Johnny's "A Drunkard's Masterpiece" is nominated for Best Alternative Music Album in the first round of Grammy nominations. The next round determines who will be at the Grammy Awards, and the final round determines the winner. If you are a Recording Academy member and would like to cast your vote for Johnny: he is in Field 5 (Alternative), Category 22 (Best Alternative Music Album), Number 025 (A Drunkard's Masterpiece). Ballots have to be in by November 4. It's a long shot, but you never know . . .
Free MP3
A gift for you: a really great version of Johnny's song, "Adultress," is at left as free MP3 download. Vocalist is Kim Sherwood-Caso. It was recorded at the Grassroots Festival in Trumansburg, New York, in 2007. Willie B. on drums, Michael Stark on keyboards, and Johnny on guitar. The song is on Johnny's latest record, "A Drunkard's Masterpiece."
CDs are on sale for one more week: just $11 including postage to the
U.S. and Canada (Store page). If you'd like Johnny to autograph your
CDs, just mention in your Paypal order or send us a message via the Contact
page at this site.
Free MP3
Free MP3 download of "Wedding Dress" at left from Johnny's performance at the Turf Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, in October of 2002. Willie B on drums, Justin Asher on guitar, recorded by Dan Lang. The song is on Johnny's "Cemetery Shoes" CD.
CDs are still on sale until the end of July: just $11 including postage
to the U.S. and Canada (Store page). If you'd like Johnny to autograph
your CDs, just mention in your Paypal order or send us a message via the
Contact page at this site.Free MP3
June 29, 2008
Another free MP3 download at left. This is also from the performance at the Turf Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, in October of 2002: "Big Wave" (which is on "Temporary Shelter" CD). Willie B on drums, Justin Asher on guitar, recorded by Dan Lang.
Summer CD sale: All of Johnny's CDs are on sale on our Store page through July (U.S. and Canada only). Remember, Johnny is happy to autograph CDs—just mention in your Paypal order or send us a message via Contact page at this site.
Johnny at MySpace: If you haven't checked
out Johnny's MySpace page yet, please go here.
Free MP3
June 13, 2008
Free MP3 download at left. This is Johnny and the band performing "Butcher's Son" at the Turf Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, in October of 2002. Willie B was on drums and Justin Asher was on guitar. It was recorded by Dan Lang. We plan to put more live recordings up for free download in the coming weeks, so please check back.
Johnny
has a new MySpace page. Click here to go to it.
"Infidelity" (excerpt)
May 20, 2008
"A Drunkard's Masterpiece" is released in the U.S. and Canada this
week. It's available here on the Store
page as
well real stores and amazon.com. (Sample audio at left.) Remember that
Johnny is happy to autograph any
CDs bought from his site. Just mention in your Paypal order. We send via
first class mail.
"It's weird, uncompromising and, compared
with anything I've heard this millennium, certainly unique. 'A Drunkard's
Masterpiece' is a creative
car crash of Americana, beatnik rock, poetry, prose, jazz rock, rap,
screaming metal guitar, retro pop, spoken word and country noir."
—Sylvie
Simmons, MOJO
The band had a great time in Europe! Thanks to everyone who came to the shows.
April 24, 2008
Johnny's European tour starts this week. See the schedule on Tours page. If you're in any of the tour cities, please try to catch the show and hear the songs on the new record, "A Drunkard's Masterpiece," performed live. (Sample from the record at left.)
The band was at the BBC's famous Maida Vale Studios earlier this week to record for Mark Lamarr's "God Jukebox" show. It will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Friday, April 25, at midnight (in the UK). You can also listen to the show at the BBC web site for one week after the show airs. Here's the link.
The April 28 Rotterdam show will be streamed live on the internet at both www.ebben.eu and www.exit.nl. The show starts at 8:30 PM Dutch time. In the U.S., that's 2:30 PM Eastern Time, 1:30 PM Central Time, 12:30 PM Mountain Time, and 11:30 AM Pacific Time. The opening act is a really interesting young musician, Mark Lotterman. Be sure to catch his performance, too. Johnny did a track on his new record. Mark and his friends arranged for internet access for the show (thanks, guys).
