You might think alt-country veteran Sturgill Simpson would need no introduction by this point in his career, but this year, he set out to reintroduce himself to the world—as Johnny Blue Skies. That’s the moniker he created for his new record, Passage du Desir, which was released in July on High Top Mountain. Simpson promised that the album was the first step in a new phase of his creative life; the next was the subsequent tour.
Simpson, looking his Waylon Jennings best, met up with Premier Guitar’s John Bohlinger before his headlining gig at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Sporting a new-to-him Gibson ES-335 and an army-camo jacket, he told Bohlinger he’s not trying to be a star guitarist: “I’m trying to be a much less educated version of Bob Weir,” he grins. The star turn is for the Estonian guitarist Laur Joamets, who handles plenty of leads along with pedal steel.
The guitar duo took us through their Blue Skies-era gear, featuring an array of Magnatone amplifiers, guitars old and new, and the simplest pedalboard you’ll ever see on an arena stage.
Brought to you by D’Addario.Makin' Music with Macon Music
Simpson bought this 1962 Gibson ES-335 back in the fall of 2024 from Emerald City Guitars in Seattle. It was an exclusive build for Macon Music, a former store in Memphis, so Gibson added its beautiful headstock design, typically only found on L-5s. The only mod Simpson did was to flip the pickup magnets such that the two PAFs would be out of phase in the middle position, giving him a woody, acoustic-adjacent sound. (Simpson left his acoustics at home for this run.)
'56 Fender
Simpson’s refinished 1956 Fender Esquire is his longtime number one. This one features stainless steel frets, and the original bridge pickup has been rewound to clock in at just under 8k. An Analog Man Jim Weider Big-T holds down the neck position. It’s also got a homemade 4-way switching system. Simpson runs it with DR Strings (.010–.046).
Double Trouble
Simpson bought one of these Magnatone Panoramic Stereos in California and kept it as his bedroom amp. He got so used to playing through them that he had these made for the tour. The twin setup gives Simpson a mindblowing stereo-tremolo image.
One and Done
Simpson packed light for this year’s run. His board bears just a Peterson Stomp Classic tuner running into a Fulltone True-Path ABY-ST, which splits his signal to his two Magnatones. “I wouldn’t use a tuner if I didn’t have to,” he chuckles.
The LILY P4D beside the splitter lets him control his mic signal to cut interference from onstage noise.
Family Heirloom
Laur Joamets received this 1974 Fender Telecaster when he was 16 years old as a gift from his father—also a guitarist. It’s a sentimental gem, but unfortunately it requires a lot of TLC: Joamets’ guitar tech is locked in constant battle with it, on account of the truss rod hardly working. The electronics and hardware have been swapped and upgraded many times (Joamets wired in his preferred tone caps), and Simpson gifted Joamets a bridge pickup he says is from a ’52 reissue, while a Lollar Royal T lives in the neck position.
Fano Firebird
This time out, Joamets is favoring this Fano Guitars PX6, which has a swamp ash body with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard. He pulled out the stock P-90s and dropped in a humbucker gifted to him by his dad in the bridge, and a Lollar P-90 Staple pickup by the neck.
Joamets also brought along his black Fender Stratocaster, and for his pedal-steel duties, he leans on a Stage One pedal steel gifted to him “from the boss”—Simpson, not Springsteen. Sturgill bought it for Joamets in 2016 because he wanted his co-guitarist to learn and play pedal steel on the road. Joamets says he’s still learning today. It’s tuned to E9, and runs into one of his Magnatone amplifiers.
This Charming Amp
Joamets also runs a two-amp setup. His Magnatone Varsity Reverb handles the signal from his delay and reverb pedals, while the rest runs to the “Charmer,” a replica of Fender’s brown-panel Deluxes of the early ’60s, built by a friend of Joamets’ dad. He’s had the Charmer for a long time—when he moved to Nashville with it, he took out the tubes for the journey and stuffed the cabinet with clothes for maximum packing efficiency.
A Tale of Two Boards
For his main board, Joamets packs a little heavier than his boss. The platform, made by West Coast Pedal Board, carries a Peterson StroboStomp, Greer Amps Arbuckle Trem, sRossFX fuzz/overdrive, MXR Booster, T-Rex Replica, sRossFX germanium octave pedal, TC Electronic Viscous Vibe, Dunlop EP103 Echoplex, and Source Audio True Spring Reverb. An MXR Tap lets him tap in delay tempos.
His steel board is more spartan. The Stage One goes into a Peterson StroboStomp HD, then on to a Greer Black Tiger and Goodrich Sound Company volume pedal, before hitting the Magnatone.
