Bottleneck John: Voice, Guitars, Mandolin, Banjo, Footstompin' & Kazoo.

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Lars Åstrand: Mandolins & Violin.

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Stefan Swén: Harmonica & Washboard.

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"..Slide guitar is first about listening.. Then it's about feeling.. It's about how you can make your guitar sound more like a voice than wood and steel or bronze... Don't be afraid to play less, to work with your voice and with the silence between the notes.. 

A lotta nothing is still nothing. A little something... now THAT's something!!.."

Resonatin' words of wisdom..

Live in Italy, June 2009. 

Click here to see some photo's from Italy 2009!!!

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Here's the new rhythm section, hahaha!!!

 

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Preachin' the blues..!!

 

The Delta Trio with Mattias Nordqvist on piano..

 

 

 

Sometimes as the Delta Duo..

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BJ's Delta Trio!!! 

Mostly old-timey 1920's and 30's unpolished, raw delta, hokum & country blues stuff.. Spirituals(early bluesy gospel) are also an essential part of our repertoire!! 

We play blues clubs, festivals, churches, cultural events etc.etc.. This kind of music fits in everywhere!!!!

Best described as a mix of old-timey slideguitar Delta/Country blues and Spirituals that have been heard and felt by audiences on numerous concerts and shows around Scandinavia and Europe.. The heart in our music is the genuine sound of  resonator guitars, when performing, there's also washboard, harmonica, fiddle, mandolin, kazoo and other typical instruments of the golden era! And what a wonderful sound they all make!! What better way to get your audience in the mood than with a set of laid back stuff from the Delta?!

Anywhere where there´s a need for real old blues.. We´ll be there!!

Classic tunes from masters like Robert Johnson, Son House, Blind Willie Johnson, Skip James, Muddy Waters, Tampa Red, Bukka White etc.. As well as my own songs in the genre of course..!! 

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Bottleneck John's Delta Trio 

Johan "Bottleneck John" Eliasson, bluesmusiker från Östersund. Han turnerar ute i Europa och har även gjort en USA-turné i södra staterna Mississippi, Tennesee och Arkansas med spelningar på klubbar och festivaler där, bl.a. King Biscuit Blues Festival i Helena! Som namnet antyder spelas det en hel del bottleneck slide på gitarrerna av resonatortyp, gamla plåtburkar stämda i öppna ackord. Bottleneck John's Delta Trio bjuder på ol’timey blues, hokum & spirituals(tidig gospel med blues i botten) med rötterna djupt nere i 1920/30-talets Mississippidelta, ibland intensiv, rå och tempofylld men även tillbakalutad och känslosam.

I trion har BJ oftast med sig munspelaren Stefan Swén och Lars Åstrand spelandes på de klassiska bluesinstrumenten mandolin och fiol, instrument som i dagens elektrifierade bluesvärld för en lite undanskymd tillvaro. Men andra musiker ingår då och då i trion, t.ex. Mattias Nordqvist på piano och Fredrik Eriksson på kontrabas.

BJ's Delta Trio bjuder på en musikalisk tidsresa med låtar av legendarer som Robert Johnson, Son House, Bukka White, Blind Willie Johnson och Muddy Waters men även eget material i denna traditionsfyllda genre!

Don Hooper från Unplugged Records i USA kommenterade Bottleneck John så här när han hörde Johan sjunga: "..It's as if Son House's voice has come alive again, Deeply moving!!.."

 

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The past few years has taken BJ on tour to various stages/venues throughout Europe and USA, among others:

 

-Rootsway Blues & Food Festival, Parma, Italy 2009

-Davis Jazz Club, Vienna, Austria 2008

-Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival, Helena, USA 2006

-Blues au Chateau Festival,  La Chèze, France 2007   

-Swing Blues Festival,  Wespelaar,  Belgium 2007  

-Nidaros Blues Festival, Trondheim, Norway 2007, 2005, 2003   

-PaasBlues Festival, Asten, The Netherlands 2007   

-Copenhagen Blues Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark 2006

-Dundee Blues Bonanza, Dundee, Scotland 2005, 2006

-Åmål Blues Festival, Åmål, Sweden 2005

-The Helicon Jazz Cafe, Warsaw, Poland 2005 

-Music Café Pegasus, Munich, Germany 2006

-Breakfast Blues, Bunky’s, Helena, Arkansas, USA 2006

-Streets of Blues Festival, Tropea, Italy 2005, 2006

-Frankfurt Musik Messe, Amistar Guitars, Germany 2006

-Felsenkeller,  Schwandorf,  Germany 2006

-Jazzland, Vienna, Austria 2006

-Mississippi Welcome Center, Lula, MS, USA 2006

-Blues Cruise on the Baltic Sea, 2005, 2007

-Dalane Blues Festival, Egersund, Norway 2006, 2007   

-Tartu ResoFest, Tartu, Estonia 2005

-Resophonic Guitar Festival, Pilzen, Czech Rep. 2005, 2006

-Street Blues, Memphis, Tennesee, USA 2006

-Isle of Capri Casino, Lula, Mississippi, USA 2006

- Skalica Cultural Centre, Slovakia 2005

 

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Sometimes BJ goes solo..

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A bass-harmonica..!!

;D

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    Hear that train a'comin'..  ;D

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Live at the Östersund Blues Festival 2008. The trio with some friends on piano and drums..!

  

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The Delta Trio with Mattias Nordqvist on piano.. 

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1931 Chevrolet!!! A true bluesmobile..

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BJ in the delta.. It was like coming home... 

See some USA photos here!!

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Playin' the old 12-string blues, Leadbelly style..

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Sometimes Fredrik Eriksson joins us on double-bass!!

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From Austria!  

"..For me a genuine sensation from the cool north. This Bottleneck John (g&voc) - alias Johan Eliasson - seems nothing like a “northern” Swede actually. He has enormous temperament and passion and his interpretations of the old songs of Robert Johnson, Son House and Blind Willie Johnson sounds so convincing, as if they would be his own compositions (which he can also write and play in this great tradition). Without a doubt he is one the great ones of the Blues in Europe and our local hero Christian Prechtl has to put up a strong effort to play against such a musical heavyweight. ."

Axel Melhardt,  Jazzland,  Austria 

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Tools of our trade..

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The Delta Trio!!

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Kazoo-trumpet....!?

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The Delta Trio - Live at the Coffee House!

 

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On a festival stage..

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Lined up for recording..

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Stefan plays acoustic through an old megaphone, haha..!!

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          BJ goes Mississippi Delta!!   See some USA pics!!

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The Delta Trio live at Smokestack Records, Stockholm!!

Sure is a small place but when we played totally acoustic, we managed to find enough space!!

Behind the counter, shop owner Tommy!

 

Swedens coolest little music store, a lot of roots music on disc, sometimes also live, like this saturday when we played for a while!!

 

Such gigs are so much fun!!

 

 

Resonatin'

And with the mandolin, a loud reso-mando!!

Photo: Kenth-Åke Norman

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This is the ol'timey blues, a'cappella...

 

 

 

 

 

Xmas cards 2008..  ;D

 

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