April 4, 2008
Johnny and the band are leaving in two weeks for the European tour. Final tour dates are on the Tours page now.
There's one more U.S. date before they leave, this Saturday (April 5) at The Chapter House in Ithaca. Looking forward to seeing all of our friends there.
If you're in the UK, you can catch the band on Mark Lamarr's "God's Jukebox" show, BBC Radio 2, in late April. We'll let you know the exact date when we know—we think it will be April 26 or thereabouts. If you're not in the UK, you can listen to the show at the BBC website.
Some nice press has been coming in for "A Drunkard's Masterpiece":
"It's weird, uncompromising and, compared with anything I've heard this millennium, certainly unique. A Drunkard's Masterpiece is a creative car crash of Americana, beatnik rock, poetry, prose, jazz rock, rap, screaming metal guitar, retro pop, spoken word and country noir."—Sylvie Simmons (MOJO)
"There's nobody quite like Johnny Dowd, a dapper 60-year-old Texan absurdist who recorded his first album 10 years ago. . . . Here, duetting with Kim Sherwood-Caso, he offers deadpan, lyrical opinion on his two favourite subjects—alcohol and the differences between men and women—like Charles Bukowski backed by a jazz-country funk shuffle. It's really quite brilliant, putting to shame artists half his age."—Peter Shepherd (Uncut)
Listen to a sample by clicking on the bar at left.
The U.S./Canadian release of the record has
been moved to mid-May.
Some U.S. tour dates will follow.
February 18, 2008
The European tour dates are up on the Tours page. We'll be adding a few more shows soon. Please check back.
Johnny's new record, "A Drunkard's Masterpiece," will be released in Europe on March 24. The U.S. release will be in April. (Sample at left.)
We're thinking about putting out a new live CD. Anyone interested? If so, please tell us via the Guestbook page. We're wondering if it would be a good investment.
If you're in New York State or Pennsylvania, you can catch Johnny and the band on tv. On February 28, at 8:00 PM, they'll be on "Expressions: Sound Fusion" on WSKG. It will be repeated on March 22 at 11:00 PM. Ithaca band Boy with a Fish is also featured.
December 16, 2007
It's done. The new CD, "A Drunkard's Masterpiece," went to the European record company this week. It will be released in the spring and followed by a European tour. In the U.S. and Canada, our good friend Ralph Alfonso at Bongo Beat will release the record, also in the spring. Thanks to everyone in the band for their hard work. Also thanks to Dave Hinkle for the long hours spent on engineering and mixing. Everyone's effort paid off—the CD turned out great. We love the cover art, too. It's by an interesting artist we just discovered, Kurt Herrmann, who graciously allowed us to reproduce his painting.
To get a sneak preview of one of the songs on "A Drunkard's Masterpiece," click on the bar next to band photo.
Johnny's previous album, "Cruel Words," has won in the Album/Alt-country category of the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards. Thanks to everyone who voted for Johnny (and thanks to the judges, too). You can check out all the winners here.
Johnny has been nominated for an Independent Music Award for "Cruel Words." In addition to the winners selected by judges, there will be winners selected by popular vote. You can vote here. He's in the first category on the page, Alternative Country. You have to register in order to vote, but it only takes a few minutes.
Johnny and band will be collaborating with Boy with a Fish for an appearance on public television in the U.S. Videotaping will be in January. When we know when the show will be aired, we'll let you know.
The new record
is almost done. It's sounding good. We're going to put
a sample clip here on the site as soon as the final mix is done.
Johnny and band have started recording the next record. Release will be in spring 2008 (with Euro tour in April). The form of the record will be different than for past records. It's hard to describe. Johnny's opus? Filmic? Prog rock? You can decide for yourselves when you hear it.