After promising to release only five studio albums under his own name, Simpson marks the beginning of a new era with Johnny Blue Skies and the release of Passage Du Desir. Out July 12 on his own independent label, High Top Mountain Records (pre-order), the album includes eight songs produced by Johnny Blue Skies and David Ferguson and recorded at Clement House Recording Studio in Nashville, TN and Abbey Road Studios in London, England.
In addition to headlining sets at Outside Lands and Austin City Limits Music Festival, Simpson and his band—Kevin Black (bass), Robbie Crowell (keys), Laur Joamets (guitar) and Miles Miller (drums)—will return to the road for the “Why Not? Tour” this fall. Simpson’s first full tour in over four years, the extensive 28-date headline run includes stops at L.A.’s The Greek Theatre, Washington State’s The Gorge Amphitheatre, Lexington’s Rupp Arena, Chicago’s Salt Shed (two nights), Queens’ Forest Hills Stadium and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena among many more.
Fans are being asked to register before tickets go on-sale to help ensure tickets go directly to true Sturgill Simpson fans. Registration for the pre-sale is open now until Monday, June 10 at 8:59PM PT—sign up at sturgillsimpsonlive.com to receive exclusive early access to the artist pre-sale starting next Wednesday, June 12 at 10:00AM local. A limited number of tickets will be available for the general on-sale on Friday, June 14 at 10:00AM local time at sturgillsimpsonlive.com, while supplies last. Fans who purchase tickets on Ticketmaster and can’t attend will have the option to resell their tickets at the original price paid using Face Value Exchange.
Passage du Desir
Passage du Desir Track List:
1. Swamp of Sadness
2. If The Sun Never Rises Again
3. Scooter Blues
4. Jupiter’s Faerie
5. Who I Am
6. Right Kind of Dream
7. Mint Tea
8. One for the Road
The new album follows the tenth anniversary reissue of Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, which came out last month. Originally released May 13, 2014, the album marked a career breakthrough for Simpson personally and proved to be a seismic shift-maker within the larger country music genre. The new special edition features a fully reimagined album cover and vinyl package, pressed on 180g Black Vinyl with an “Old-Style” Tip-On Jacket. Ushering in a new chapter within country music and setting the stage for countless other outsider artists to push the genre forward for years to come, the lasting impact of Metamodern continues to be felt today. In a recent piece reflecting on the album’s influence and importance, Marissa Moss writes in Rolling Stone, “Ten years since its release, Simpson’s 2014 masterpiece Metamodern Sounds in Country Music continues to redefine what’s possible in Nashville,” and continues, “Metamodern is an album that shows how the best music can come when you’re respectful of the past but fearless about the future.”
Why Not? Tour Dates
August 9-11—San Francisco, CA—Outside Lands
September 14—Los Angeles, CA—The Greek Theatre*
September 15—Santa Barbara, CA—Santa Barbara Bowl*
September 17—West Valley City, UT—Maverik Center*
September 19—Bend, OR—Hayden Homes Amphitheater*
September 20—George, WA—The Gorge Amphitheatre†
September 22—Missoula, MT—KettleHouse Amphitheater*
September 24—Moorhead, MN—Bluestem Center for the Arts Amphitheater*
September 25—Minneapolis, MN—Roy Wilkins Auditorium*
September 27—Lexington, KY—Rupp Arena*
September 28—Detroit, MI—Fox Theatre*
October 1—Chicago, IL—Salt Shed*
October 2—Chicago, IL—Salt Shed*
October 4—Brandon, MS—The Brandon Amphitheater*
October 4-6—Austin, TX—Austin City Limits Music Festival
October 8—Oklahoma City, OK—Criterion*
October 9—Rogers, AR—Walmart AMP*
October 11-13—Austin, TX—Austin City Limits Music Festival
October 15—St. Louis, MO—Fabulous Fox Theatre*
October 18—Pittsburgh, PA—Petersen Events Center*
October 19—Forest Hills, NY—Forest Hills Stadium
October 21—Asheville, NC—ExploreAsheville.com Arena*
October 22—Cary, NC—Koka Booth Amphitheatre*
October 24—Duluth, GA—Gas South Arena*
October 25—Nashville, TN—Bridgestone Arena*
November 12—Philadelphia, PA—The Met*
November 15—Hampton, VA—Hampton Coliseum*
November 18—Washington, DC—The Anthem*
November 20—Toronto, ON—Massey Hall*
November 21—Toronto, ON—Massey Hall*
November 23—Boston, MA—MGM Music Hall at Fenway*
*“An Evening with Sturgill Simpson”
†with very special guest Lord Huron
