Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Steph Johnson Live in North Park

Last night's Holiday Concert at the Sunset Temple by Steph Johnson, a singer, songwriter and guitarist with seemingly unlimited potential, was a prime example of an emergent artist spreading her wings.

Two years ago, Ms. Johnson was working at a local bank, checking identification, wishing folks a great day, and, no doubt, warming hearts with her radiant smile.

Then the recession hit, and she made the decision to devote herself to singing and playing guitar full-time, and SD music lovers are all the richer for it.

Johnson has been making waves locally, winning an SDMA for "best jazz" album in 2010, even though she acknowledges that "Mysterious Feminine," wasn't exactly a real jazz record. The music she's been making is really a kind of soul-blues fusion with jazzy overtones and an emphasis on original material.

Whatever you want to call it, Johnson has one hell of a voice. It is smoky, sultry and powerful. She was raised listening to Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and Donny Hathaway. Not a bad set of influences.

She has flawless pitch, and the ability to transform a lyric into an emotional experience. She can get gritty and almost gravelly, and her range seems to navigate the space between someone like Cassandra Wilson and, maybe Etta James.

Johnson normally performs with the Steph Johnson Band, and she could easily stay on that track and achieve accolades far outside the local realm. With a voice like hers-- the rest of her intangible assets like striking beauty; a commanding stage presence, and an already loyal following, are all, money-in-the-bank.

She has chosen, though, at this stage of career, to widen her musical horizons by collaborating with local jazz heavyweights Rob Thorsen, on double bass and Richard Sellers on drums.

Saturday's concert at Sunset Temple was the first public performance of this unit. The choice to play with just her guitar as the harmonic generator was a brave one. Playing the guitar while singing is a difficult task, but Johnson has the art of accompanying herself down to a science, one that she seems quite comfortable with.

The trio opened with a very up-tempo reading of "Christmas Song," that swung quite nicely, although the ending was kind of sloppy. The next piece, a Johnson original, "Why Don't He," was much more successful, her rich alto soaring around the contours of the melody, while keeping it real with bluesy inflections.

The standard "East Of The Sun," was that first standout moment in which everything jelled. Interpreted as a bossa nova groove with a languid tempo as slow as dripping honey, the results were twice as sweet. Johnson's guitar work locked in with Thorsen's pulse and the astonishingly creative drums of Sellers for a telling idea of where the singer's future might lead.

"Chocolate Situation," was a blues vamp with a bridge that solicited a show-stopping solo from Thorsen, who slapped his bass with the bow like he was swatting ants off the strings. Johnson followed with soulful scatting that morphed into growling melisma minus the "American Idol" histrionics.

Thorsen began another Johnson original, "Big Life," with a highly melodic bass vamp that set up a lock-step groove which Johnson poured her heart out over. This will be on her next record, and it's one of her best tunes.

After a brief intermission, Johnson and Thorsen returned for the second highlight moment of the evening: an absolutely stunning duet on George Shearing's "Lullaby Of Birdland." Thorsen keeps time like a Swiss watch, and together, they created an artfully swinging arrangement strong enough to elicit finger-snaps on "2" and "4" from the audience.

"Christmas Eve," another new Johnson piece, is a poignant ballad in a minor key, that served as a stark reminder that the holiday's are more than some people can bear. Not a happy piece, but an honest one, and a testament to the creative mind of the songwriter.

"Hi-Ya," must be one of Johnson's hits, because the audience erupted when the tune began. It's kind of a glorious celebration, made even more so with Thorsen's muscular bass lines, and the percussive contributions of Sellers, who kept the music surging forward .

It wasn't all perfect. Johnson's guitar work has yet to reach a par with her amazing voice--but that will come, and if she stays true to this widening of her oeuvre, there's no telling where she can take this. As it was, this performance was a tantalizing glimpse of things to come from an unreal talent.

