain to someone what it means to play with 'feeling'. I think that's the reason that distinguishes a guitar player from a modern player. Even if it's a shitty player who's going to take at least 20 years to get good, as long as he know how to play with feeling he will most liked than those who don't know how to play with feelings.
@Fetcha200 it's simple really. "modern" players can dish out blistering scales and sweeps and whatnot...but when they slow it down to discernable speeds, can they still make it sound awesome? With feeling means that music is more than a mathematical mechanic of scales- you know how to make your instrument have a voice instead of just merely playing notes. Now admittedly, some people do hide behind the whole "with feeling" thing, but the best is when someone can have both feeling and technicals.
@Fetcha200 but if I had to choose between one or the other, I personally would go with "with feeling" because that's what I go for. There are some people who know how to give their guitar (or whatever instrument of choice) an actual voice. And it's those people that really make an impression on me personally.
Alex is a really amazing guitarist! He really know how to take music and make the way he wants it to be. He definitely deserved to be in the finals. 5 stars!!
THIS IS THE TONE I AM LOOKING FOR SOUND LIKE A FENDER WITH A LITTLE TUBE SCREAMER PUSH YOU ONLY GET 5 MINUTES WITH AN AMP YOU NEED TO BE A rocket scientist to set up will be ready for next round
Great player! (I especially thought it was interesting how he didnt use a pick for 1/2 the electric tune). The acoustic-percussion thing was nice too, but a bit too Victor-Wooten-y for my tastes.
What I like is that he's got a great sense of the melody.
Just cause he has a cool tone and throws in a dissonant/blues not here and there... I really am not hearing the difference between this and smooth jazz
thats interesting, since guys like Robert Johnson, BB King, Muddy Waters, t bone walker, and Albert King werent ever noted to use fender guitars.
blues isnt made by the brand of guitar. its the way the player manifests despair through it that makes the music "blues". You can learn blues, but in my opinion, you cant call yourself a real blues guitarist until you feel it.
Blues is the roots to rock, and this guy is great!! I mean people think that you have to play yngwie malmsteen stuff to be good but something like this is 10 times better than playing really fast
wait I just wrote that first comment, then I thought: "that's exactly what I would imagine a Guitar Center King of the Blues champion would sound like."
Also! This guy anewdayproductions still has a mind of a kid. His hostile personality on here means he's just not a mature musician. 25 years is nice. I have 33 years of Guitar, Drums, Bass, Piano, flute and Recording and I don't have to use foul language just because I disagree with you or you name dropping a couple of classical artists to make us believe you're something special. Lol
Who is this tool anewdayproductions? I started with the blues and like you said branched out from there. You know though blues is one of the hardest styles to feel. When you can make me cry from a one or two note solo then you know what's going on.
I think that there are many better players than this guy out there but he competed and won so there is nothing that can be taken away from that. His style of blues not my bag but he should be proud of winning the competetion. Anyone who thinks that blues is generic is an idiot. Blues is one of the most complex styles of music that exists. Todays music can be learned while you listen to it. Try to learn Stevie Rays`s tunes note for note, let me know in a year or so when you get close.
not bad...... guitarmageddon was much better though than this king of the blues shit. once this format came along the overall talent level plummeted. before, there were a lot of really great musicians entering....... now, it's mostly terrible to amateur players.
i don't have a problem with blues per se, but it's just when it's instituted as the be all and end all of everything and really creative and accomplished musicianship is ignored for hack pentatonic shit just because it's the "blues."
What an idiotic thing to say. NEWS FLASH!! Most Blues guitarists are much more soulful players than the speed demons or metal heads. I play it all but the blues and funk is the best by far. Personally Im super glad that Blues is on a heavy comeback. Its time that the music counts and the speed doesnt. I pray that the 60`s sound comes back to shut all of the hip hop and lolly pop BS that is popular now DOWN! Todays music isnt even music, its pretty people or kids that can be marketed.
first of all you ignorant dipshit, your first error is in making blanket statements like "most blues guitarists" and "speed demons" and "metal heads." this is highly suggestive that you think in stereotypical and purely subjective terms like most people on this fuckin planet.
second, if you are brain dead enough to actually believe that the slop drug induced 60's era (as a whole) and sound is actually what any sane and educated individual would call good then you are one stupid motherfucker.
