Nicholas Johnson

Kentucky-born and based in Cincinnati, Ohio, singer-songwriter Nicholas Johnson’s story is not a typical one, including quiting his job and uprooting his life to move across the pond to Milan, Italy. Once there, he inadvertently began his music career in earnest by playing in cafes and bars along the canals of Navigli. From there, he was adopted and welcomed into the music scene and helped along by the likes of Andrea Rock (Virgin Radio), fellow expat Nic Cester (Jet), and many others.

His fourth release, the seven-track album spanning twenty-six minutes, Shady Pines Vol. 2 (Ninja Jam Records), Johnson follows-up 2017’s Shady Pines Vol. 1 to complete the vision he originally had for the two-part project.

Shady Pines Vol. 1 (Ninja Jam Records) was the first half of the collaboration that found Johnson teaming up with acclaimed producer and engineer Patrick Himes (Ryan Adams, Ethan Johns, Lilly Hiatt) with the goal in mind to craft a recording that matched the intensity of his live shows. The result is a fiery brand of roots and rock that manages to sound both achingly familiar and fiercely original.