Johnossi

In Johnossi's official online bio, lead singer and guitarist John Engelbert somewhat sheepishly admits, "We're not one of those bands that has been struggling in a basement for ten years, dying to catch a break. Things came easily for us." Indeed, after the duo of Engelbert and drummer Oskar "Ossi" Bonde formed in their native Stockholm, Sweden, in 2004, they had played only four gigs before signing with a local label and recording their debut album. Although Engelbert plays an acoustic guitar exclusively, his arsenal of effects and overdriven amplifiers puts Johnossi in the same stylistic ballpark as other guitar and drum duos like the Black Keys, White Stripes, and Mr. Airplane Man. A successful tour with the Soundtrack of Our Lives and critical acclaim for their 2006 debut brought the duo to the attention of the American indie label The Control Group, which reissued the album in the fall of 2007, as Johnossi was preparing for their first American tour alongside the Shout Out Louds.