2000

During the late 1990s, ERIC JOHNSON found solace in his bi-monthly Austin, TX gigs with "Alien Love Child", a band primarily composed of EJ and some of his former ELECTROMAGNETS band mates. Often tired and frustrated from his perfectionist-driven recording sessions, cutting loose live sounded and felt so good, it just had to be captured on tape. Released in 2000 on Steve Vai's new Favored Nations label, "Live and Beyond" shows the tone ranger creating sonic portraits of colorful guitar wizardry in an energetic and fun live setting. "Enzo Shuffle" is a get-outta-yer-seat-and-shake-it blues blaster set against Johnson's gorgeous solo licks. "Rain" sets up a jazzy WES MONTGOMERY mood, and "Once A Part of Me" is one of the most profound blues numbers EJ has crafted to date. "Live and Beyond" is a truly masterful performance by a group of stellar musicians exploring the boundaries of blues and rock guitar stylings.

Picks of the litter, 2000: