Janet Johnson
Northwest Musician Singer Songwriter
Northwest Musician Singer Songwriter
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JJ News in the Northwest 
February 14th Valentine's Day! I have the great fortune to be performing at Mezzo Pazzo Wine Bar this evening from 6-8pm...Love Songs of course! I have a guitar student this afternoon (yes I teach guitar) then off to have fun playing!
Finally this evening, I will have the photos for my CD, then I'll whoosh it off to Disc Makers for reproduction. Can't wait to have it in my hands, it's been a very long process :~D.
I truly hope to see you this evening even if you don't have a significant other, it's still a great place for wine, food, desserts and they even have a beer selection! See you tonight!
February 7th 2012...Full Moon! February so far has been a wonderful month :) My youngest son has officially been accepted to grad school, he is so, so, so stoked and omgosh I am so proud!! Crazy, great stuff of life! Also I have been presented with usually great opportunities! Yay!!...as my son would say... I will write the juicy details soon :~D
SO.....I'm performing with the amazing Jani Bers on bass and acoustic guitar, at the famous Mezzo Pazzo Wine Bar on Feb 10th 6:30 - 9:30 pm and everyone is encouraged to attend of course! I would really like to introduce you to new folks you've never met. You never know what connections might happen, right? Consider it as an experiment. All I ask is for you to show up and say hi to me. Easy...done deal...! I'm looking forward to meeting you and seeing those I already know. You'll love Nita and Ron the owners! :) :) :)
Also reflecting on January.....I had such a great time in Seattle! So many musicians wanting to play, it's so exciting...wow....More news to come!
January 31st 2012...wow the last day of Jauary 2012! I just got back from Seattle, an enlightening trip I would say. I performed for a very important event for kids in theater called CAST, the premier theater group for kids in all of Seattle....I was so honored to be a part of the ambiance to help people have a fun, great time at the party. They embraced my music as well a host of 3 other music groups for this event. I am working on getting photos from the gig! The enite weekend was a wonderful experience!
January 12th 2012...Yes!!! Tomorrow a surprise gig landed in my lap at the Mezzo Pazzo Wine Bar...I love playing there!! Jani Bers will be joining me on bass & acoustic guitar. Ron & Nita (owners) are super nice and great people to hang out with. In fact I had the pleasure to hang out with them last Monday afternoon for a few very important hours with production man Jani Bers. He shot video for 2 of my songs on the upcoming EP release. Their wine bar was the perfect setting for the promo! Thank you to Ron & Nita!! Everyone should visit their lovely, cozy and warm establishment, for those of you going to visit Spokane, put their place as a stop on your things to do list :~D
January 5th 2012...Happy New Year!!! Ok, this wish is 4 days old but hey...Happy New Year!!! 2012 is gonna be an even greater year!! Yes? Of course....Yes! New Year's Eve was spent at The World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood! What a magical night it was! It's a very exclusive party by invitation only...wow...how did I get there? Through magic of course! Seriously....so I experienced first hand, before my eyes great magicians!! The Magic Castle is THE Magicians Academy and the owners are so nice! They always employ a DJ for that evening since there is such a wide variety of people and the music selected by the DJ was seriously awesome...dance floor packed all evening - all ages...it was a cool L.A. experience for sure...great way to start 2012! :~D
EP release update: Will have the songs uploaded for internet purchase (late January) before the actual physical disc will be available (mid Feburary). Videos should be up on You Tube in about a week. It's a process for sure!
December 31st Last Day of the Year!! Visiting my family in So California for the holidays, really enjoying face time here with my mom :) She's 85 yrs and my step dad just passed away this year plus her dog passed away shortly thereafter. So it's been a difficult time for my family but mostly for her. She is ready to get another dog so we have been taking day trips to the animal shelters looking for small dog that's a great fit for her. I wrote a song for her called Lois Jean. My next recording effort will include that song.
Speaking of recording...my EP final master is complete, graphics are being created for the sleeve and will be all finished in January! I'll set a date and place for the release party as soon as I have that finished EP in my hands :~D
So while I've been down here in the L.A. area, surprise events have occurred and New Year's Eve will be an amazing night! Details to come...uh you know...next year! Wishing everyone a safe and fantastic New Year's Eve and Day!!
November 24th Turkeyday!! My new EP release is imminent! Happy to report all is well with the recording! Producer Dave Cebert of cue11 is doing a fabulous job (yeah, duh of course! He's got numerous grammy awards cluttering his space... ) and now waiting on some percussion then mix down. Will keep you posted on the EP (5 songs) release party date!!!
Well, I am batchin' it on Turkeyday, my sons are elsewhere - one is Seattle and the other on San Franscisco due to work. Christmas will be a unting of family souls so that will make up for me being alone today :~D
~ More to come soon....!
October 28th - More gigs have appeared in my inbox...sweet! I'll be at Mezzo Pazzo Wine Bar again November 4th and on December 16th. I'll be at Remington's at the Spokane Airport Ramada on Dec 9th, 10th and also on Dec 17th joining the Dog House Boyz! That will be fun to play blues and have them play along with my folk rock jazzy songs :) I'm so happy to have a busy December! Please come out to these places and say hi!
