"I grew up listening to Megadeth, Metallica and White Zombie. A good riff will always grab my attention": How metal-raised blues dynamo Eric Johanson is taking a heavy approach to a classic genre

Eric Johanson
(Image credit: Kaylie McCarthy)

Hailing from Louisiana, the same swampy state that the likes of Lead Belly, Clifton Chenier, and Buddy Guy once called home, it's easy to see why Eric Johanson was smitten with the blues from a young age.

But anyone who has feasted their ears on Johanson's music knows that if you dig deeper, there are underpinnings of heavy riffs and charismatic chord changes. To that end, Johanson tells Guitar World, "I grew up listening to Megadeth, Metallica and White Zombie. And to this day, a good riff will always grab my attention."

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Andrew Daly

Andrew Daly is an iced-coffee-addicted, oddball Telecaster-playing, alfredo pasta-loving journalist from Long Island, NY, who, in addition to being a contributing writer for Guitar World, scribes for Rock Candy, Bass Player, Total Guitar, and Classic Rock History. Andrew has interviewed favorites like Ace Frehley, Johnny Marr, Vito Bratta, Bruce Kulick, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Rich Robinson, and Paul Stanley, while his all-time favorite (rhythm player), Keith Richards, continues to elude him.