You ft the profile perfectly. Blanket statements????? Those comments are classifications, not blanket statements. Oh, and I have cut heads with all of them and I have a very high win %%% so maybe one day I`ll get to teach you a few things about how to play a guitar. You`re just another vulger mouth punk that hates on anything he cant do. Have a nice day ...I pity you.
You also have no idea of what makes a guitar player "Good" or a "Pro" You know how many guys I know who can play EVH note for note, or any of this new bubble gum music, note for note?? Well Ill tell ya..a few dozen!! Its the SOUL and the PRESENTATION that breaks out from the norm. For every one Eddy Van Halen or Steve Vai, there are a thousand others that just havent had their shot. So curse away loser because no matter how many times you say it, youre still wrong.
if you actually think that someone like jimmy drugged out of his mind sloppy ass "almighty guitar hero" fuckin hendrix has more substantive and musical value than something to the effect of invention 13 in a minor by johann sebastian bach or fur elise by ludwig van beethoven then you have truly revealed how fucking ignorant and clueless you are.
is blues totally shit? hell no. one guitarist who i think is a really good player and more importantly a MUSICIAN is john mayer. he's very good.
You do realize that John Mayer nearly most of what he knew from Jimi Hendrix? You can't say Hendrix wasn't a musical genius. And comparing Hendrix to Bach or Beethoven is like comparing Tiger Woods to Michael Jordan. It's a different ballpark. Your argument lacks any substantial reasoning other than simple bias.
BUT, most "blues" players (NOT all, but MOST) are nothing but underachieving hacks who are one track genre minded instead of focusing on being truly good and well rounded MUSICIANS. i appreciate a very wide variety of music and musicians and understand things for what they are. i fluently play drums, bass, guitar, keys and produce and have done so for over 25 years in just about every style imaginable. i can back my shit up. CAN YOU? i seriously doubt it. so put up or shut up bitch.
The only contests that are objective are athletic competitions where points are actually scored. I don't know what subjectivity was in control during these finals but in my opinion Alex was the better player. Play on Alex. You are the real thing.
Hey man, GREAT playing! My name is Stëv Skye and I made the first round preliminaries at the Phoenix, AZ store :) I actually posted the performance (my first youtube post)... Im really excited about this competition! Peace!
nah, if you want speed, you just use Ernie ball's slinkys. doesn't matter what kind of guitar u use, just oil it and get smooth strings to play fast AND your playing SHOULN'T be affected by your guitar, other wise it's not your playing is it? it's your guitar's, so stop trying to show off "your" skills ok?.
But About this video, lol, This guys really good. no solo's, no pentatonics but it's good i guess :P Keep it up!
at the slightest bit of speed this guy got real choppy and real sloppy....I'm not all about speed though...and I believe less is more....listen...it's the blues...we all know what your gonna play....we just we hear how you play it.....it's all phrasing...good call and response work going...some interesting things happening... good player....
Now this dude knows how to play, got his chops down so he's playing straight from the unconscious. Good to see someone using a real axe instead of the obligitory shit box Strat. The only good Strats are the ones set up to sound fatter like a Les Paul with the use of stacked humbuckers. Still have the Strat tones except fatter. Les Pauls with P-90s forever, 1956 Gold Tops.
wow, if you want tone you play lesters. if you want speed and no tone, you play ibanez's jacksons esp's and so on. i'll take tone over speed anyday, but there are plenty of shreders that play lesters though. so then you get tone and speed, why even say something as ignorant as you did
Alex Johnson is one of the greatest musicians in the United States and not to mention a great teacher. All the teachers at his music center taught me everything I know and more about music and playing the guitar. So there is no reason to bash on him or even think anything negative about the chillest guy in Ann Arbor. Cheers!