Meanwhile life is happening and I continue to find inspiration especially this week. A bit of an emotional rollercoaster early on in the week but after my recording session last night, I feel renewed, encouraged and inspired. I wish these feelings for everybody! Well not the emotional rollercoaster stuff...heh heh :~D I have so much to be grateful for - my kids, my health, my friends and family and that God granted me the desire to play music. With that said, I will have a 5 song EP coming out soon! Recording is almost done, then comes the duplication and packaging. It can be a long process but I'm so very happy with how it's going.
October 12th - I was offered a gig for this Friday...I was recommended by another wine bar and other folks to this new wine bar called Mezzo Pazzo Wine Bar! I will be there this Friday Oct. 14th from 6-9pm, 2820 E. 57th Ave Ste 105 Spokane, WA (509) 863-9313. The location is on the Southhill and it is the SW corner of 57th & Regal for all you Spokanites :) Will you please come and join me?
October 9th 2011 - So winding down the year....with private events, recording, writing and adding new tunes to my cover song list. It is truly a blessing to have the time right now to work on this and so I will emerge for next year as a new person almost! Had a beautiful 3 weeks in August traveling to Calif to see friends and family, then went on a fishing/camping trip for a week in between gigs. Nice to be able to breathe - life is so short. I am so very excited for next year, I will be turning another year older just like everyone else...! My boys are 24 & 28 years old and my life keeps improving as they are forging ahead with their lives. Now you can probably guess my age and I've been taking care of my health to keep young. I have a few secrets up my sleeve and am striving for good health throughout my whole life to ENJOY life. Music, my secret regime and moderate exercise with faith in God is what keeps me going strong. If there are ways you improve your life doing things you love, please send me a email if you'd like to share ideas together, that would rock! janet@janetjohnsonmusic.com
I will keep you posted on upcoming public music events and would love to see you there!
~More to come soon... JJ :~D
Sept 23rd - Played Whitestone Winery! Had a really great turn out with alot of close friends. Thank you so much for coming down to hang out with me and listen and drink wonderful wine :~D Really had a wonderful time playing with Eddie Taylor III on flute. Thank you!! Alos played a private party for a 60th birthday bash. What a riot! Supper fun to have an opportunity to celebrate such a special occasion :) More of those kind of gigs...please!
Sept 2nd 6:00am- Looking forward to playing at Pig Out In The Park this evening!! I've been traveling the whole month of August and it's been so relaxing and rejuvenating...but I'm back at it again starting with Pig Out in the Park. Next show after is at the Whitestone Winery 111. S Cedar, Spokane Friday Sept 23rd 6-9pm.
Had a HUGELY successful show opening for the Portland Cello Project at the Bing Crosby Theater. Nearly 600 people attended! I was on early morning TV KHQ and KXLY promoting the show (the day of the show) and it ending up being an incredible turnout. I was fortunate to even collaborate on one of my original songs with the group. It was amazing to play with 4 cellos on my song called Paradox. What a wonderful experience! Check It Out Music has the review!
June 27th - looking forward to July 20th! Opening for the Portland Cello Project :~D PCP on the brain...Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane WA
May 1st - 31st...oh what a great month!! Played at gig at Left Bank Wine Bar on 5/7, played at the Spokane Garden Expo on 5/14 (love gardening!), took a golf lesson (yea!), saw the theater show "Wicked" (what a cool story...wished I'd written that!) and capped off the month on 5/31 watching the Old 97's with Sarah Jaffee opening at the Bing! Even got my pic taken with Rhett :~D! It was a wonderful month!
April 26th - Cold in the NW!! I'm so looking forward to planting my veggie garden BUT it snowed this morning?! ?! We are still having frosty nights...looking like a short growing season this year and the rivers will be over flowing their banks come warm weather. Good timing for my song "Rising River". I will post it on here soon. I'm still Spring cleaning anyway even though it still feels like Winter. My son just moved out so the drum set is now out of the living room. Now I can set up more gear... A couch might be a good thing but gear is way more important :~D More recording space and practice space is much needed..
You know what? I'm debt free! Whoo hoo!! I've put two kids through college on my own and I am now debt free :) My boys are both engineers (one is electrical the other mechanical) and making their own incredible, creative, want to do something for mankind and the earth path. I love earthiness and helping others so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.... I am so proud of my boys! If you are reading this please sign my guest book! Click on the tab called "guestbook" Ok that was obvious :)
April 22nd - Leon Redbone concert at the Bing Crosby Theater. What a concert to volunteer at! I sold merch (Leon's CDs) and then had the opportunity to experience a legend first hand! There was a pianist playing with him named Paul____ and he was brilliant! Stride piano...amazing. I'm trying to get a hold of the road manager to purchase Paul's cd. I love piano and his playing gave me goosebumps!
I also volunteered for the Ani DiFranco show by taking tickets at the door, agreed to by the promoter. Yes, that means I'm a professional ticket taker! This ain't my first rodeo...! Heh heh! While I am clearly NOT a man hater, I thoroughly enjoyed her show! I have never see her in concert. I have read various articles about her over the years and to get the chance see her live was incredible. For me it was a master class in performance. She was a stellar lead musician and my view of her back up band? Ohmygod. Simply amazing...just amazing. I hope to be in that place where I can afford to hire amazing musicians who believe in me and my music. Wow!
April 21st - My Birthday! I threw my own birthday party with some close girlfriends...sorry guys but you would have not liked it as it was a gabber-fest. You know girls like to talk! That is exactly what we did over food and drinks. Nice! :~D
April 6th 2011 - An exciting gig this summer through Performance Please Productions is with the Portland Cello Project!!
