Dear friends,
Xopianoi.com is an archive of Ben Johnson’s musical adventures from 1996-2016 – Twenty years of music!
New music and content from Ben can be found at https://doghousestudio.ca.
Thank you for your support!
Love & Good health,
Ben J
Thank you Jeff Faragher & Breakwater for the opportunity to perform on the floating stage at the 2015 Kaslo Jazz etc. festival. What a treat! I had to jump into the lake off the back of the stage after the show.. it’s tradition!
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I had the distinct pleasure of teaching samba band and ukulele to a group of students at the Medley Arts Camp in Crawford Bay from July 27-31. Additionally I performed an impromptu version of Manha de Carnaval with superb classical … Continue reading
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Photos by Joel Pelletier www.joelpelletier.ca Featuring Adham Shaikh, Uwe Neumann, Gurpreet Chana, Marty Carter, and yours truly, Ben Johnson performing at the 2015 Starbelly Jam music festival.
Beautiful harp and vocals by Dawna McLennan at the most zen musical setting of the summer.. Voices Over Water. Featuring Ben Johnson on Udu (clay pot percussion).
A montage of clips featuring Bolé from Tulum, Mexico with special guest Ben Johnson on tabla, performing at the 2014 Starbelly Jam music festival in Crawford Bay, BC. Videography by Bohdan Doval.
A nice recording credit for the Dog House Studio!
Kenji Fukushima recorded his guitar tracks in the Riondel studio last January, and we sent them off to Hans in Mexico City for mixing.
So inspiring to be part of an international collaboration! Kenji’s guitar is heard on:
A “dreamscape” produced with field recordings from Tulum (Q. Roo) and Merida (Yucatan), Mexico. The Caribbean Sea breeze playing the strings of an Aeolian harp, a Guitarrón surreptitiously plucked, a Mayan ritual re-enactment.
released 24 June 2014
Caty Petersen (Aeolian harp), Indira Beatrix (laughter).
form concept drawing 2013
Building a MIDI controller in the form of a synth-string instrument (ie: held like a guitar) which controls MIDI-enabled music apps on the docked-in iPhone.
This project has been in the conceptual stages of development since June 2011. Now in 2014 it is finally coming together!
A little cabin in the woods, where magic happens.
Some stuff we’ve created here:
Studio inquiries: Contact Ben
This 4-minute short film, created for the food film contest over at realfoodmedia.org, represents my first original film score! Narrated by Lee Reidl – all audio recorded, performed and edited by Ben Johnson – and with a tight deadline too. Let me know what you think!
Dragon’s Flutopia by Flute-maker/Yogi Jonathan Wolf features Ben Johnson on oud on track 1: “In a Good M(Oud)”, and tracks 10 & 11 “Succulent Santur” & “Berimbau Blast”. These tracks represent a lovely moment of live recording at the Summit Studio in Crawford Bay, BC. Continue reading
Guess who’s in the Dog House Studio?
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June 21st 2013, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, ON. Season Finale of the ROM’s Friday Night Live series. There were between 3,000 and 4,000 people in attendance! People lined-up around the block, hundreds did not even make it in..
The whole show featured Adham on beats’n’bass with his new Arturia MiniBrute, Ben Johnson on Persian santoor, electric oud, çümbüş and darbuka, Torontonians Jacqueline Levitt on vids and Akimi and Amanda sporting the ultra-tribal bellydance moves.
Notably we beat the odds and highway closures on the road during the Great Calgary Flood of 2013 to get there!
Photos courtesy Jonah K
http://www.jonah-k.com/
Featuring a remix of Desert Dub by Xopianoi: Ben Johnson, the oudist on the original track.
Produced by Farley Curzons, Recorded & Engineered by Will Chapman, Daniel Silakiewicz and Ben Johnson, This album also features the voice of Peter Duryea, the Founder of Tipi Camp. Ben contributed tabla performance on Track 1: “Awakenings” and drum set percussion on track 6: “The Groove”.
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Promo video for the Outworld Orkestra, featuring footage from the 2012 Roots & Blues Festival. Videography by Bohdan Doval.
This year’s Unity festival in Winlaw, BC opened with world music improv group “Shrutrio”, composed of Prashant Michael John on vocals & resonator guitar, Marty Carter on flute, saxophone, Akai Ewi wind synth and djembe, and Ben Johnson on oud and tabla. Building on repertoire developed during Kirtan night performances together, the trio took some traditional song forms along with some of Prashant’s original pieces into extra-dimensional sacred space.
What a wonderful way to open a festival! Photography by Bohdan Doval.
Samba Lago Profundo – East Shore grupo de samba (www.sambalagoprofundo.ca) is the community percussion ensemble founded in 2011 by Ben Johnson.
Rooted in the Rio Carnaval style of Brazilian samba, the group nonetheless incorporates other style of Brazilian music (such as Forró), as well as other influences from around the globe (Bhangra!).
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