Continuing his tour of the U.S., guitar legend Eric Johnson will be [stopping in Columbia](http://move.themaneater.com/calendar/2012/1/14/eric-johnson/) to perform songs from his latest album, _Up Close_, in addition to other classics at The Blue Note.
Known for his stylistic diversity and skill with a wide range of instruments, Johnson received a Grammy award for his single “Cliffs of Dover” in addition to five Grammy nominations and a platinum album, _Ah Via Musicom_. Several of Johnson’s songs are also featured on popular video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero World Tour.
Taking a break from his tour, Johnson talked with MOVE about his album, career and future plans.
**[MOVE]** What do you expect from your Columbia show?
**[Eric Johnson]** Just to try and show up and we do a lot of improvisation, so we’ll just try and get in the zone and have fun and try to make it happen as well as we can. There’s a bunch of different kinds of musical styles and stuff and we’re just trying to turn people on.
**[MOVE]** Why is your newest album called _Up Close_?
**[EJ]** I think it’s the start of me wanting to try to move toward the direction of being a little bit more honest and, you know, no barriers, and being more spontaneous and more open and just kind of baring the feelings more in a closer, intimate way.
**[MOVE]** You’re often called a perfectionist; how did this play into the making of the album?
**[EJ]** You strive to do the best you can, but then if you’re not careful, left unchecked it can be a hindrance so there needs to be a balance of trying to create as high a quality as you can and still be natural and honest and happen in the moment. It’s a useful tool as long as it’s not your driving force.
**[MOVE]** How does _Up Close_ compare to your other work from the past?
**[EJ]** It’s kind of a collage of different styles. There’s a lot of different stuff going on and also having guest stars come in and sing as well as play, so it’s a different vibe, and yeah it’s just trying to reach out and think about the idea of trying to cut stuff live in the studio more.
**[MOVE]** What was your process when you recorded _Up Close_?
**[EJ]** I just went in and cut a whole bunch of tracks, then cut like 23 or 24 tracks and then just cut it to 14 or 15 that I thought were working together. Then we just kind of started over-dubbing on those — and then, Andy Johns is a great engineer that used to work with Led Zepplin, and he came in and mixed the record.
**[MOVE]** Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
**[EJ]** There’s a ton of people that I really admire. All of my life I’ve admired Stevie Wonder; I’ve always wanted to work with him. He’s just one of my favorite all-time heroes. He’s just the greatest. I love all styles of music, so I’d love working with anybody really, any kind of stellar kind of music. I like bluegrass and country and stuff like that. Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas and I’d love to work with an orchestra someday. That’d be fun. I’d love to work with some jazz guys, too. I’d love that. We do a little bit of that stuff in our set.
**[MOVE]** What music do you listen to in your off time?
**[EJ]** I like that new group Precious Fathers. They’re kind of cool. My Morning Jacket. I also listen to Tallest Man on Earth — that’s a cool thing. There’s Explosions in the Sky; they’re kind of cool. I like classical music too. I’ve been listening to some classical John Williams stuff that he’s done recently, Wynton Marsalis, Miles Davis … it’s all sorts.
**[MOVE]** What’s next?
**[EJ]** I have some new recordings I’m working on, so we’ve started working on a new project and it’s cut more live in the studio and I’d like to do a acoustic record at some point. And we have a couple more tours happening, one in the spring and one in the summer.
Eric Johnson will be performing at 9 p.m. Saturday at The Blue Note, located at 17 N. Ninth St. Tickets are on sale for $25.