This show will be at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane WA. I am so excited to be a part of this event! Now I'm thinking... what to play, what to play....omygosh! This is gonna be fun! I'll have more details soon...
March 31st - My next gig is May 7th at the Left bank Wine Bar. I play there often because it's such a cool spot downtown. We start at 8:30pm. Keven Franklin on acoustic guitar and Eddie Taylor III on flute. We will rock it!
Mach 27th 2011 - Performed live on KPBX 91.1 FM on the Nacho Celtic Hour with Hose Carols Alden. I was one of two songwriters asked on as guests for the fund raiser. Steve Schennum was the other. Steve writes deeply humorous songs and we had a blast! Our goal was to get a quota of pledges within one hour and then a matching contribution of $500 would magicaly happen. Well guess what? Steve and I sang our hearts out along with Carlos' mandolin and we made the quota and the station received the $500 too. We were all so happy to be part of an important part of our community volunteering for public radio. Yea Spokane!
March 5th 2011 - Played Left Bank Wine Bar again to packed house which always makes it fun! Eddie & Keven were in fine form :) Looking for ward to more gigs with them soon...things are cooking! I will be playing live on KPBX public radio on March 27th for their fund drive - I'll be on the Nacho Celtic hour with host Carlos Alden along wth another area songwriter and good friend Steve Schennum. Glad the snow is still here - I want to get the most out of my ski pass at 49 degrees North! I know I know you all are complaining about the weather....me thinks you all need a winter sport!
February 9th 2011 -
January was an exciting month! Started planning my recording project, received more mentions on radio, played Left bank Wine Bar and had an incredible opening experience for Adrian Legg at the Bing Crosby Theater! Both of my sons were able to attend that show. We had a wonderful bonding time afterwards - magic...(more commentary to come...)
January 1st 2011 - I can feel it....gonna be a great year!!!
December 18th 2010 - What a beautiful day in the Inland NW! Snow is gracing itself upon us and that makes me happy! Well you know, that means snow skiing! Beautiful days ahead this lovely winter :) 49 degrees north rocks!
I have to confess I've been a hard working girl, it seems work has been happening for oh so long! From Oct 26th until now I have had daily work with no real time off. Gigs, rehearsals, radio interviews, more rehearsals and intense practice makes for a ton of expended energy :) I am so grateful to have the ability to pull off so much and of course at times I have to retreat into my "cave" to regroup, and well, to practice and write :)
Next on deck? I am opening for Adrian Legg at the Bing Crosby Theater 901 W. Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA Tickets are at TicketsWest easy to click on these links as well as Performance Please who is responsible for bringing this incredible event to our wonderful city! I'm friends with Adrian on FB as you should be too! I am very grateful to be opening and look forward to seeing YOUR friendly face there :) Please? It will be $17 of personal transformation from a guitar religious leader. Even if you do not play guitar you will be changed in some way. He is THAT kind of performer who has that ability to touch everyone in some positive way.
Adrian told me he is excited to come to Spokane! Let's make him feel welcome!
More JJ news to come...
November 22nd 2010 - I'm trying to be a big girl and only use my woodstove tonight...but brrrr...my son, Justin and I are stoking the fire like crazy but are quickly running out of split wood. You see I had cut down two ailing old growth elm trees that were not taken proper care of by the previous owners of my estate. This wood has cured for two years and I have since discovered that it is best to split the dense elm wood when green, not when it is seasoned...pine is the type of wood you want to let season for a year then split but not so with elm! So I've learned my lesson as I cannot physically split this elm wood myself so I have alot of it still needing realization of becoming split and turn into heat for our house.
Am happy for the snow = snow skiing! Went to the Mt Spokane Ski Swap and got some great gear, had already purchased a pass for 49 Degrees North last summer!
Other news is that the Fall Folk Festival here in Spokane was fabulous!! The best of the best acoustic players of the Inland NW were on display. It was wonderful and inspiring! Omgosh there were so many talented musicians there and I got the chance to experience it. I was honored to be a featured songwriter amongst this wide and diverse group.
It has been a crazy month! On Sat. Nov 14th, I was on 2 radio stations at the same time! Crazy weird and didn't plan any of this...but it was a great experience and fun :) Leaps and Bounds or Shutes and Ladders - don't know but really feel fortunate and am enjoying the opportunities that are here in my own backyard in the Northwest.
October 27th 2010 - Please go to the website 1031KCDA.com click on "Local Lounge" I was on the radio last Sunday and the show is posted on the website through this Sunday, October 31st. After Sunday it will be listed on the page as "Janet Johnson" for anyone's clicking pleasure... For now it is a feature on the page. If you like the show please email Matt at KCDA and let him know :)
I'm playing again at Left Bank Wine Bar on this Friday, October 29th 8-11pm, 108 N. Washington St. downtown Spokane :) Hope to see you there! I would also invite you to sign my guestbook. It really easy - click on the guestbook tab and fill in the spaces. Then I'll go in and post your comment. Thank you!!
October 2nd 2010! Looking through my calendar, it has been quite busy with fun things! Through August I attended alot of local music shows which is always inspiring :) I was blessed with two gigs in one day (love that!) one was at Manito Park on the southhill in Spokane. Absolutely beautiful setting and I played solo, it was such a peaceful and beautiful day. I'd love more gigs like that...then later that night I played with Charles at Left Bank Wine Bar downtown. Love that place!
