Press Coverage Tripping With Trip Johnson by © 2008 Bruce E Von Stiers Tripping With Trip Johnson~ Bruce Von Stiers~ There is this killer rock band out of the Twin Cities area in Minnesota called the Trip Johnson Band. Their music is mostly instrumental, but it is a sizzling hot slice of rock. The band sent me this eight song album to listen to. I had listened to some of their stuff on the band’s MySpace Music site and was intrigued. I liked what I heard, but could the band keep up the mood and tough guitar riffs that I heard on the web site? You betcha! Bloated Toad is the first track. It comes through as a cross between Joe Satriani and Peter Frampton. Hot guitar and steady drums make this a too cool song. Crank It Up has a slick racing rock kind of sound. Head On is a rock anthem going in circles. There is just one set of chords that are repeated, each one with something additional added. With lyrics this would be a top dog rock anthem. As an instrumental it fares pretty well too. Event Procedures is a solid rock anthem. It has elements of almost majestic sounds. Like possibly a rock coronation. Or perhaps, a rock styled backdrop to a film clip of an eagle soaring to the top of a mountain peak. As for the song, Happy Hour, it is a fun piece. With a tiny hint of Southern Rock or possibly rocking Blues, this was a pleasure to listen to. Sonic Thrust has a futuristic, echoing kind of guitar playing. Something Blue is a laid back, bluesy groove piece. The band ends the album with Searching Through The Chaos. A fast, down and dirty anthem, the song has some really cool effects to go along with scorching guitar. The band is kind of shy about who they are. The only information I have on band personnel is for the rhythm guitarist, who goes by the name of Fish. Fish was a founding member of the rock band Jack Attack. He then went on to play guitar for Wicked Tongue and other Minneapolis / St. Paul area bands. Through the connections of an old high school buddy, Fish ended up playing rhythm guitar for the Trip Johnson band. Check out the band’s MySpace Music site to learn more about them and to find out where to see the band play at. You can listen to their songs and find out more about the band. The site is at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm? fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=271191050 Back © 2008 Bruce E Von Stiers