Alex playing 'My Generation' by the flagpole at our elementary school (about a million years ago) was my first rock concert. Blew my mind.....still does. Great job Alex!
a little struggle here with the rhythm..but les paul style short necks are never as tight in that dept as strats..bit more blurred due to the lower string tension
in the past few comments I have read alex has soul unlike the winner and, the winner has soul unlike alex. confused. I liked the end acoustic slapping stuff.
the only problem with this, especially with his acoustic performance, is that none of it has any soul. it all sounds too rehearsed. blues is from the soul, and when you play like that, it's not real blues. it's rehearsed blues. too fake. don't get me wrong, he's amazing but the winner deserved it, he's incredibly original and that is a huge criteria for winning
2tallblues, originality is on the list of several criteria, of which none holds more weight than another. In other words, the criteria (technical knowledge, stage presence, overall performance, etc.) were all treated equal, ranging from 1 to 10.
it DOES sound like he's playing a strat! but that's because he is playing that lp like one. and you know, this is really nice but if they give you the chords from the backing band, something along these lines should be something that comes from any respecting blues player. good acoustic set too though, he's got my respect
wow..i actually like this guy way more than everyone else, but nonetheless, i find that a blues jam should really be built up and down from the first note instead of having a more or less steady progression of the song
alex johnson is not only the greatest guitarist i have ever met, but he is also the greatest man i have ever met. he deserves the crown. i mean, the other contestants were fine guitarists, but alex plays with such control (for the most part...) the winner was sloppy, and had very little feel for what he was playing. alex shows he is in touch with the band by actually following the chords!!
yeah, i hears what you're saying deronhubbard, but this is sort of to what the blues progressed into. whether its better or not, its probably not for us to decide (i like it either way)
i took guitar lessons from this guy for a year hes the real deal go alex your the man
Joe J
kelcarooable 1 month ago
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@ddrumsrock @trevinor3 I take bass lessons from him and this is definitely his work
abayoff321 1 month ago
he has a guitar like Marty Shwartz!
UnceBobTouchedMe 6 months ago
This guy is clearly good but I don't hear "his" sound or style in here. I hear some other people's good stuff. He has a little Eddie in him with the hammer-ons and pull off triplet thing mid-neck. He lacks that true bluesman feel that Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, etc have. Rhythm section is lame. No feeling at all. The drummer needs to listen to how Johnny Winter's drummers go for it on the blues! I'm not sure how this guy won with the likes of people like Johnny Rushmore looming out there.
ddrumsrock 8 months ago
@ddrumsrock: agreed
trevinor3 3 months ago
i've seen alot of the KOB contestants and this man is in my personal top 3
Iror2012 8 months ago
Awesome vibe! That guy must be HUGE- he makes his Les Paul look like a ukulele :D
Fritzo2162 9 months ago 2
Love this guy! His playing reminds me of Jimmy Page.
qlap10 10 months ago
does anyone else hear a little trey anastasio in his playing? maybe its just the funk style of the song?
koopatroopanyc 10 months ago
If I could play like this. I sures hell wouldn't be watching this guy. Keep the blues alive my friend
livesimpledreambig 11 months ago
I feel so lucky to take lessons where he works.
EmptyChannelIsEmpty 1 year ago
He is awsome!
jimpdrake1 1 year ago
Top
Buchendrix 1 year ago
It's not the guitar and rock n' roll, blues or jazz that we want back. It's real MUSIC, i don't care if it's rap, as long as it has a human touch and it's creative, it can float on my boat.
Fetcha200 1 year ago
@Fetcha200
maybe that's what YOU want...i want rock n roll back lol
infinityjet 8 months ago
@infinityjet I guess our opinions form a stalemate.
Fetcha200 8 months ago
This guys throws down some really neat funk riffs.
airforcejim 1 year ago
Me oh my, a les Paul in a battle of the strats, Nice job
kingorbit 1 year ago
@kingorbit It's not a Les Paul, actually. It's an Agile guitar with a Les Paul style body. I only know this because I have it. He was actually the one who recommended it to me (I take guitar lessons where he works).
EmptyChannelIsEmpty 1 year ago
@EmptyChannelIsEmpty That's a Gibson Les Paul Standard. I won it while doing the KoTB competition. I love Agile Guitars and own a few but that's not one of them. I usually play a Fender or Fender-Style homemade guitar but Gibson offered me a bonus if I won the competition while playing one of their guitars.
RockBandSchool 1 year ago
hes using 57 classics
andersforfang 1 year ago
That is awesome! Alex, is the Memphis Smoke performance on YouTube too? jud
juddy99 1 year ago
@juddy99 Nope. Just the LA bit. The copyright restrictions were pretty tight. Thanks for the props, I'm glad you like it.
RockBandSchool 1 year ago
Thats gonna be me one day!
guitarmessiah95 1 year ago
this guy is good.
fouramhq 1 year ago
Its awesome to have this guy as a guitar teacher, I love every minute of it.
ilovemygibsonflyingv 1 year ago
I'd really like to know what king of strings he's using on his acoustic.