Later in the month a private party gig fell into my lap - what a blessing! I invited a flute player to join me, Eddie Taylor III so we hustled up and had several rehearsals to get up to speed. Again what a wonderful time! A catered event and everyone was happy and enjoying the music. Now Eddie is ready to go for future gigs!
So on comes September and I was invited to perform for Pig Out in the Park festival - a free event in downtown Spokane at Riverfront Park. I put together a semi full band - Charles Tappa - electric guitar, Eddie Taylor III - flute, Michael Tschirgi - drums, me - vocals, acoustic guitar and mandolin. Again another beautiful day, nice crowd response and a full 90 minutes of playing! At the 3rd song a lovely wasp tried like crazy to sting the fingers of my left hand. I realized at that moment I must have pretty good concentration/automation because I'd didn't stop the song - we kept going as I swatted the thing away through 2 verses...It was hilarious! It was hard to stop laughing & was fun to bring the audience in on it :) Received loads of great feedback from many friends who attended as well as complete strangers :) What a trip...
Speaking of trips, I am itching to get out of Spokane! My cousin is flying to Maui with her husband as I write this and I wish I was her! It's their anniversary and he planned a romantic get away. Sigh~~~well at least I've planned a trip to Seattle soon for a long weekend to spend with family - my son, niece and her husband. Can't wait! Plus gonna look for gigs there so I have an excuse to go back to Seattle :) I love it there!
On deck for October, got a surprise gig for tonight at Left Bank Wine Bar, then after that all my focus is going to recording and radio shows. I've been invited to perform on 3 - KYRS 92.3 FM, KCDA 103.1 FM and KPBX 91.1 FM. I am sooooooo excited to do these! Wow keep 'em coming Lord! Sweet.....hopefully Charles and & Eddie will be able join me for 2 of them - KCDA & KPBX.
That's plently of update for now but more to come soon ~ thanks for reading!
July 21st, 2010 wow, a whole month without writing! That's way too long as a lot has happened :) Had the lovely opportunity to play in a beautiful garden at a mansion on the South Hill here in Spokane,. It was a gorgeous day and Charles my guitarist side kick & I felt like minstrels singing and playing down to all the people milling about the area. Photos to come...
On Thursday June 24th I was lucky enough to get a back stage pass to the Jewel concert!! What a great experience - I am a huge fan and that concert was a master class in stage and vocal performance...I was floored!
Then my sons and I went on vacation the next Saturday morning and we grabbed my niece (she's like my daughter) along the way and had a blast! Hung out in Santa Monica, I did some recording with another songwriter there in his studio, went rock climbing on Vasquez rocks (a movie set was being filmed there called Herokin) went to San Francisco and had all kinds of fun - rode trains and buses to the Academy of Sciences, hiking the hills at the beach, a tea house, Grand View Park (quite a hike and a grand 360 view of SF) ate great food all over, shopped a little and stayed at the Hyatt downtown. Photos to come...
Then as soon as I got back, the next Friday, July 9th, I was granted a radio interview with Kixz96 our local country station (Clear Channel) with Paul Coyote Neumann to help promote the Ray Wylie Hubbard show on Saturday. He even played one of my songs! Again, I had a blast! A huge thank you to Paul and Kixz 96! He had been doing ticket give aways through the week.
The very next night was the Ray Wylie Hubbard concert at the Bing Crosby Theater, Spokane, WA with Blue Canoe and myself opening for him. A big thanks to Wayne Larson of Performance Please Productions for giving me the spot. I was honored to help set the tone for Ray Wylie to come out. My experience was priceless! Photos to come plus a video :)
June 20th Father's day! A very rainy day here in Spokane, conjuring up special, good memories of my dad and my brother. Miss them both very much...
Great news! Ray Wylie Hubbard will be here at the Bing Crosby Theater on July 10th and I've been invited as well and a great local band, Blue Canoe to be the special opening guests!! For ticket info please visit www.performanceplease.com. The Spokesman Review described Ray as "Multiply Jerry Jeff Walker x Willie Nelson x Waylon Jennings = Ray Wylie Hubbard" Wow - that will be a fantastic show!
It has been a secret dream of mine to one day perform on the stage of that particular theater. Built in 1915 this theater has a huge history, it's a beautifully restored venue with fantastic acoustics. Blue Canoe is a pleasure to listen to as well.... I hope to see you there!!
June 13th a lucky day indeed - playing catch up today :) Had 2 gigs back to back on Saturday June 12th which made for a great day! 1st one was for a Veteran's benefit Biker rally in Old Town, ID and that was a blast...then Huckleberry's Natural Market that evening - some surprise attendees with great feedback. I feel blessed to be able to play music. Look forward to doing so much more!!
Today is May 23rd 2010. Here I sit putting together this website when I should be out gardening like a mad woman! More to come...
Now it's May 25th and what a busy & stressful day is was at my day job. So glad to be right here right now...with you :) Thanks for coming here! A quote I have on my bedroom wall is
" Life is a perfect reflection of everything you are doing"
Hmmmm...ah yes I get it. Please come back again. I'll be writing more very often.
Love & Peace,
~ JJ
Finally this evening, I will have the photos for my CD, then I'll whoosh it off to Disc Makers for reproduction. Can't wait to have it in my hands, it's been a very long process :~D.
