New Orleans guitarist, singer and songwriter Eric Johanson makes guitar-driven rock with blues at its center, combining sharp songwriting, slide guitar, heavy riffs and the raw energy of a power trio. His 2023 album The Deep and the Dirty debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart, followed by another Top 10 release, Live In Mississippi, in 2025. His new studio album, The Open Bayou, pushes further into heavier and stranger territory without leaving those roots behind. Recorded largely live with bassist Will Repholz and drummer Jake Gartenstein, the album was mixed and mastered by Bill Skibbe, whose credits include Jack White, The Raconteurs and The Kills. Johanson has toured extensively across the U.S. and Europe and shared stages with The Record Company, North Mississippi Allstars, Samantha Fish, Tab Benoit and Anders Osborne. He was named one of Guitar Player Magazine’s “25 Best New Blues Guitarists” and included by Total Guitar among the “Greatest Blues Guitarists of All Time.” His work with Big Chief Monk Boudreaux also appeared on a Grammy-nominated recording.