Hoopaugh087 1 year ago
@Hoopaugh087 Those are Elixir Nanoweb, Light (12-53) 80/20 Bronze
RockBandSchool 1 year ago
great playing I just think he should have picked a song that let him feel more on the electric part of this part of the competition it just seems in spots that he gets out of touch with the music and slides into an ok here we are doing this kind of mood again good playing though just looking for more feeling
noslacklover 1 year ago
how do you do that slide on :40 ?
nerad1994 1 year ago
Was that Cheech Marin at the end?
TFGfilms 1 year ago
@TFGfilms That was Cheech. He's a very cool dude. I really liked hanging out with him.
RockBandSchool 1 year ago
this is the only king of the blues winner I like.
chocolatedonut31 1 year ago
I love this guy he's so cool in person!
Randomdarkness84 1 year ago
It's hard to explain to someone what it means to play with 'feeling'. I think that's the reason that distinguishes a guitar player from a modern player. Even if it's a shitty player who's going to take at least 20 years to get good, as long as he know how to play with feeling he will most liked than those who don't know how to play with feelings.
Fetcha200 1 year ago
@Fetcha200 it's simple really. "modern" players can dish out blistering scales and sweeps and whatnot...but when they slow it down to discernable speeds, can they still make it sound awesome? With feeling means that music is more than a mathematical mechanic of scales- you know how to make your instrument have a voice instead of just merely playing notes. Now admittedly, some people do hide behind the whole "with feeling" thing, but the best is when someone can have both feeling and technicals.
airforcejim 1 year ago
@Fetcha200 but if I had to choose between one or the other, I personally would go with "with feeling" because that's what I go for. There are some people who know how to give their guitar (or whatever instrument of choice) an actual voice. And it's those people that really make an impression on me personally.
airforcejim 1 year ago
you rock alex!! :D
Phenomena43 1 year ago
This guy is my Heavy Metal guitar teacher he is an awesome instrument player he can play Guitar, Bass, Drums, Anything really, he is AWESOME!
rocknwrestling12 1 year ago
He should have taken first.
MacX1993M 1 year ago
I loved 0:16-0:18.
Hahaha.
That's feelin your blues, there.
haze354 1 year ago
funky
motlencore89 1 year ago
Alex is a really amazing guitarist! He really know how to take music and make the way he wants it to be. He definitely deserved to be in the finals. 5 stars!!
pineman6 1 year ago
wow amazing sound................
theAyak808 1 year ago
THIS IS THE TONE I AM LOOKING FOR SOUND LIKE A FENDER WITH A LITTLE TUBE SCREAMER PUSH YOU ONLY GET 5 MINUTES WITH AN AMP YOU NEED TO BE A rocket scientist to set up will be ready for next round
ginothelardmaster 1 year ago 2
this guy really knows how to jam
JasonWhirlybird 1 year ago
this is a jazz player not a blues player.........what a shame.....0 stars.
wiresystem 1 year ago
@wiresystem That's not jazz at all sorry... This is Funk inspired Blues.
CharlieKendallMusic 1 year ago
@wiresystem Jazz?
tylerdwells 1 year ago
Great player! (I especially thought it was interesting how he didnt use a pick for 1/2 the electric tune). The acoustic-percussion thing was nice too, but a bit too Victor-Wooten-y for my tastes.
What I like is that he's got a great sense of the melody.
dustyroot 1 year ago
Just cause he has a cool tone and throws in a dissonant/blues not here and there... I really am not hearing the difference between this and smooth jazz
freezazoid 1 year ago
@slashdelbarrio
thats interesting, since guys like Robert Johnson, BB King, Muddy Waters, t bone walker, and Albert King werent ever noted to use fender guitars.
blues isnt made by the brand of guitar. its the way the player manifests despair through it that makes the music "blues". You can learn blues, but in my opinion, you cant call yourself a real blues guitarist until you feel it.
CoandCaSSTB 1 year ago
@CoandCaSSTB uhh muddy waters pretty much only used a telecaster
strwy2hvn94 1 year ago
@strwy2hvn94 good call, my mistake.