I truly hope to see you this evening even if you don't have a significant other, it's still a great place for wine, food, desserts and they even have a beer selection! See you tonight!
February 7th 2012...Full Moon! February so far has been a wonderful month :) My youngest son has officially been accepted to grad school, he is so, so, so stoked and omgosh I am so proud!! Crazy, great stuff of life! Also I have been presented with usually great opportunities! Yay!!...as my son would say... I will write the juicy details soon :~D
SO.....I'm performing with the amazing Jani Bers on bass and acoustic guitar, at the famous Mezzo Pazzo Wine Bar on Feb 10th 6:30 - 9:30 pm and everyone is encouraged to attend of course! I would really like to introduce you to new folks you've never met. You never know what connections might happen, right? Consider it as an experiment. All I ask is for you to show up and say hi to me. Easy...done deal...! I'm looking forward to meeting you and seeing those I already know. You'll love Nita and Ron the owners! :) :) :)
Also reflecting on January.....I had such a great time in Seattle! So many musicians wanting to play, it's so exciting...wow....More news to come!
January 31st 2012...wow the last day of Jauary 2012! I just got back from Seattle, an enlightening trip I would say. I performed for a very important event for kids in theater called CAST, the premier theater group for kids in all of Seattle....I was so honored to be a part of the ambiance to help people have a fun, great time at the party. They embraced my music as well a host of 3 other music groups for this event. I am working on getting photos from the gig! The enite weekend was a wonderful experience!
January 12th 2012...Yes!!! Tomorrow a surprise gig landed in my lap at the Mezzo Pazzo Wine Bar...I love playing there!! Jani Bers will be joining me on bass & acoustic guitar. Ron & Nita (owners) are super nice and great people to hang out with. In fact I had the pleasure to hang out with them last Monday afternoon for a few very important hours with production man Jani Bers. He shot video for 2 of my songs on the upcoming EP release. Their wine bar was the perfect setting for the promo! Thank you to Ron & Nita!! Everyone should visit their lovely, cozy and warm establishment, for those of you going to visit Spokane, put their place as a stop on your things to do list :~D
January 5th 2012...Happy New Year!!! Ok, this wish is 4 days old but hey...Happy New Year!!! 2012 is gonna be an even greater year!! Yes? Of course....Yes! New Year's Eve was spent at The World Famous Magic Castle in Hollywood! What a magical night it was! It's a very exclusive party by invitation only...wow...how did I get there? Through magic of course! Seriously....so I experienced first hand, before my eyes great magicians!! The Magic Castle is THE Magicians Academy and the owners are so nice! They always employ a DJ for that evening since there is such a wide variety of people and the music selected by the DJ was seriously awesome...dance floor packed all evening - all ages...it was a cool L.A. experience for sure...great way to start 2012! :~D
EP release update: Will have the songs uploaded for internet purchase (late January) before the actual physical disc will be available (mid Feburary). Videos should be up on You Tube in about a week. It's a process for sure!
December 31st Last Day of the Year!! Visiting my family in So California for the holidays, really enjoying face time here with my mom :) She's 85 yrs and my step dad just passed away this year plus her dog passed away shortly thereafter. So it's been a difficult time for my family but mostly for her. She is ready to get another dog so we have been taking day trips to the animal shelters looking for small dog that's a great fit for her. I wrote a song for her called Lois Jean. My next recording effort will include that song.
Speaking of recording...my EP final master is complete, graphics are being created for the sleeve and will be all finished in January! I'll set a date and place for the release party as soon as I have that finished EP in my hands :~D
So while I've been down here in the L.A. area, surprise events have occurred and New Year's Eve will be an amazing night! Details to come...uh you know...next year! Wishing everyone a safe and fantastic New Year's Eve and Day!!
November 24th Turkeyday!! My new EP release is imminent! Happy to report all is well with the recording! Producer Dave Cebert of cue11 is doing a fabulous job (yeah, duh of course! He's got numerous grammy awards cluttering his space... ) and now waiting on some percussion then mix down. Will keep you posted on the EP (5 songs) release party date!!!
Well, I am batchin' it on Turkeyday, my sons are elsewhere - one is Seattle and the other on San Franscisco due to work. Christmas will be a unting of family souls so that will make up for me being alone today :~D
~ More to come soon....!
October 28th - More gigs have appeared in my inbox...sweet! I'll be at Mezzo Pazzo Wine Bar again November 4th and on December 16th. I'll be at Remington's at the Spokane Airport Ramada on Dec 9th, 10th and also on Dec 17th joining the Dog House Boyz! That will be fun to play blues and have them play along with my folk rock jazzy songs :) I'm so happy to have a busy December! Please come out to these places and say hi!
Meanwhile life is happening and I continue to find inspiration especially this week. A bit of an emotional rollercoaster early on in the week but after my recording session last night, I feel renewed, encouraged and inspired. I wish these feelings for everybody! Well not the emotional rollercoaster stuff...heh heh :~D I have so much to be grateful for - my kids, my health, my friends and family and that God granted me the desire to play music. With that said, I will have a 5 song EP coming out soon! Recording is almost done, then comes the duplication and packaging. It can be a long process but I'm so very happy with how it's going.
