Johnny Bell is a Northern New Mexico-based musician whose work explores the banjo as a vehicle for expansive, progressive instrumental music. Working from within the lineage of American Primitive music but drawing equally from heavier experimental influences, Bell juxtaposes traditional technique with acoustic drone, recursive patterns, and layered sonic textures, foregrounding the banjo's darker and more resonant possibilities. His latest album Mountain States (Centripetal Force/Ramble Records, 2026) has drawn wide critical praise, with KLOF Mag calling it "an excellent, wide-ranging album with a deep sense of place," Bandcamp Daily praising its "acoustic zones that should appeal to string-band geeks, ambient naturalists, American Primitive aficionados, horizon-wide hypno-jammers, and way-out-there travelers alike," and The Big Takeover describing it as a "significant contribution to contemporary instrumental music."