Johnny Wartenweiler
A 2010 Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) Bassist of the Year nominee, Johnny Wartenweiler has toured North America, Europe and the Caribbean and shared the stage with the likes of James Cotton, W.C. Clark, Sonny Landreth, and Tab Benoit.
Johnny prefers a laid back style, developing the pocket and pushing or pulling the beat as needed to create the best groove possible. His sparse playing with percussive, sometimes ferocious attack combined with subtle nuance keeps listeners on their toes.
Guitarist Bobby Messano compared his sound to that of the late great T-Bone Wolk.
Johnny cites Wolk, as well as Wille Dixon, James Jamerson, and Duck Dunn as influences.
A favorite of the many drummers he's worked with, Johnny relates a story about working with Funk Master Clyde Stubblefield:
"I'm playing with an icon, I mean James Brown's drummer! About the second song in, he (Clyde) lights me up with a fill, the likes of which I'd never heard, I mean, he's back on the one while I'm still thinking about what he was doing on the three. We settled in and had a great show. Afterwards I introduced him to my kids and he turned to them and says "your Dad's a funky man!" 'Nuff said!
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