Greedtone Big Al Treblemaker Treble Booster CME Exclusive

Everybody needs a muse. Everybody needs a hero. Alain Johannes is ours...At some point, when enough people call you "unsung" or "under rated", you're no longer that guy. Alain Johannes has been a part of some of the greatest rock and roll over the past 30 years. His body of work is hard to compare. Not to mention his guitar heroics. Simply put, he is a part of some of your favorite bands whether you know it or not. His sphere of influence is everywhere. That musical scope would be little surprise to longtime admirers of Johannes' work, which began when he was still a teenager at Fairfax High in Los Angeles. While there, he started the band that would evolve into the alt-rock-funk of What Is This, which at times shared band members with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In the 80s and 90s his sound was rooted in a love for classic rock and Stevie Wonder soul, plus a natural fluency in international styles that stretched from Europe to South America. His seminal trio Eleven influenced a lot of great bands in the '90s, which also included drummer Jack Irons (RHCP, Pearl Jam, the Wallflowers). Later, Johannes (with Shneider) was recruited into various projects with Homme, including QOTSA's "Songs for the Deaf" album and Eagles of Death Metal. As a player, producer and engineer, he's contributed to albums by Chris Cornell, Arctic Monkeys, Mark Lanegan and No Doubt. In 2009, Johannes was the touring fourth member of Them Crooked Vultures, which featured Homme, Foo Fighter Dave Grohl and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. In 2013, Johannes also appeared in Grohl's "Sound City" documentary and onstage in a series of all-star concerts connected to the film. Onstage at the Hollywood Palladium following the premiere, Johannes led the Foo Fighters through a growling folk song called "A Trick With No Sleeve." Afterward, Grohl turned to Johannes and said, "Thank you for playing music with me. You're a ... genius."