CoandCaSSTB 1 year ago
will there be a king of blues 2010?
random4445 1 year ago
wow - that's g8!!!
ozorg 1 year ago
bluesy funky and this is the only guy in this contest that actually worked out a song not just a random stream of licks such a great song
ltownguitarplayer 2 years ago
no thats funky, and the weird thing is, is that my name is alex johnson aswell!
LongLiveTheBlues 2 years ago
Blues is the roots to rock, and this guy is great!! I mean people think that you have to play yngwie malmsteen stuff to be good but something like this is 10 times better than playing really fast
Zigz94 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I don't like this guy, he lacks something..and blues is meant to be played on Fender imo
slashdelbarrio 2 years ago
You rock Alex ;D
AAMC 4ever
MarthaMyDear999 2 years ago
wait I just wrote that first comment, then I thought: "that's exactly what I would imagine a Guitar Center King of the Blues champion would sound like."
good vibes anyway though
McGraffix 2 years ago
yeah that guy's pretty good but I don't like it much
McGraffix 2 years ago
Also! This guy anewdayproductions still has a mind of a kid. His hostile personality on here means he's just not a mature musician. 25 years is nice. I have 33 years of Guitar, Drums, Bass, Piano, flute and Recording and I don't have to use foul language just because I disagree with you or you name dropping a couple of classical artists to make us believe you're something special. Lol
zanik00 2 years ago
Who is this tool anewdayproductions? I started with the blues and like you said branched out from there. You know though blues is one of the hardest styles to feel. When you can make me cry from a one or two note solo then you know what's going on.
zanik00 2 years ago
I think that there are many better players than this guy out there but he competed and won so there is nothing that can be taken away from that. His style of blues not my bag but he should be proud of winning the competetion. Anyone who thinks that blues is generic is an idiot. Blues is one of the most complex styles of music that exists. Todays music can be learned while you listen to it. Try to learn Stevie Rays`s tunes note for note, let me know in a year or so when you get close.
Darin72000 2 years ago
and he is my band teacher
bradra2 2 years ago
sweet tone
someonebigman 2 years ago
not bad...... guitarmageddon was much better though than this king of the blues shit. once this format came along the overall talent level plummeted. before, there were a lot of really great musicians entering....... now, it's mostly terrible to amateur players.
i don't have a problem with blues per se, but it's just when it's instituted as the be all and end all of everything and really creative and accomplished musicianship is ignored for hack pentatonic shit just because it's the "blues."
anewdayproductions 2 years ago
What an idiotic thing to say. NEWS FLASH!! Most Blues guitarists are much more soulful players than the speed demons or metal heads. I play it all but the blues and funk is the best by far. Personally Im super glad that Blues is on a heavy comeback. Its time that the music counts and the speed doesnt. I pray that the 60`s sound comes back to shut all of the hip hop and lolly pop BS that is popular now DOWN! Todays music isnt even music, its pretty people or kids that can be marketed.
Darin72000 2 years ago 45
first of all you ignorant dipshit, your first error is in making blanket statements like "most blues guitarists" and "speed demons" and "metal heads." this is highly suggestive that you think in stereotypical and purely subjective terms like most people on this fuckin planet.
second, if you are brain dead enough to actually believe that the slop drug induced 60's era (as a whole) and sound is actually what any sane and educated individual would call good then you are one stupid motherfucker.
anewdayproductions 2 years ago
You ft the profile perfectly. Blanket statements????? Those comments are classifications, not blanket statements. Oh, and I have cut heads with all of them and I have a very high win %%% so maybe one day I`ll get to teach you a few things about how to play a guitar. You`re just another vulger mouth punk that hates on anything he cant do. Have a nice day ...I pity you.
Darin72000 2 years ago 2
You also have no idea of what makes a guitar player "Good" or a "Pro" You know how many guys I know who can play EVH note for note, or any of this new bubble gum music, note for note?? Well Ill tell ya..a few dozen!! Its the SOUL and the PRESENTATION that breaks out from the norm. For every one Eddy Van Halen or Steve Vai, there are a thousand others that just havent had their shot. So curse away loser because no matter how many times you say it, youre still wrong.
