Johnny plays on a lot of other people’s projects and really loves to do so. He is asked to play gigs, make recordings, and sometime videos. He prefers to make music with original kc musicians that he champions. In 2022 he put out five albums and they all are stellar. Here are some links and stuff to check out these other amazing artists. I sometimes only play on their albums but if they are performing anywhere please check them out as they are the real deal. I’m super proud to work with all of these amazing talented people.
Amado Espinoza Quartet Qansas album came out to an amazing show at the Record Bar in 2022. Amado has a way of making me play in a way I didn’t know I could. He also asks me to play solos on nearly every track on the album. It’s really great music from the Bolivian wizard. The band also features Andres from Mexico who has such an amazing groove. It also features the amazing K Tina on violin doing some diva violin things that are very special. I wrote many pieces for Amado and Tina for the Exotica GAV7D album. You can check out how the composition changes the improvisation/over all approach. So cool. Please like and subscribe to Amado’s stuff it’s well worth it.
Stepphone is a soul singer that is from my hometown of Wyco and is an amazing artist much in the style of modern day Prince. I feel fortunate to play on his sis albums. He really let us play and develop his songs in our own way. So you get some pretty epic Johnny Hamil basslines again in a way I didn’t know I could play til it happened. Check out the groove on Sweet Tooth. Middle Man is also another great groove. I love everything he does but I also just love his personal courage. He stands up for a lot of people that don’t have the voice to say something. I remember standing onstage with him at his New York premier show and to a packed house he said “I’m an African American Gay man so I don’t have a home” (I’m not sure that is word for word but, those words went right thru me). He speaks for many like him that should be encouraged to do so. I told him after that show I would help him in anyway I could and always feel honored he lets me. His voice and songs of course are the main thing but, his performances are stunningly beautiful and over the top amazing. I will hold dear in my heart some live performances of his forever. He is a very important part of KC original music scene. Everyone should treasure him and his music.
MIkal Shapiro and The Musical
Everything Mikal does is amazing. She is just a force of incredible artistic nature. I get the honor of playing on her albums The musical and The Musical II. All original songs of hers. Check out everything she does please.
Another great project is a longtime friend Mike Dillon with him in the Malachy Papers the early 2000s and currently we call it Golden Vices when we play. As well as made a few albums with the legendary Eugene Chadbourne and Malachy Papers. These albums were released on cd and are very great stuff. Some of them are total free improvised as they are exactly how we played them the first time. There are a few compositions I wrote which is cool to hear.
Mike always brings something special to the table and he is a great source of inspiration to me.
He plays on my GAV7D albums and even played on the first Mr Marco’s v7 album (cowtown ballroom sessions).