by Kaitlyn Ulmer
P
laying a fusion of folk, pop, blues, alternative country and rock, Zachary Scot Johnson will perform at 716: Fine Art on Saturday, July 12 from 8-10 p.m. He describes his music as “very similar to James Taylor – a guy with a guitar and piano” and has opened for the likes of Shawn Colvin, Jane Siberry, The Be Good Tanyas, and Steve Forbert. Johnson also has two albums out: Moment of Clarity (2004) and To Whom It May Concern (2008).
For this show, Johnson will be playing a set split between the two albums, as well as a few new songs. “But,” he admitted, “this gig requires more planning and prep. I have to speak more about these songs, so I need to choose the songs that have more interesting stories behind them.” One of the unique features of 716’s acoustic series is that musicians are welcomed and encouraged to share the inspiration for their songs.
Johnson, who has been writing and performing his own songs for ten years, draws influence from Joni Mitchell and Shawn Colvin, both of whom have spent many years performing solo acoustic shows. Johnson promises that “even people who’ve seen me many times will find this show interesting…I’m trying to find my comfort level with giving away a bit more to make the song[s] more interesting and avoiding giving too much away.”
Tickets for Saturday’s show can be purchased for $10 at www.716fineart.org. Tables for four are also available for $40. To learn more about Johnson and his music, you can visit his Web site at http://www.zacharyscotjohnson.com/ or check him out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/zacharyscotjohnson.
