Blues In Britain Magazine write up August 2016
| blues_in_britain_-_august_16_-_john_emil_-_p28_-_bluesinbritain.org_copy.pdf |
Greenville Journal "Sound Check" write up by Vincent Harris 2015
| greenville_journal_sound_check_write_up.rtfd.zip |
Bold Life Magazine 2015
| bold_life_magazine_write_up_.rtfd.zip |
Blues in Britain Magazine review for "Bangor On Dee Blues Festival" first paragraph 2012
| blues_in_britain.pdf |
Blues in the North West www.bluesinthenorthwest.com 2012
News just in from Pete Evans:
The outstanding American acoustic guitarist John Emil who played a superb set at the Bangor on Dee Blues Festival last Saturday is back in the area this coming Friday 18th May at 8pm at:
Greenhill Bank and Dudleston Heath Workingmen’s Club, near Ellesmere, Shropshire SY12 9LU. This new venue is starting to put on regular live music nights and will feature a good sprinkling of blues. It features good parking and some nice local ales.
Mike, a fans post on the UK Joe Bonamassa Forum
Caught this guy at the week-end opeing for Jay Tamkin at Redcar. Quality acoustic musician from Florida currently doing a couple of weeks in the UK and Europe.
Mix roosty blues with some country, bluegrass and folk and maybe a hint of Hawaiian (if the wind is in the right heart). Excellent technique and sound on both dobro and acoustic lap guitar. Worth catching if he's in your area.
Gainesville Times Write Up
Unique slide guitarist takes stage at the Monkey Barrel
By Kristen Morales
[email protected]
Posted: July 16, 2008 3:59 p.m.
POSTED July 16, 2008 3:59 p.m.
John Emil takes guitar playing personally.
Originally a fan of the acoustic guitar and dobro, Emil discovered his own unique style simply by hearing another man's slide guitar.
Emil, who will bring his dobro and acoustic Hawaiian lap steel style to the Monkey Barrel on Saturday night, was inspired when he found out about the slide guitar style used by Kelly Joe Phelps, a nationally recognized "tunesmith" who plays in the style of lap steel guitar, only on a jumbo acoustic.
"When I heard his playing I was just floored by it, and I found out he was playing lap steel style but on a jumbo acoustic guitar," Emil said. "He had what's like a regular Gibson guitar set up for a lap style."
While he couldn't find the specific kind of guitar, Emil did find a copy of a 1920s Weissenborn guitar. So, he began retooling his playing, holding the instrument like a regular guitar, playing it with a slide and infusing its sound with notes from the Mississippi Delta, bluegrass and the lush landscapes of Hawaii.
Emil moved up to Atlanta from South Florida, where he had already made a name for himself among folk and guitar festivals. He also does some session work for a company based in London called KPM, which does music for films, commercials and background music.
"Sometimes they send me little clips and they want me to play slide guitar over it," he said.
As for Saturday, Emil said music fans can expect "some fantastic slide guitar playing."