Johnny Wheels is a singer / songwriter / harmonica player inspired by the soul of the Pacific Northwest. The “Swamp Donkeys” are Johnny’s band-mates who are inspired by Johnny to “live a song” on the edge.
The son of a traveling bass player and singer, Johnny “Wheels” Kennicott had music in his blood since birth, but expressing himself musically took on new importance when Johnny broke his neck in a childhood accident, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.
“The days of football practice after school were definitely over”, Johnny says, but music still provided an outlet for his infectious energy and his creative potential.
Though his father’s instrument of choice and his early passion of playing drums were now out due to limited function, Johnny found, through determined trial and error, he could manipulate his paralyzed diaphragm to not only sing, but also blow the harmonica. Since that time, Johnny has been traveling the Pacific Northwest music scene, spreading the gospel of the blues.
Collectively, the band hails from Oregon, Texas and California and is typically tagged as a Blues band; Although, the diversity of the members’ musical backgrounds becomes evident as the worlds of R&B, Soul, Jazz, Funk and Rock are blended under a Blues umbrella.
Here is out Interview:
How would you classify your music?
Mostly a mixture of Blues, Rock N Roll and a ton of soul. We like to play all genres of music though.
Who are some of your top 5 musical influences?
As a band some of our influences are: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, ZZ Top, Tab Benoit, JJ Gray & Mofro.
What do you want fans to take from your music?
We want them to take love, soul, passion, pain, anything in their day that they need to let go of and feel our energy. We all play music to heal and feel better and that’s what we want our fans to get as well, a soulful healing experience. Of course with a little bit of party on the side!
How’s the music scene in your locale?
We all live about an hour away from each other and the nearest music scene. We have a great locale following though and the people who love us sure aren’t afraid to travel! Portland is the closest “Scene” available and it’s sure a good but tough road at times.
When did you know you were destined for music?
For me (Johnny) I knew from the time I could comprehend what music was. As a young boy (3,4,5) my dad always put musical instruments in my hands, the older I got the more I knew… by the time I was 10 or so I was telling people I want to be a musician. There was never a second thought. I wanted to tour and play music for a living, as a lifestyle. It’s what I crave, to play music for people…. I think for the 3 of us, we’ve always been destined to play music at the highest level we possibly can.
What is the best concert you have been to? What do you like most about playing live?
We have all been to some incredible shows, Gov’t Mule, Tedeschi Trucks, The Black Crowes, Marcus King…. Black Sabbath Reunion in ‘98 was Johnny’s personal favorite.
The best feeling about playing live is the exchanging of pure raw innocent energy, emotions, feelings. To touch someone in a way that is so deep and so real that no words need to be exchanged. Just the vibrations pouring out of us and traveling through the crowd. It’s a joy that is unexplainable, unimaginable. It’s the best high of them all!
Is there a song on your latest CD release here that stands out as your personal favorite, and why?
Light me up is a favorite because we are all huge cannabis supporters!
Time to Bail is probably our most personal song, it’s a deep look into how we can never stop and music keep pushing forward despite our physical and emotional challenges.
How have you evolved as an artist over the last year?
I (Johnny) personally have focused more on becoming a better singer overall, I truly have such a unique gift in the way I have to manipulate my body to sing and it helps with this range I have found in my voice. I want to be the best singer I can be.
If you could meet, play a gig, co-write a song, have dinner, have a drink with any band or artist (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
Would it be fair to say that list is so long and complicated we couldn’t just pick one? I mean to think of sitting around with any of the Allman Bros, Merle Haggard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Buddy Guy, BB King, Joe Bonomassa, Bonnie Raitt….. there’s just no way so let’s say we could pick a place to be in time for one day and well personally (Johnny) it’d
Band Members include: Johnny Wheels, Vocals, Harmonica, Brandon Logan, Vocals, Guitar, Taylor Frazier, Vocals, Bass.
Check out Johnny’s band The Swamp Donkeys via the below links:
REVERBNATION: https://www.reverbnation.com/johnnywheels
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SWAMPDB/
URL: https://johnnywheelsband.com/
End of Interview