“While his latest record, A Struggle Not A Thought, finds Johnson engaging with his thoughtful meditative side with some stunning 12-string guitar compositions, Johnson was a well-known traveler in Chapel Hill’s still-vital 90s-to-early 2000s indie rock scene, playing in the bands Shark Quest and Spatula as well as Idyll Swords. Johnson was the second act of the day at the Three Lobed / WXDU Day Show during the Hopscotch Festival in Raleigh, NC, and provided a rather stark counterpoint to the madness of the Alan Bishop / Bill Orcutt / Chris Corsano trio that preceded him to kick off this incredible show at King’s Barcade. This lovely set of guitar music featured several new songs, as well as “A Slender Thread”, “Dissevered” and the flawless set closer, “The Flying Spire Don’t Have No Mercy” from A Struggle Not A Thought.  While Johnson got hit with a few random bursts of the feedback from PA (which we have edited out of this recording), the technical snafu didn’t throw him off his game in what was, for many of us, our first introduction to his live show. I hope to see many more.” Jonas Blank, nyctaper.com. Original article here.

“Chuck Johnson’s set began with unassuming drones generated by a bank of modular synthesizers hooked up to a lap steel guitar. By the time he reached a crescendo of cascading tones all over the sonic spectrum — sounds that seemed ricochet throughout the gorgeous interior of the Brava Theater — it was hard to remember how he got there. The lush forest of audio bloom subsided back into the simplicity with which it began, and somehow even more elegantly than how it expanded. It was a beautiful swell of a set, with a deceptively coherent arc that set the bar very high for the evening.” Alee Karim, SF Weekly. Original article here.

Delta SLider  http://delta-slider.blogspot.com/2011/11/chuck-johnson-struggle-not-thought.html

Grayson Indy http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/chuck-johnsons-acoustic-guitar-debut-represents-a-long-rewarding-voyage/Content?oid=2706469

OMG Vinyl http://www.omgvinyl.com/2012/02/02/chuck-johnson-a-struggle-not-a-thought-lp/

Signal and Noise (Bill Meyer)