“You either play the guitar or it plays you.”
While Addison Johnson subscribes to the former these days, as you’ll hear a bit later on, he once aligned with the latter, and he chronicles that period of his career with his new single, “High Way,” set for release on September 8th.
The song, an uber-country duet with fellow traditionalist Alex Williams, serves as the first duet Johnson has released in his career and sees the duo fulfilling a years-long promise to work together.
“Alex is my oldest friend from Nashville. We came up together. The whole “independent movement” was kind of just getting started when we came to town. We have both had to scratch and claw for every inch. We met, I think, in 2012, and started writing a lot together. Alex helped get me a job at a Ford dealership outside of Nashville. We’d show up to work after being up all night, drink coffee, and play Waylon records in the back of the warehouse. We’d talk about the future and what we wanted out of this music deal. Alex has gone on to tour with Cody Jinks, Lynryd Skynyrd and Hank Jr, and played the Grand Ole Opry. He’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met,” says Johnson. “We’ve been through a lot together over the years and have lived this song over and over. We’ve talked about doing one together for a long time, and I’m really glad we were able to put this together.”
Johnson says he conjured inspiration for his newest effort from his years of partying on the road.
“’High Way’ is about my early years of touring. In the beginning, especially, the partying was just as big of a deal as the playing. I had some amazing times, but it certainly wears on you,” says Johnson. “I had a guy tell me one time, ‘you either play the guitar or it plays you.’ I’ve been on both sides of that. Pedialyte and Evan Williams lost a lot of money when I hung it up.”
Serving as the final taste of his forthcoming album before its release, Johnson says “High Way” has become a high point during his shows on the road.
“This song was just so much fun to do. From the writing to the production, everything just flowed very easily,” says Johnson. “When you write a song, the proving ground is always your live shows. The fan reaction for ‘High Way’ has been awesome, and it’s quickly become a staple in the set list each night.”
That album, which Johnson says is nearing the finish line, is set for release in early 2024, as the North Carolina native promises a diverse effort sonically and lyrically.
“The new album is in its final stages, and we’ll be targeting an end of February release. We just did a photo shoot for the album cover this week,” says Johnson. “This album is going to have a ton variety on it, lyrically and musically. I’m really liking how the mixes are sounding so far. There will be a lot more announcements as we get closer to the end of the year!”
In the midst of preparing his album release, Johnson has a host of dates scheduled for the rest of 2023.
“We’ve got a lot of great shows coming up. It’s been a great year so far, and I’m looking forward to trying out some new songs on the road,” says Johnson. “Alex and I are doing some shows together as well, so there will be some opportunities to come hear ‘High Way’ live.”
Johnson shows no signs of slowing down, either, as plans for a spring tour have commenced to coincide with his album release.
“We’ll be using the fall and winter to prepare for the new album as well as a spring tour. We’ve got lots of big announcements coming up regarding both,” says Johnson. “I might try to catch a fish as well.”
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