Album Notes

Carneyball Johnson, the big-groove freeform live electric powerhouse releases their first, full-length, studio recording -- “Carneyball Johnson”!

The band is comprised of multi-instrumentalist Ralph Carney (Tom Waits, Jonathan Richman, Jim White, Oranj Symphonette, Tin Huey), guitarist Kimo Ball, percussionist & drummer Scott Johnson and bassist Allen Whitman (The Mermen, Henry Kaiser). Carneyball Johnson mixes it up, pulling on their favorite music from The Yardbirds, Sun Ra, Frank Zappa, Thelonius Monk & Desmond Dekker, and others, as springboards to improvisation; keeping it fresh and spontaneous.

While Ralph Carney’s musical career has often found him adding colors to other artists’ work, his new project Carneyball Johnson is a group of strong musicians who are creating their own unique brand of instrumental prowess. They take some of their life-long influences out to new places that meld their diverse backgrounds in rock, jazz, world music and surf. Carneyball Johnson’s humor sets them apart from the horde.