Photo courtesy of Catie Stephens

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Next Article

San Diego's Uptown Planners challenged by renters from Vibrant Uptown

Two La Jolla planning groups fight for predominance

Last night's Holiday Concert at the Sunset Temple by Steph Johnson, a singer, songwriter and guitarist with seemingly unlimited potential, was a prime example of an emergent artist spreading her wings.

Two years ago, Ms. Johnson was working at a local bank, checking identification, wishing folks a great day, and, no doubt, warming hearts with her radiant smile.

Then the recession hit, and she made the decision to devote herself to singing and playing guitar full-time, and SD music lovers are all the richer for it.

Johnson has been making waves locally, winning an SDMA for "best jazz" album in 2010, even though she acknowledges that "Mysterious Feminine," wasn't exactly a real jazz record. The music she's been making is really a kind of soul-blues fusion with jazzy overtones and an emphasis on original material.

Whatever you want to call it, Johnson has one hell of a voice. It is smoky, sultry and powerful. She was raised listening to Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and Donny Hathaway. Not a bad set of influences.

She has flawless pitch, and the ability to transform a lyric into an emotional experience. She can get gritty and almost gravelly, and her range seems to navigate the space between someone like Cassandra Wilson and, maybe Etta James.

Johnson normally performs with the Steph Johnson Band, and she could easily stay on that track and achieve accolades far outside the local realm. With a voice like hers-- the rest of her intangible assets like striking beauty; a commanding stage presence, and an already loyal following, are all, money-in-the-bank.

She has chosen, though, at this stage of career, to widen her musical horizons by collaborating with local jazz heavyweights Rob Thorsen, on double bass and Richard Sellers on drums.

Saturday's concert at Sunset Temple was the first public performance of this unit. The choice to play with just her guitar as the harmonic generator was a brave one. Playing the guitar while singing is a difficult task, but Johnson has the art of accompanying herself down to a science, one that she seems quite comfortable with.

The trio opened with a very up-tempo reading of "Christmas Song," that swung quite nicely, although the ending was kind of sloppy. The next piece, a Johnson original, "Why Don't He," was much more successful, her rich alto soaring around the contours of the melody, while keeping it real with bluesy inflections.

The standard "East Of The Sun," was that first standout moment in which everything jelled. Interpreted as a bossa nova groove with a languid tempo as slow as dripping honey, the results were twice as sweet. Johnson's guitar work locked in with Thorsen's pulse and the astonishingly creative drums of Sellers for a telling idea of where the singer's future might lead.

"Chocolate Situation," was a blues vamp with a bridge that solicited a show-stopping solo from Thorsen, who slapped his bass with the bow like he was swatting ants off the strings. Johnson followed with soulful scatting that morphed into growling melisma minus the "American Idol" histrionics.

Thorsen began another Johnson original, "Big Life," with a highly melodic bass vamp that set up a lock-step groove which Johnson poured her heart out over. This will be on her next record, and it's one of her best tunes.

After a brief intermission, Johnson and Thorsen returned for the second highlight moment of the evening: an absolutely stunning duet on George Shearing's "Lullaby Of Birdland." Thorsen keeps time like a Swiss watch, and together, they created an artfully swinging arrangement strong enough to elicit finger-snaps on "2" and "4" from the audience.

"Christmas Eve," another new Johnson piece, is a poignant ballad in a minor key, that served as a stark reminder that the holiday's are more than some people can bear. Not a happy piece, but an honest one, and a testament to the creative mind of the songwriter.

"Hi-Ya," must be one of Johnson's hits, because the audience erupted when the tune began. It's kind of a glorious celebration, made even more so with Thorsen's muscular bass lines, and the percussive contributions of Sellers, who kept the music surging forward .

It wasn't all perfect. Johnson's guitar work has yet to reach a par with her amazing voice--but that will come, and if she stays true to this widening of her oeuvre, there's no telling where she can take this. As it was, this performance was a tantalizing glimpse of things to come from an unreal talent.

Photo courtesy of Catie Stephens

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.