The May European tour is shaping up. We just posted the confirmed dates on the Tours page and will update regularly. Note that Johnny is getting to Scotland this time. He’s been wanting to get back there and finally managed it. He’s also doing more shows in Germany than usual.
Release date for “No Regrets” is April 2, 2012. As we mentioned earlier, it will be distributed throughout Europe by Cadiz and available in the U.S. from this site. It will also be available digitally at iTunes and other digital outlets.
From Johnny:
“This album was originally titled ‘Regrets, I Have a Few,’ but by the time I finished it, I realized I had no regrets. The album is about girls and women I have known, imagined, or seen on TV. I love them all.
I used a couple of old 60s drum machines on the album because my long-time drummer, Willie B, was unavailable at the time we were tracking. I intended to replace the machines with live drumming, but instead, I blended the two. Man versus machine. Man versus woman. Me in an endless, maddening conversation with myself.
I used some great female vocalists to sweeten the album. Tracking with them was hilarious. I’m particularly proud of the sounds and feel we got on this record. I’m always trying to take the music I grew up with (blues and R&B) and filter them through my own experiences. Otis Redding as imagined by Sartre.
I’ve been blessed over the years to always have a great band that can execute anything I can imagine. We share a common goal every time we play a show: to have as much fun as possible. So thanks to Mike Stark and Willie B.
The album was recorded at The Shop, a little studio my business partner, David Hinkle, and I own. He and I recorded and mixed the record. Of all my records, this one is by far the leanest. But probably not the meanest. I don’t think anyone was murdered in these songs.”
December 10, 2011
Johnny's new album, "No Regrets" is finished. It will
be released on Johnny's own label, Mother Jinx Records, on April 2, 2012.
It will be distributed to stores throughout Europe and will also be available
from this web site. Of course, it will also be available at all the usual
digital outlets such as iTunes.
The cover art was done by the great Dutch artist Rik van Iersel. Many
thanks to him and all the musicians and singers who contributed to this
project. Here's what Johnny has to say about the record:
"My new album is all about drum machines and women. It's a great album
to dance to, if you can move and think at the same time. It features my
long-time band mates Mike Stark (keyboards) and Willie B (electronics).
The songs are mostly duets between myself and wonderful female vocalists.
All the songs are named after girls from my past. Of course, I've changed
the names to protect the innocent and the guilty. It's hard for me to
imagine anyone not liking this record. But I guess it's possible."
The European tour will be in May 2012 and is being booked
right now. We are lining up shows in The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria,
Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and the UK. As soon as shows are confirmed,
we'll list them on the Tours page.
In the meantime, Johnny is getting a live recording together
which we'll sell as a CD-R from this site. More about that soon.
December 2011 Uncut magazine: Johnny's song "Easy Money"
is featured on the CD ("Tom Waits' Jukebox") attached to the December
issue of Uncut magazine. It's right before a song by Frank Sinatra!
June 5, 2011
Message from Johnny: The new record is finished and will be mastered this week. I'm my own harshest critic, but I think it's pretty good. Dave Hinkle, my engineer, and I spent a lot of time getting everything to sit right in the mix. Mike Stark, my keyboard player, did a fantastic job laying down some heavy grooves over our 60s drum machine beats. Willie B (former and future drummer) played a lot of percussion which gave the grooves a more funky feel. The icing on the cake were the wonderful vocals contributed by some of Ithaca's best female vocalists. I'm not sure when the record will be available. I'll shop it to some labels, and if they don't bite, I'll put it out myself.
Tour news: Mike and I will tour The Netherlands with Beukorkest, an amazing group of international musicians, in September. We'll also do some shows of our own in Belgium, Germany, and The Netherlands. (See Tours page for schedule.) I hope to do my full Euro tour next spring, in support of the record. I would also love to do more dates in the U.S., but it's tough financially. We will see. That's all for now.
March 21, 2011
Message from Johnny:
"Spring is here, and I'm coming out of hibernation. Almost finished with
my new record tentatively called Rainbow Queen. Each song (11
or 12 of them, depending) is about an influential woman in my life. Of
course, the names places, and events have been altered to protect the
innocent....and the guilty. I think these songs are some of the most concise
and danceable tunes I've ever recorded. It will be a great record for
blasting in your car. I'm not sure when the record will be released....hoping
for late summer or early fall with a tour in Europe in November. It's
getting tougher and tougher to stay afloat in the music business, but
there is no quit in this dog.
In late October, here in Ithaca, internationally-acclaimed banjo player Richie Stearns and I will be teaching a master class at Cornell. It's about how to use music and poetry in performance. I guess you'll have to start calling me Professor."