Eldon Johnson

Isn't that true? A long time ago, one of my friends said something that has stuck with me for years--"You can't have everything...where would you put it all?"

I competed in the Colgate Country Showdown Midwest Regional last night at the Royal River Casino, in Flandreau, SD. That's the 4th time I've played at that casino, by the way--very familiar turf for me! I gave it my all, and performed to the best of my ability--but, unfortunately, was not named the winner. "You can't win 'em all," as my dad said afterward. A very tight band from Missouri, Livewire, was named the winner, and will be advancing to the national finals in Nashville. I am waiting to see the score sheets later this week, as I'm pretty sure I was right there in the mix.

Am I disappointed--yes, of course. Am I devastated or deterred--absolutely not! This contest is just one more avenue that a person can take to try and advance his career. I will certainly continue to push forward and learn from every experience.

I had a blast playing with Rivers Rutherford in Boise last week! I got a chance to talk with him for about 15 minutes afterward, and he was very cool and offered some great advice to me regarding the music business. If you're not familiar with Rivers, check him out at www.riversrutherford.com. I guarantee you've heard several of his songs on country radio--recorded by the likes of Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Montgomery Gentry, Gretchen Wilson, and the list goes on.

As far as what's next for me--I am going to try my best to get my CD, "Ride," finished and ready for sale before Christmas. I can't make any promises, but rest assured that I am going to try my best to make that deadline!

Hope all is well with whoever is reading this, and drop me a line on email or the guestboard if you get a chance.

By the way, for one more quote regarding setting high goals, taking chances, and following your dreams, scroll to the bottom of this page and read the quote from former first lady, Rosalynn Carter. May you have the strength and passion to chase your dreams--whatever they may be!

Best regards,
Eldon

Well, hello there, friend! If you browse back to my last entry, you'll see that I referred to myself as a "blobber" instead of a blogger--due to my deficiency in keeping my blog updated very well. Well.....there I go again, as that was May, and here we are hitting the end of September! So, I figured I'd sit down and catch y'all up on what's been going down with me lately.

I mentioned the that the Colgate Country Showdown was coming around again. The deal is, it doesn't matter that I was in the national finals last year--you still have to start at the beginning...which is only fair, I agree. So, I entered a local contest in Grafton, ND (fyi--that's where I won the ND State contest last year) in June and won that. So, I'm off to the next level, which is the ND State Finals on October 4th. They are being held at 4 Bears Casino and Lodge, just outside of New Town, ND. Yup, that's only 70 miles from my hometown of Williston, and I'm expecting a huge turnout for the event, as I'll be sorta back in my old stomping grounds. I also have relatives in New Town, so it will be a great time. I will give it my all, and hopefully be named the ND State winner, which I have obtained twice in two tries....so, hopefully I'll make it a three-peat! They say three times is a charm, right? Well, then maybe I'll advance on to the national finals again, and win the $100,000 this time around. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

I have been working on my second album, as well! I am recording it in Fargo with Darin Karnes, who is the owner and operator of HLM Studios. Darin is a great guy with a fantastic background...as well as a darn good ear and music sense. I have turned over the reigns of drumming on this album. Darin worked as a session drummer in Nashville for several years before moving to Fargo about 3 1/2 years ago--and he is a great drummer.  He also plays several other instruments, and he will be playing the bass guitar on the project, as well. As of right now, the album is not officially named, but I am leaning toward "Ride," which is one of the flagship songs on the CD. A good friend recommended it as the album name, as it depicts where I'm at in life.....and also in the general theme of the songs as a whole--as they depict a lot of motion--forward at times.....and then certainly, backwards at times, as well. Once again, I feel that I have amassed a collection of songs that are universally-relevant to every human being, and I think that they will resonate with my fans as strongly--or even moreso--than "Down The Road" has. I am VERY excited, and am hoping for a release date of Novemeber or December. I would like to get it out before the end of the year--it would make a great Christmas present or stocking stuffer, by the way! As far as the general sound of the upcoming CD.....this one is going to be sound much more "progressive and contemporary" than most of the songs on "Down The Road." They should hold a lot more potential for being played on country radio...and several of them could cross over to pop/rock radio, as well...and some to contemporary christian, etc. If I had one artist to compare it to, it would be Keith Urban. There are a lot more heavy and driving beats/rhythms with the guitar, bass, and drums--as compared to DTR. The songs are about love, life, loss, and learning........hey, I like that! The 4 L's, we'll call it. In regard to the CD release date, I will "try" to keep you updated through this blog. However, an easier and more sure-fire way to keep updated is to join my mailing list, which you can do on the homepage!

I recently have updated my sound system, as well--in preparation for doing more serious gigging outside of this region. The system that I have been using is just for smaller acoustic shows, and definitely not powerful enough for larger events. I went with all Mackie equipment--for my techie friends out there, I got a 24 channel Onyx sound board, powered 18" Mackie subs, and powered Mackie mains. In other words--it's gonna rumble, baby! Of course, I will also need a way to haul all of that stuff, so I custom-ordered an enclosed 6' x 12' cargo trailer, which is currently on its way to Fargo. I have been putting thought into who I would like to ask to play with me, as I'm going to need to put a band together. I would like to start with a 4 or 5-piece. If you are reading this and are a SERIOUS musician--feel free to contact me for an audition!

I am still working full-time as a physical therapist, and as the Contemporary Music Coordinator at Faith Lutheran Church, so nothing is new in those areas.  Hopefully soon I will be able to go about 3/4 time in music, and cut down on the PT hours.  What I really need to do is find a trustworthy agent--which is NOT an easy endeavor in the music business.  Unfortunately, you have to weed through all the snakes in the grass to try and find one that is not only in it for himself.  I simply don't have the time or resources to find proper places to play, or to put a tour (or mini-tours) together.  I have been working with my compadre Kris Kuester on this, as he has been down this road in the past, and is willing to help me try and avoid some of the bigger pitfalls.  In the meantime, rest assured that I will keep persevering and plugging away!

My fingers are tired, as I'm sure your eyes are--so I will sign off for now.  Drop me a line if you are in Fargo, and I hope to see you at a show sometime soon!