NEWS
SOLO SECTION INTERVIEW
Your slide playing is fantastic. You have tone and touch that is hard to come by. If I wanted to learn to play the slide today, where should I start? Who should I listen to?
The first guys that really caught my ear were Duane Allman and Ry Cooder. I love Elmore James. I think Derek Trucks has taken slide guitar beyond the stratosphere. Good intonation is the most important skill when it comes to slide. You have to really develop your ear. The beauty is that without frets the possibilities are infinite. It’s much easier to start with open E or G tunings. You get the nice overtones while you’re developing your right hand technique. It’s nice to play in standard tuning as well because you can just pull out the slide in any song.
Give me one piece of musical advice you would give to a younger version of yourself.
I was fortunate when I was younger that I had good people around me. My friend Ron Rogers taught me a lot about recording guitar and he turned me on to Howlin Wolf and guys like Kelly Joe Phelps when I was getting serious about slide guitar. I always had people pushing me to get out of my comfort zone and explore new music. The best musical advice is to listen to as much good music as you can and study it. It’s amazing how it will find its way into your own playing.
JOHNNY STACHELA JAMS WITH LAITH AL SAADI
Fresh off The Voice, Laith Al Saadi performed a blues show at the Maui Sugar Mill in Tarzana, CA. Johnny was invited by Jimmy Vivino to sit in with Laith to close out the show.
COMING SOON TO A SPEAKER NEAR YOU
We’re thrilled to announce the upcoming release of the SIDE ONE -EP. This release will coincide with a full album the band is currently working on. The new EP features Johnny Stachela on guitar and lead vocals, Vincent Fossett Jr. on drums, and Sebastian Ciceri on bass and backing vocals. It is produced by Jorgen Carlsson (Gov’t Mule) and recorded by analog engineer Steve Holroyd. The songs are all original and written by Johnny Stachela and Stoll Vaughan. Stay tuned for more!
SHOWS
ABOUT
In 2018, Johnny Stachela and Duane Betts partnered with the Devon Allman Project as guests, supporting and sitting-in on a nine-month Allman/Betts World Tour, with stops at such iconic venues as NYC’s Beacon Theater and Colorado’s Red Rocks amphitheater. The European leg took Stachela to Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, UK and Germany. Additionally, he performed on the second single, “Downtown Runaround,” and subsequent video from Betts’ debut EP, Sketches of American Music.
Stachela joined The Allman Betts Band as a charter member- recording at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound studio- for their 2019 debut LP, Down to the River, and their 2020 follow-up, Bless Your Heart, touring internationally with the group, including dates in Europe and multiple summer festival stops. Subsequent tours with the ABB and the Allman Betts Family Revival have included appearances at New Orleans’ famed Jazz Festival, as well as overseas dates in Australia and Japan- at Byron Bay and Fuji Rock, respectively.
Among the myriad guest spots Stachela has made include jams with Little Feat, Gov’t Mule, and North Mississippi Allstars. With Betts, he’s also welcomed Derek Trucks and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty) for notable onstage collaborations. As a solo artist, Stachela joined the legendary Wet Willie on the band’s 2020 Rock Legends cruise. As well, in the spring of 2023, Stachela released the single, “County Farm Blues”, a cover of the 1930s Son House folk blues, across all digital platforms. He is slated to record further solo material estimated for release in 2025.
Additionally, Stachela contributed writing, performing, and production work for Betts’ second solo project. Recording sessions for the new effort commenced in Spring 2022 at Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi’s Swamp Raga Studio in Jacksonville, Florida. The resulting album, “Wild & Precious Life,” issued by Royal Potato Family records, arrived in the summer of 2023 to much critical acclaim, making several year-end “Best of” lists.
Stachela joined Betts as a founding member of his new band, Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel, embarking on an extensive U.S. tour including festival dates and headlining appearances, and a noteworthy night at the Grand Ole Opry. Touring in support of the LP continued throughout 2024. A follow-up LP produced by Dave Cobb is slated for 2025.
With his well-crafted style of bottleneck slide evoking favorable comparisons to his heroes- influenced and inspired, never imitating- Johnny Stachela has become one of the more highly respected guitarists in modern blues and rock.
MEDIA
County Farm Blues
by Johnny Stachela
Digital Album Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high quality download in MP3, FLAC, & more. Buy Now $10 USD
1. County Farm Blues
2. Firefly
3. Hard Rain
4. Handle It
released March 21, 2023