Low Gap’s new hit single making ‘Waves’ in music industry

In spring 1973 Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show was busy sending the lyrics “But the thrill we’ve never known is the thrill that’ll get ya when you get your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone.”

Those lines were from the now famous song “Cover of the Rolling Stone” and referred to becoming famous for creating a song so huge it lands the group on the cover of the popular cultural music magazine.

While brothers Gus and Phin Johnson from Winesburg haven’t found their way on to the cover of that famous magazine, the duo who headline the band Low Gap have come close, being featured in the magazine recently for their song “Waves.”

Despite being relatively young musicians, the Johnson brothers have already been making waves of their own in the country music industry, where their music is finding a home on playlists around the country.

Now having been featured in the pages of Rolling Stone Magazine, it adds another push to their careers in the country music industry.

“That was kind of sick,” Gus Johnson said. “We were just a little excited.”

The duo recorded “Waves” with Adam Odor, who produced a pair of Dixie Chicks albums in the early 2000s before moving on to produce many more hits including the band Silverado, which happens to be a Rolling Stone darling.

Low Gap manager Danielle Mashuda along with Odor did some groundwork in reaching out to Rolling Stone to get Low Gap’s new hit song “Waves” front and center before some interested eyes.

What truly helped draw the story of “Waves” to the forefront at Rolling Stone was the Johnson brothers had co-written the song with legendary musician and songwriter Keith Gaddis, who passed away last year.

“We collaborated and co-wrote the song with Keith about a month before he tragically passed away unexpectedly,” Gus Johnson said. “Keith is the type of guy who could have a thousand unreleased songs sitting in a vault. He was that kind of talent. But with him passing so shortly after we wrote this song, it makes it pretty special to us.”

Gaddis was incredibly well respected in the industry, and “Waves” could well have been one of his final writing efforts.

The brothers traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to write the song, and they said in no more than 90 minutes they had developed the song.

“He was so bright,” Phin Johnson said. “Gus gave him the original idea of the waves being a metaphor, and he started cranking out some genius stuff.”

The brothers had known about Gaddis, who has written for some big names including Kenny Chesney and George Straits in addition to being Dwight Yokum’s band leader and having a solo career.

“He had a pretty promising solo career before starting to produce for some big-name artists,” Phin Johnson said.

The song had already been gaining traction in the country music world, but being in Rolling Stone gave it some additional juice.

The band continues to try to find its way in a big industry, and this stroke of luck in landing in a national publication doesn’t hurt in a very competitive market.

The brothers are performing some duo gigs but enjoy playing live with their band as much as possible.

“We don’t know exactly how much validation this gives us,” Gus Johnson said. “Does this make us real musicians? Does it make us more competition for other country musicians? We don’t know, but obviously, it gives us more credibility and more visibility in the world of country music. But more than that, we’ve been noticed in the industry, and that means we’ve done something worth talking about.”

They understand that in a competitive industry where producers and labels are all looking for the next big thing, any bit of attention helps.

Both agreed they would love to make some waves in the industry and find someone to sign them to a deal, but while they wait, they will continue to hone their music skills and refine themselves, both in their music and songwriting.

They realize they are still young. Phin Johnson is a senior at Hiland High School this year while Gus is attending college at the University of Cincinnati.

Phin Johnson is moving in with his brother part-time this school year while doing his schoolwork so the two can continue to work together and develop their sound and songwriting.

Phin Johnson said while it is difficult to tour while in school, he is flexible and can continue to earn his high school diploma while focusing on the music.

“We’re excited about the possibilities of doing more live shows with the full band,” Gus Johnson said. “We don’t know what will happen from here out, but being in Rolling Stone is a step in the right direction for us.”

Low Gap’s “Waves” and other hit songs like “Mockingbird” and more can be found on Spotify.