Johan Asherton

Johan Asherton , is a Auteur-compositeur-interprète French evolving/moving in a musical universe dominated by the Folk. Former leader of the Froggies, it continues a career in solo since 1988.

Biography

Johan Asherton is born in 1958. His/her parents are all the two traditional musicians. Child, it learns the violin, then the piano. But it is by discovering Jimi Hendrix into 1970 that will be born its fascination for the electric guitar and the pop music in general. During the Seventies, he knows various musical experiments while playing within some rock groups. It is at that time that he discovers Marc Bolan & T-Rex amongst other things, Bob Dylan, Johnny Winter or Rory Gallagher, which will have a major influence on him.

With beginning of the year 80, Johan records a first individual " Harlequin" in 1981, then form Froggies, garage-punk rock group of which he will be the leader (song and guitar). Two albums of Froggies will follow “ Hour Of The Froggies ” in 1984, then “ Get Frogg' D ”, in 1985. In 1987, it joined the group Liquid Gang (Blues) with which it records the album “ Showdown ”.

In the middle of the Eighties, Johan Asherton knows one period of undulation. It is there that he discovers (or redécouvre) little by little the Folk music of the Sixties and Seventies, through artists like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Donovan, Nikki Sudden, and especially Nick Drake, artist with the tragic destiny, which will haunt Johan for always. It is immersed completely in this universe folk or it draws all its inspiration. It gives up little by little the electric guitar to be directed exclusively towards the acoustic guitar which becomes its instrument of predilection.

In 1988, Johan Asherton thus leaves its first album solo “ God' S Clown ”, a success from all points of view, in a vein resolutely Folk, on which figure in particular the title “Phantom”. Will follow “ Precious ” (1989) and “ The Night Forlorn ” (1993), including/understanding titles headlights of Johan Asherton like “Truly Continental Blue”, or “The Smiles Off Yesterday”.

In 1995, it leaves “ The Moon, Soon ”, its album more purified, darkest, more the intimist, in whom it pays homage to Nick Drake.

With “ Under The Weather ” in 1996, it returns to a richer instrumentation and titles plus rates/rhythms like “Offender”. In 1998, it leaves “ Bluesology ”, proposing compositions which were inspired to him by Bert Jansh, Davy Graham, or Wizz Jones. It opens the years 2000 with “ Trystero' S Empire ”, certainly its most eclectic album, with in particular the titles “High Above The City” or “Master Of Strokes”.

Lastly, in 2005, impossible to circumvent “the Amber Songs arrives”, that much regards as its best album, and that the critic will not hesitate to classify in the best discs of Folk all confused times.

It prepares a forthcoming album for 2007.

Between its own albums, Johan Asherton with taken part in other musical projects (homages, compilations…), and it devotes also part of its time to the writing of collections of poems. He is also the author of a biography of Marc Bolan & T.Rex.

Universe of Johan Asherton

Johan Asherton draws its inspiration in various artistic fields. There are initially the literature and romantic poetry, through authors like Maupassant, Theophilus Gauthier, Thomas Hardy, Anne Radcliffe or Elizabeth Siddall. It is interested also much in the painters of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, or in the cinema through realizers like Werner Herzog, Luchino Visconti or Mike Leigh. By mixing all these influences, Johan Asherton created for itself a musical universe which is clean for him, a kind of Folk romantic, sinks, populated myths and legends, where loneliness, sensitivity and serenity are the key words.

Johan Asherton and France

Johan Asherton is a French artist. Its characteristic lies in the fact that he sings exclusively in English. Although it has occurred very regularly in France or abroad for twenty years, its concerts remain rather discrete events and intimists. In spite of twenty years of career, more than one ten albums, its concerts, or its regular participations in festivals, put aside the press, he remains an artist rather ignored of the media. In all the cases, for those which know it already, Johan Asherton remains certainly one of the most talented songwriters and most authentic of our time. A kind of hidden treasure of the French and Anglo-Saxon musical landscape.

Discography in groups

1984 : Hour Off The Froggies (The Froggies)
1985: Get Frogg' D (The Froggies)
1987: Showdown (Liquid Gang)

Discography in solo

1988 : God' S Clown
1989: Precious
1991 : El Viaje Sentimental (compilation)
1993: The Night Forlorn
1995 : The Moon, Soon
1996: Under The Weather
1998 : Bluesology
2000 : Johan… Or Bitter Ashes (compilation)
2000: Trystero' S Worsens
2002: Phantastes (series of poems put in music)
2002: Diary Of has Perfumed Clown (sessions of recording of God' S Clown )
2003: has Place To Hide For Everyone (Anthology 1992-1996)
2005: Amber Songs
2006 : Live At Channel 93
2007: Cosmic Dancer: In Tribute To Marc Bolan

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