Darin72000 2 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
whatever you say dipshit. now, go jack off to your jimi hendrix poster and leave me the hell alone.
anewdayproductions 2 years ago
your right its about makin your own sound
jooman77 2 years ago
if you actually think that someone like jimmy drugged out of his mind sloppy ass "almighty guitar hero" fuckin hendrix has more substantive and musical value than something to the effect of invention 13 in a minor by johann sebastian bach or fur elise by ludwig van beethoven then you have truly revealed how fucking ignorant and clueless you are.
is blues totally shit? hell no. one guitarist who i think is a really good player and more importantly a MUSICIAN is john mayer. he's very good.
anewdayproductions 2 years ago
You do realize that John Mayer nearly most of what he knew from Jimi Hendrix? You can't say Hendrix wasn't a musical genius. And comparing Hendrix to Bach or Beethoven is like comparing Tiger Woods to Michael Jordan. It's a different ballpark. Your argument lacks any substantial reasoning other than simple bias.
demravager 2 years ago
don't care....... go away.
anewdayproductions 2 years ago
Logic wins out again! Thank you demravager. Way to tell it like it is.
Neverdii 2 years ago
BUT, most "blues" players (NOT all, but MOST) are nothing but underachieving hacks who are one track genre minded instead of focusing on being truly good and well rounded MUSICIANS. i appreciate a very wide variety of music and musicians and understand things for what they are. i fluently play drums, bass, guitar, keys and produce and have done so for over 25 years in just about every style imaginable. i can back my shit up. CAN YOU? i seriously doubt it. so put up or shut up bitch.
anewdayproductions 2 years ago
i agree dude
jooman77 2 years ago
@Darin72000
finally
someone who understands me
hehe
produccionesmiranejo 1 year ago
@Darin72000 yah man i fucking hate shred metal, its just a bunch a tools who are all like "look how fast i can tap my guitar! isnt this awesome!"
ironpikachu3 1 year ago
@Darin72000 dude your so right!
comedyandmusic96 1 year ago
@Darin72000 unless you're lil wayne. Then you just suck. roflol
airforcejim 1 year ago
Comment removed
checkoutthisblues 2 years ago
The only contests that are objective are athletic competitions where points are actually scored. I don't know what subjectivity was in control during these finals but in my opinion Alex was the better player. Play on Alex. You are the real thing.
MichaelFavinger 2 years ago
i love the guitar he has!
Tvguywillum 2 years ago 2
that was fucking sweet
baseballdude3430 2 years ago
I love this guy.
pokerfacerful 2 years ago 24
Hey man, GREAT playing! My name is Stëv Skye and I made the first round preliminaries at the Phoenix, AZ store :) I actually posted the performance (my first youtube post)... Im really excited about this competition! Peace!
StevSkye 2 years ago
hmmm..... it's not really blues in my opinion.
.... but definatly very cool!
skrbeleven 2 years ago
it followed the format pretty well
99andonehalfdays 2 years ago
THIS IS A BULLSHIT COMPETITION
BluesMan88 2 years ago
you must have competed against him.
pokerfacerful 2 years ago
Nice man, very lyrical with great feel. Love it.
VSNROCKS 2 years ago
Why did this guy not WIN?????
EarlDrake1 2 years ago
love how he mized a little bit of funky comping into his playing, sweet tone
GmIaBrScOoN 2 years ago
not a big fan but he should have won the winner is really OKAY
kyle9371 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
dude i couldve done better than this fuck... next time shit contest rolls around im definitely doin it
MyManDan 2 years ago
I'll be waiting to see you in the finals then. Heh.
Good luck. You'll need it.
VincentQuart 2 years ago
you missed sign ups. I'm in it, won the first round..
but doesn't matter I bet I'd destroy your ass anyways.
ohchaaase 2 years ago
I rather admire how good this guy is.
thrashingchicken10 2 years ago 3
this guy should have won period.
hakosuka99 2 years ago 3
This is really funky! Great guitar playing
ilovethenewdaze 2 years ago 2
hes good but thats hardly blues
monkeyrabbit9 2 years ago
huh? what are you talkin about? this is as blues as it gets man.
diazcamille 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
this guy might have talent but i don't appreciate his music. this guy is a fagget. I hate this kind of music.
tronuD2 2 years ago
then dont watch it...
NoiseFieldBand 2 years ago 3
nah, if you want speed, you just use Ernie ball's slinkys. doesn't matter what kind of guitar u use, just oil it and get smooth strings to play fast AND your playing SHOULN'T be affected by your guitar, other wise it's not your playing is it? it's your guitar's, so stop trying to show off "your" skills ok?.
