Interviews

3 Questions with Johnny Cattini – An Xperience Interview

Written by Staff on March 12, 2026

3 Questions with Johnny Cattini – An Xperience Interview – by Rob Skane.

Johnny Cattini is a working guitar player based in Nashville, Tennessee. He’s toured regularly, on his own and also as a sideman. You should hire him to play on your next recording project. He can even track it for you, just saying … Find him at johnnycattinimusic.com

RRX: What was the moment that made you pick up a guitar and never put it down?

Johnny Cattini: My dad played guitar, and he used to rehearse at a futon store after hours. I used to attend their rehearsals and fell in love with classic rock music. I learned “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix and hopped in and played with them, and knew it was what I wanted to do from that moment on.

RRX: If you could go back and tell your younger self one thing about playing guitar, what would you say?

JC: There are a million different ways you can express yourself through the guitar. Find the style you love, trust it, and make it your own.

RRX: When you’re not onstage or recording, what kind of stuff do you play when no one’s listening?

JC: When I pick up the guitar outside of a work context, it’s typically to write a song or try to come up with something that could spark an original song. Otherwise, I like to learn something new and interesting, whether that’s a lick or a chord progression, and try to find ways to incorporate it into my own playing and writing. I’ve been spending some time with the new John Mayer digital plug-in as well to try to chase some tones!