October 12th - I was offered a gig for this Friday...I was recommended by another wine bar and other folks to this new wine bar called Mezzo Pazzo Wine Bar! I will be there this Friday Oct. 14th from 6-9pm, 2820 E. 57th Ave Ste 105 Spokane, WA (509) 863-9313. The location is on the Southhill and it is the SW corner of 57th & Regal for all you Spokanites :) Will you please come and join me?
October 9th 2011 - So winding down the year....with private events, recording, writing and adding new tunes to my cover song list. It is truly a blessing to have the time right now to work on this and so I will emerge for next year as a new person almost! Had a beautiful 3 weeks in August traveling to Calif to see friends and family, then went on a fishing/camping trip for a week in between gigs. Nice to be able to breathe - life is so short. I am so very excited for next year, I will be turning another year older just like everyone else...! My boys are 24 & 28 years old and my life keeps improving as they are forging ahead with their lives. Now you can probably guess my age and I've been taking care of my health to keep young. I have a few secrets up my sleeve and am striving for good health throughout my whole life to ENJOY life. Music, my secret regime and moderate exercise with faith in God is what keeps me going strong. If there are ways you improve your life doing things you love, please send me a email if you'd like to share ideas together, that would rock! janet@janetjohnsonmusic.com
I will keep you posted on upcoming public music events and would love to see you there!
~More to come soon... JJ :~D
Sept 23rd - Played Whitestone Winery! Had a really great turn out with alot of close friends. Thank you so much for coming down to hang out with me and listen and drink wonderful wine :~D Really had a wonderful time playing with Eddie Taylor III on flute. Thank you!! Alos played a private party for a 60th birthday bash. What a riot! Supper fun to have an opportunity to celebrate such a special occasion :) More of those kind of gigs...please!
Sept 2nd 6:00am- Looking forward to playing at Pig Out In The Park this evening!! I've been traveling the whole month of August and it's been so relaxing and rejuvenating...but I'm back at it again starting with Pig Out in the Park. Next show after is at the Whitestone Winery 111. S Cedar, Spokane Friday Sept 23rd 6-9pm.
Had a HUGELY successful show opening for the Portland Cello Project at the Bing Crosby Theater. Nearly 600 people attended! I was on early morning TV KHQ and KXLY promoting the show (the day of the show) and it ending up being an incredible turnout. I was fortunate to even collaborate on one of my original songs with the group. It was amazing to play with 4 cellos on my song called Paradox. What a wonderful experience! Check It Out Music has the review!
June 27th - looking forward to July 20th! Opening for the Portland Cello Project :~D PCP on the brain...Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane WA
May 1st - 31st...oh what a great month!! Played at gig at Left Bank Wine Bar on 5/7, played at the Spokane Garden Expo on 5/14 (love gardening!), took a golf lesson (yea!), saw the theater show "Wicked" (what a cool story...wished I'd written that!) and capped off the month on 5/31 watching the Old 97's with Sarah Jaffee opening at the Bing! Even got my pic taken with Rhett :~D! It was a wonderful month!
April 26th - Cold in the NW!! I'm so looking forward to planting my veggie garden BUT it snowed this morning?! ?! We are still having frosty nights...looking like a short growing season this year and the rivers will be over flowing their banks come warm weather. Good timing for my song "Rising River". I will post it on here soon. I'm still Spring cleaning anyway even though it still feels like Winter. My son just moved out so the drum set is now out of the living room. Now I can set up more gear... A couch might be a good thing but gear is way more important :~D More recording space and practice space is much needed..
You know what? I'm debt free! Whoo hoo!! I've put two kids through college on my own and I am now debt free :) My boys are both engineers (one is electrical the other mechanical) and making their own incredible, creative, want to do something for mankind and the earth path. I love earthiness and helping others so I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.... I am so proud of my boys! If you are reading this please sign my guest book! Click on the tab called "guestbook" Ok that was obvious :)
April 22nd - Leon Redbone concert at the Bing Crosby Theater. What a concert to volunteer at! I sold merch (Leon's CDs) and then had the opportunity to experience a legend first hand! There was a pianist playing with him named Paul____ and he was brilliant! Stride piano...amazing. I'm trying to get a hold of the road manager to purchase Paul's cd. I love piano and his playing gave me goosebumps!
I also volunteered for the Ani DiFranco show by taking tickets at the door, agreed to by the promoter. Yes, that means I'm a professional ticket taker! This ain't my first rodeo...! Heh heh! While I am clearly NOT a man hater, I thoroughly enjoyed her show! I have never see her in concert. I have read various articles about her over the years and to get the chance see her live was incredible. For me it was a master class in performance. She was a stellar lead musician and my view of her back up band? Ohmygod. Simply amazing...just amazing. I hope to be in that place where I can afford to hire amazing musicians who believe in me and my music. Wow!
April 21st - My Birthday! I threw my own birthday party with some close girlfriends...sorry guys but you would have not liked it as it was a gabber-fest. You know girls like to talk! That is exactly what we did over food and drinks. Nice! :~D
April 6th 2011 - An exciting gig this summer through Performance Please Productions is with the Portland Cello Project!!
This show will be at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane WA. I am so excited to be a part of this event! Now I'm thinking... what to play, what to play....omygosh! This is gonna be fun! I'll have more details soon...
March 31st - My next gig is May 7th at the Left bank Wine Bar. I play there often because it's such a cool spot downtown. We start at 8:30pm. Keven Franklin on acoustic guitar and Eddie Taylor III on flute. We will rock it!
