JOHNNY IS BACK AT LAST ! DO NOT MISS THIS GIG “Check this guy out if you dare.” So ran the last line of a profile titled “Johnny Dowd Slithers Onto Music Scene” back in 1999. That gives you a pretty decent idea of how Johnny Dowd’s music works — “slither” and “dare” being the key words. Johnny does both. In the traditions of Waits or Bukowski, he slithers into places most of us don’t imagine or see. They might be back alleys, back porches, or just a bar down the street, but wherever he goes he dares to sing out what he sees. Will you dare to listen? Dowd conjures up characters with bluntness and an eye for telling details — a true writer’s songsmith. A past winner of the Independent Music Award for Best Alternative Country Album and a collaborator with numerous alt-Americana luminaries, he contributed to 2021’s release of “The Wanderer - A Tribute To Jackie Leven”. He's often found a fan base with punk rockers, though the music underpinning his words can range from country to jazz to blues and beyond. That’s part of the charm, every song builds a world of its own, centred on his soulful, wry voice.