Smoke & Mirrors

Justin Johnson's highly anticipated double album 'Smoke & Mirrors' is the most comprehensive musical statement yet made, about the past, present, and future of handmade American Roots instruments~ A sensory immersive musical journey that will have you spellbound from the first note. Declared 'a MUST for any blues lover' by Vinny Marini, 'Music on the Couch' The 'Smoke' album highlights the builds of some of the most talented, innovative, and artistic luthiers in the world today. 'Smoke' was recorded at the legendary Sun Studio, the "Birthplace of Rock & Roll," using the studio's combination of vintage equipment and modern technology to showcase the corresponding qualities in the 18 modern roots instruments featured. The 'Mirrors' album is a historical retrospective that showcases American Roots instruments, through acoustic recordings on 8 pre-WWII relic instruments from Bill Jehle's Cigar Box Guitar Museum. For these recordings, we traveled down the historic Blues Highway 61 to capture acoustic field recordings at the authentic Crossroads of Blues legend, and at Shack Up Inn on the historic Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale Mississippi, "The Birthplace of the Blues." Internationally touring and recording artist Justin Johnson arranged and performed all of the tracks on "Smoke & Mirrors", capturing and showcasing the unique voices of dozens of one-of-a-kind Roots instruments from around the globe. These captivating arrangements bravely blur the lines between genres such as Roots Blues, Traditional Folk, Chicago Blues, Blues Rock, Jazz, Dixieland, and a few that don't have names... yet!