But About this video, lol, This guys really good. no solo's, no pentatonics but it's good i guess :P Keep it up!
IamDUFF 2 years ago
You really oil your strings? Wow. And no solo's? Might not be, but he IS playing lead guitar.
I agree with you on guitar and playing though.
vpholwanna 2 years ago
Wait? Is that a joke? There's clearly a solo, and it's almost entirely pentatonic.....just with occasional passing tones...
MoarOfTehRawkege 2 years ago 2
1:36 pentatonic solo
I want to make a bigger point though and it's that the scale doesnt make the song good, it's the players expression.
tronuD2 2 years ago
your playing is affected by your guitar though. it actually has a lot to do with it. thats why your not supposed to use someone elses guitar.
Snakepit4321 2 years ago
how the fuck do you bend strings when you oil them?
ledzeppelin4485 2 years ago
it aint no nevermind.
supermaques 2 years ago
It don't MAKE no nevermind.
Also, I'm honored to say that this guy is my teacher. You should see him play metal. :P
Ultimetalhead 2 years ago 2
he should have won hes way better than the other guy
slapnuts2214 2 years ago 3
he didn't win because there can't be 2 famous blues guitarists with the same last name. Eric Johnson Alex Johnson. lol jk
tronuD2 2 years ago 3
Awesome!
joebrownathotmail 2 years ago
he's my teacher
TheRetroNickelodeon 2 years ago
He's greeeeeeaaaat!!!
stefanocucchi 2 years ago
Anyone know the name of the acoustic tune? Or is it his? my kind of rythym
FriggnDiggn 2 years ago
Comment removed
soletransit 2 years ago
he wrote this himself dude.
supermaques 2 years ago
lol, it's just a blues progression dude
ovneb 2 years ago
at the slightest bit of speed this guy got real choppy and real sloppy....I'm not all about speed though...and I believe less is more....listen...it's the blues...we all know what your gonna play....we just we hear how you play it.....it's all phrasing...good call and response work going...some interesting things happening... good player....
OpenEyeComa 2 years ago
how the f did he not win?
psnaw 2 years ago 2
Because this guy's good, but aaron loesche is something else. Alex IS great. But he's not as skiled on the accoustic as aaron.
UnderTheBridge67 2 years ago
Now this dude knows how to play, got his chops down so he's playing straight from the unconscious. Good to see someone using a real axe instead of the obligitory shit box Strat. The only good Strats are the ones set up to sound fatter like a Les Paul with the use of stacked humbuckers. Still have the Strat tones except fatter. Les Pauls with P-90s forever, 1956 Gold Tops.
felixq78 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
les paul is for noobs that can't play outside of pentatonics. just like this guy and probably just like you.
fastfingersfunk 2 years ago
Wow that is a retarded comment
Nickovitch2370 2 years ago 3
wow, if you want tone you play lesters. if you want speed and no tone, you play ibanez's jacksons esp's and so on. i'll take tone over speed anyday, but there are plenty of shreders that play lesters though. so then you get tone and speed, why even say something as ignorant as you did
JKryanX 2 years ago
when you can hang, even on my nutsack, at guitar, let me know.
fastfingersfunk 2 years ago
all those guitars have fucking great tone your just jelous that you cant afford one
wenis34 2 years ago
a bad player can't get good tone out of the guitars they use. My point is it's the player not the guitar.
tronuD2 2 years ago
you should kill yourself. your parents hate you. seriously. kill yourself.
supermaques 2 years ago
Teles are better than pauls and strats
Nickovitch2370 2 years ago
This guy is insanely good.
But he just isn't bluesy enough for this kind of competition.
namdlefhtes 3 years ago
Alex Johnson is the best. Ann Arbor rules!!!!
AntipastaP 3 years ago
funky! sounds great!
VLombardi01 3 years ago
wow groove is amazing very good guitarist
penguen2 3 years ago
lol man that was sick..niceeee! why didnt you win again???
itsonlycarly 3 years ago 2
He's my lesson teacher! Amazing!
