Drums and bass were added to the Johnson brothers acoustic duo without a trial run — and it still went smoothly.
Even as recently as this September’s Americana Fest in Nashville, Low Gap swapped out a bassist and added a keyboardist with only a few rehearsals under their belt buckles.
But before Low Gap started adding new members this year — due to career detours, musical compatibility, etc. — the brothers had only been taking gigs as a duo, which is how they’ll be performing on Nov. 17 at Vagabond Studio & Gallery.
Americana darling Harold Hensley and special guest Max Nunery, two members of bluegrass band the Repeating Arms, will provide local support for the traveling brother duo.
Originally based out of Northern Ohio — in the unincorporated community of Winesburg, on the edge of Appalachia — Gus and Phin Johnson grew up listening to what their dad heard on alt-country radio. After filling their heads with Robert Earl Keen and Uncle Tupelo, the brothers started making music of their own.
Gus wrote his first song as an early teen, and only months later wrote “Mockingbird,” the duo’s decidedly biggest hit. It ranked second on internet personality Grady Smith’s list of “non-hit singles” for 2022, and continues to infect ears with its catchy melodies.
As teenagers, Gus and Phin came up taking local gigs as the Johnson Brothers. Eventually they landed on Low Gap, named after a family farm on Jericho Low Gap Rd.
“In our area, most people like country music… and I mean offensively country stuff that you’d hear on the radio in the early 2000s,” said Gus, guitarist and lead singer. “But we would show up to coffee shops and bars and play Jason Isbell songs. We still make some pretty offensively country songs. But we also make some very Americana songs, probably partially due to the covers we did when we were in high school.”
When Low Gap played the 2024 SXSW showcase, Gus was enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. Phin, his multi-instrumentalist brother, was only 17 at the time — still in high school.
“I missed like a week and a half [for SXSW]; I missed so much school last year that I got a truancy letter saying I was a juvenile delinquent,” Phin said. The absences were chiefly due to the band’s bulky gig schedule. “But I talked to the administration, and they were totally supportive of it.”
In July, Low Gap released the single, “Waves”: a song co-written by late Texas songwriting legend Keith Gattis. He died in a tractor accident in 2023.
Gattis loomed large as a singer-songwriter and producer within red dirt country music, making his mark in both Austin and Nashville. He collaborated with Dwight Yoakam, George Jones, George Strait, Miranda Lambert and Low Gap — shortly before his sudden death.
“I didn’t know who he was until we went to write with him,” Gus said. “But this guy is one of the most influential people in our music of all time. He probably had a much bigger impact playing ball behind the scenes, but his discography, his credits… it’s a ridiculous list.”
A year after his passing, Low Gap reminded listeners of Gattis’ impact with the release of “Waves.”
In August, the sibling duo also released a ballad called “Billy Miller” about a misguided peer from back home (à la Bad Company’s “Shooting Star” but with a southern drawl). Gus said it might be his favorite Low Gap song, and the only song he’s ever written where every line is completely true.
“There wasn’t any need to exaggerate,” Gus said. “If anything, you almost need to omit details because it’s such an outrageous story. It almost seems too weird and wacky and depressing to be true.”
And just like Low Gap, the band who ostensibly auditions members at momentous gigs, the song is honest with the listeners.
Contact this contributing music writer at branberry100@gmail.com.
How to go
What: Low Gap with Harold Hensley and Max Nunery
When: 5 p.m., Nov. 17
Where: Vagabond Studio & Gallery, 130 Front St., Dayton
Cost: $20
About the Author