Mach 27th 2011 - Performed live on KPBX 91.1 FM on the Nacho Celtic Hour with Hose Carols Alden. I was one of two songwriters asked on as guests for the fund raiser. Steve Schennum was the other. Steve writes deeply humorous songs and we had a blast! Our goal was to get a quota of pledges within one hour and then a matching contribution of $500 would magicaly happen. Well guess what? Steve and I sang our hearts out along with Carlos' mandolin and we made the quota and the station received the $500 too. We were all so happy to be part of an important part of our community volunteering for public radio. Yea Spokane!
March 5th 2011 - Played Left Bank Wine Bar again to packed house which always makes it fun! Eddie & Keven were in fine form :) Looking for ward to more gigs with them soon...things are cooking! I will be playing live on KPBX public radio on March 27th for their fund drive - I'll be on the Nacho Celtic hour with host Carlos Alden along wth another area songwriter and good friend Steve Schennum. Glad the snow is still here - I want to get the most out of my ski pass at 49 degrees North! I know I know you all are complaining about the weather....me thinks you all need a winter sport!
February 9th 2011 -
I will be playing at Left Bank Wine Bar, located at 108 N. Washington St. 509-315-8623 Music is from 7:30 – 10:30pm
I will have two special guests:
~ Eddie Taylor the III on Flute
~ Keven Franklin on Acoustic Guitar which will allow me to play Mandolin!
Folk/Rock/Pop/Jazz = Fun!
This event is Valentine’s weekend (bring your sweetie!) Feel free to come and listen to live music for your enjoyment – no cover charge! Let’s have fun on Saturday ~ looking forward to seeing you at Left Bank Wine Bar!
January was an exciting month! Started planning my recording project, received more mentions on radio, played Left bank Wine Bar and had an incredible opening experience for Adrian Legg at the Bing Crosby Theater! Both of my sons were able to attend that show. We had a wonderful bonding time afterwards - magic...(more commentary to come...)
January 1st 2011 - I can feel it....gonna be a great year!!!
December 18th 2010 - What a beautiful day in the Inland NW! Snow is gracing itself upon us and that makes me happy! Well you know, that means snow skiing! Beautiful days ahead this lovely winter :) 49 degrees north rocks!
I have to confess I've been a hard working girl, it seems work has been happening for oh so long! From Oct 26th until now I have had daily work with no real time off. Gigs, rehearsals, radio interviews, more rehearsals and intense practice makes for a ton of expended energy :) I am so grateful to have the ability to pull off so much and of course at times I have to retreat into my "cave" to regroup, and well, to practice and write :)
Next on deck? I am opening for Adrian Legg at the Bing Crosby Theater 901 W. Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA Tickets are at TicketsWest easy to click on these links as well as Performance Please who is responsible for bringing this incredible event to our wonderful city! I'm friends with Adrian on FB as you should be too! I am very grateful to be opening and look forward to seeing YOUR friendly face there :) Please? It will be $17 of personal transformation from a guitar religious leader. Even if you do not play guitar you will be changed in some way. He is THAT kind of performer who has that ability to touch everyone in some positive way.
Adrian told me he is excited to come to Spokane! Let's make him feel welcome!
More JJ news to come...
November 22nd 2010 - I'm trying to be a big girl and only use my woodstove tonight...but brrrr...my son, Justin and I are stoking the fire like crazy but are quickly running out of split wood. You see I had cut down two ailing old growth elm trees that were not taken proper care of by the previous owners of my estate. This wood has cured for two years and I have since discovered that it is best to split the dense elm wood when green, not when it is seasoned...pine is the type of wood you want to let season for a year then split but not so with elm! So I've learned my lesson as I cannot physically split this elm wood myself so I have alot of it still needing realization of becoming split and turn into heat for our house.
Am happy for the snow = snow skiing! Went to the Mt Spokane Ski Swap and got some great gear, had already purchased a pass for 49 Degrees North last summer!
Other news is that the Fall Folk Festival here in Spokane was fabulous!! The best of the best acoustic players of the Inland NW were on display. It was wonderful and inspiring! Omgosh there were so many talented musicians there and I got the chance to experience it. I was honored to be a featured songwriter amongst this wide and diverse group.
It has been a crazy month! On Sat. Nov 14th, I was on 2 radio stations at the same time! Crazy weird and didn't plan any of this...but it was a great experience and fun :) Leaps and Bounds or Shutes and Ladders - don't know but really feel fortunate and am enjoying the opportunities that are here in my own backyard in the Northwest.
October 27th 2010 - Please go to the website 1031KCDA.com click on "Local Lounge" I was on the radio last Sunday and the show is posted on the website through this Sunday, October 31st. After Sunday it will be listed on the page as "Janet Johnson" for anyone's clicking pleasure... For now it is a feature on the page. If you like the show please email Matt at KCDA and let him know :)
I'm playing again at Left Bank Wine Bar on this Friday, October 29th 8-11pm, 108 N. Washington St. downtown Spokane :) Hope to see you there! I would also invite you to sign my guestbook. It really easy - click on the guestbook tab and fill in the spaces. Then I'll go in and post your comment. Thank you!!