MacX1993M 3 years ago 2
Awesome acoustic work!
guitarjunkie7 3 years ago
this guy deserved to win... So I guess he didn't LOL
JartBansen 3 years ago 3
ann arbor is a whore
cbgb1188 3 years ago
I like his style! He play's it like a bass sometimes, and does lot's of sweep stuff with his fingertips. Awesome!
wingchisao 3 years ago
Is it jsut me or did the 07 competition have way better players than the 06 one? just a thought
Jurbo33 3 years ago
Alex Johnson is one of the greatest musicians in the United States and not to mention a great teacher. All the teachers at his music center taught me everything I know and more about music and playing the guitar. So there is no reason to bash on him or even think anything negative about the chillest guy in Ann Arbor. Cheers!
anonyshroom 3 years ago
this guy came to my guitar class and taught us some cool shit. hes such a funny dude!. and hes amazing at guitar
juicyking97 3 years ago
Not bad at all...
microdude431 3 years ago
Alex playing 'My Generation' by the flagpole at our elementary school (about a million years ago) was my first rock concert. Blew my mind.....still does. Great job Alex!
instantranger 3 years ago
my bad, it was actually 'Pinball Wizard' now that I'm reading back my comment......I guess it was a million years ago!
instantranger 3 years ago
Hes my camp instructer
Kosmokids 3 years ago
COOL SHIT MAN. ctrock the hip hop rock guitar artist.
CTROCK 3 years ago
a little struggle here with the rhythm..but les paul style short necks are never as tight in that dept as strats..bit more blurred due to the lower string tension
massivebeatzz 3 years ago
got a little albert collins feel to it.
usmc2193 3 years ago
Ditto for me! I really dig this guy's style! Just Great!
ddonicht 3 years ago
wow i like tis guy's style.
paulefty 3 years ago 2
HEY! Alex runs Ann arbor music center in ann arbor
he teaches my band
AirsoftandGuitar 3 years ago
love the groove hes got going
selkirk1991 3 years ago
To all of the people who say that this was rehearsed... FUCK YOU!!!
abayoff321 3 years ago
in the past few comments I have read alex has soul unlike the winner and, the winner has soul unlike alex. confused. I liked the end acoustic slapping stuff.
nonequoted 3 years ago
This guy was way better than the winner. This cat sounds like a pro, great rhythm
mufasamusic 3 years ago
the only problem with this, especially with his acoustic performance, is that none of it has any soul. it all sounds too rehearsed. blues is from the soul, and when you play like that, it's not real blues. it's rehearsed blues. too fake. don't get me wrong, he's amazing but the winner deserved it, he's incredibly original and that is a huge criteria for winning
2tallblues 3 years ago
Yeah, agreed. doesn't grab you, it could be back round music.
jcpitts88888888 3 years ago
2tallblues, originality is on the list of several criteria, of which none holds more weight than another. In other words, the criteria (technical knowledge, stage presence, overall performance, etc.) were all treated equal, ranging from 1 to 10.
pokerfacerful 2 years ago
this is my guitar teacher
plikly0 3 years ago
it DOES sound like he's playing a strat! but that's because he is playing that lp like one. and you know, this is really nice but if they give you the chords from the backing band, something along these lines should be something that comes from any respecting blues player. good acoustic set too though, he's got my respect
getupanddosomething 3 years ago
wow..i actually like this guy way more than everyone else, but nonetheless, i find that a blues jam should really be built up and down from the first note instead of having a more or less steady progression of the song
bmrfff 3 years ago
alex johnson is not only the greatest guitarist i have ever met, but he is also the greatest man i have ever met. he deserves the crown. i mean, the other contestants were fine guitarists, but alex plays with such control (for the most part...) the winner was sloppy, and had very little feel for what he was playing. alex shows he is in touch with the band by actually following the chords!!
jsiden228814 3 years ago
Gotta love the Les Paul...
BurstMan26 3 years ago
he kicks ass
dudeman5790 3 years ago
I like his style way better.
blackdakkon 4 years ago
These guys play the blues scale but does this really sound like the blues? Does anyone know what I mean?
deronhubbard 4 years ago
yeah, i hears what you're saying deronhubbard, but this is sort of to what the blues progressed into. whether its better or not, its probably not for us to decide (i like it either way)
bmrfff 3 years ago
LMAO i take lessons from this guy. He's even better in person.
leonkennedy74 4 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I'm high on pcp and I still think you suck.
matsk740 4 years ago
Does anyone else think it sounds like he's playing a strat?
thekman798 4 years ago 3