October 2nd 2010! Looking through my calendar, it has been quite busy with fun things! Through August I attended alot of local music shows which is always inspiring :) I was blessed with two gigs in one day (love that!) one was at Manito Park on the southhill in Spokane. Absolutely beautiful setting and I played solo, it was such a peaceful and beautiful day. I'd love more gigs like that...then later that night I played with Charles at Left Bank Wine Bar downtown. Love that place!
Later in the month a private party gig fell into my lap - what a blessing! I invited a flute player to join me, Eddie Taylor III so we hustled up and had several rehearsals to get up to speed. Again what a wonderful time! A catered event and everyone was happy and enjoying the music. Now Eddie is ready to go for future gigs!
So on comes September and I was invited to perform for Pig Out in the Park festival - a free event in downtown Spokane at Riverfront Park. I put together a semi full band - Charles Tappa - electric guitar, Eddie Taylor III - flute, Michael Tschirgi - drums, me - vocals, acoustic guitar and mandolin. Again another beautiful day, nice crowd response and a full 90 minutes of playing! At the 3rd song a lovely wasp tried like crazy to sting the fingers of my left hand. I realized at that moment I must have pretty good concentration/automation because I'd didn't stop the song - we kept going as I swatted the thing away through 2 verses...It was hilarious! It was hard to stop laughing & was fun to bring the audience in on it :) Received loads of great feedback from many friends who attended as well as complete strangers :) What a trip...
Speaking of trips, I am itching to get out of Spokane! My cousin is flying to Maui with her husband as I write this and I wish I was her! It's their anniversary and he planned a romantic get away. Sigh~~~well at least I've planned a trip to Seattle soon for a long weekend to spend with family - my son, niece and her husband. Can't wait! Plus gonna look for gigs there so I have an excuse to go back to Seattle :) I love it there!
On deck for October, got a surprise gig for tonight at Left Bank Wine Bar, then after that all my focus is going to recording and radio shows. I've been invited to perform on 3 - KYRS 92.3 FM, KCDA 103.1 FM and KPBX 91.1 FM. I am sooooooo excited to do these! Wow keep 'em coming Lord! Sweet.....hopefully Charles and & Eddie will be able join me for 2 of them - KCDA & KPBX.
That's plently of update for now but more to come soon ~ thanks for reading!
July 21st, 2010 wow, a whole month without writing! That's way too long as a lot has happened :) Had the lovely opportunity to play in a beautiful garden at a mansion on the South Hill here in Spokane,. It was a gorgeous day and Charles my guitarist side kick & I felt like minstrels singing and playing down to all the people milling about the area. Photos to come...
On Thursday June 24th I was lucky enough to get a back stage pass to the Jewel concert!! What a great experience - I am a huge fan and that concert was a master class in stage and vocal performance...I was floored!
Then my sons and I went on vacation the next Saturday morning and we grabbed my niece (she's like my daughter) along the way and had a blast! Hung out in Santa Monica, I did some recording with another songwriter there in his studio, went rock climbing on Vasquez rocks (a movie set was being filmed there called Herokin) went to San Francisco and had all kinds of fun - rode trains and buses to the Academy of Sciences, hiking the hills at the beach, a tea house, Grand View Park (quite a hike and a grand 360 view of SF) ate great food all over, shopped a little and stayed at the Hyatt downtown. Photos to come...
Then as soon as I got back, the next Friday, July 9th, I was granted a radio interview with Kixz96 our local country station (Clear Channel) with Paul Coyote Neumann to help promote the Ray Wylie Hubbard show on Saturday. He even played one of my songs! Again, I had a blast! A huge thank you to Paul and Kixz 96! He had been doing ticket give aways through the week.
The very next night was the Ray Wylie Hubbard concert at the Bing Crosby Theater, Spokane, WA with Blue Canoe and myself opening for him. A big thanks to Wayne Larson of Performance Please Productions for giving me the spot. I was honored to help set the tone for Ray Wylie to come out. My experience was priceless! Photos to come plus a video :)
June 20th Father's day! A very rainy day here in Spokane, conjuring up special, good memories of my dad and my brother. Miss them both very much...
Great news! Ray Wylie Hubbard will be here at the Bing Crosby Theater on July 10th and I've been invited as well and a great local band, Blue Canoe to be the special opening guests!! For ticket info please visit www.performanceplease.com. The Spokesman Review described Ray as "Multiply Jerry Jeff Walker x Willie Nelson x Waylon Jennings = Ray Wylie Hubbard" Wow - that will be a fantastic show!
It has been a secret dream of mine to one day perform on the stage of that particular theater. Built in 1915 this theater has a huge history, it's a beautifully restored venue with fantastic acoustics. Blue Canoe is a pleasure to listen to as well.... I hope to see you there!!
June 13th a lucky day indeed - playing catch up today :) Had 2 gigs back to back on Saturday June 12th which made for a great day! 1st one was for a Veteran's benefit Biker rally in Old Town, ID and that was a blast...then Huckleberry's Natural Market that evening - some surprise attendees with great feedback. I feel blessed to be able to play music. Look forward to doing so much more!!
Today is May 23rd 2010. Here I sit putting together this website when I should be out gardening like a mad woman! More to come...
Now it's May 25th and what a busy & stressful day is was at my day job. So glad to be right here right now...with you :) Thanks for coming here! A quote I have on my bedroom wall is
" Life is a perfect reflection of everything you are doing"
Hmmmm...ah yes I get it. Please come back again. I'll be writing more very often.
Love & Peace,
~ JJ