"There's a Hole in Heaven Where Some Sin Slips Through," the Townes van Zandt tribute album released by Glitterhouse Records, includes Johnny's rendition of "Brand New Companion." Sylvie Simmons wrote in MOJO: "It's a sad truth that the words 'tribute album' and 'recommended' are rarely seen together, but this is an excellent record for two reasons: the material and the musicians. The acts here seem hand-picked to cover a broad Americana swathe. . . from folk-blues (Marah) to rock (Steve Wynn), country (Jon Langford and Sally Timms) to Johnny Dowd (weird, heavy, vaguely Bowie-esque)." The album is available through amazon.com.
Christmas isn't far away, and Johnny and Kim are thinking about recording some Johnny-style Christmas songs. The plan will be to make them available as digital releases through BongoBeat Records and iTunes. We'll keep you posted on their progress.
Message from Johnny:
People, people, people: I just got back from
a mind-altering tour with Beukorkest in The Netherlands. There were anywhere
from 19 to 23 musicians
on stage. Rap, noise, cabaret, rock 'n' roll, polka, poetry, and more.
Yours truly did four or five songs including some awesome renditions
of "Worried Mind." Truly wonderful group of guys. They really
went out of their way to make me feel at home. Now I'm hard at work
on my new album. I'm thinking it should be somewhere between "Bitches
Brew" and Liberace.
P.S. I've only sold one album in Oklahoma. That's not right. You
gotta support your homie.
News flash: Kim Sherwood-Caso will be joining Johnny at his show in Eindhoven on April 10. If you're in The Netherlands, don't miss this. Kim hasn't performed there in quite a while, so this should be a very special show.
Johnny is in The Netherlands already and rehearsing
with all the musicians in the Beukorkest tour. The first show is in
Breda this Thursday, April
5. The full schedule is on the Tours page, and you can find more information
about all the musicians at the Beukorkest web site.
To our American friends: "Beukorkest" means something like "battering
orchestra." Interesting image, isn't it?
New tour dates have been added to the Tours page.
The Beukorkest tour in The Netherlands should be fascinating. It was organized by the Dutch band Stuurbaard Bakkebaard, and Johnny will be performing with them and a number of other musicians—there will be 15 artists on stage altogether. They'll be doing some of Johnny's songs, of course. Click here for more information about the tour.
Please note that Johnny will do one solo show during the Beukorkest tour—on April 10 in Eindhoven.
Johnny and the band are working hard on the new record, "Adultery."
We're
thinking about a Valentine's Day 2008 release date. . . .
Kim Sherwood-Caso has been working with Johnny a lot lately, too. She
did a killer version of the Ricky Nelson song, "Lonesome Town," at
an Ithaca show recently. Don't be surprised if you hear her quite a bit
on the new record.
January 18, 2007
Happy new year, everyone.
Johnny is busy working on his next record. The working title is "Adultery," and the form of the record will be a bit different than his earlier releases.
The dates for the Stuurbaard Bakkebard tour in Europe are almost final. Johnny will be performing in their band in this collaborative project—performing some of his songs as well as songs of others. There will be 15 musicians altogether. The first performance is April 5. We'll post the entire schedule as soon as we have it.
A new book, "Fear of Music: The Greatest 261 Albums Since Punk and Disco," by Garry Mulholland features Johnny and his CD "Pictures from Life's Other Side." It's available from the UK Amazon and other places in Europe. (We were able to have it sent to us here in the U.S. from the UK Amazon without any problems.)
The great Jackie Leven asked Johnny to perform on his latest CD, "Oh What a Blow That Phantom Dealt Me!" on Cooking Vinyl Records. Johnny recites a poem by Kenneth Patchen called "The Skaters." Release date is February 19.
The really big news is that Kat and Johnny's extremely shy cat, Junior, is home after being missing for eight months. We believe he was hiding in the woods across the street, only coming out in the middle of the night. Kat's infrared videotaping during the night helped in the process of getting him back into the fold.
Give Johnny Dowd for Christmas! From now until January 1, Johnny's CDs are discounted twenty percent at this site (see Store page).
Do your friends have the Hellwood CD yet? It's not available in stores in the U.S. Know any holiday cynics? Give them "Cemetery Shoes" which includes "Christmas is Just Another Day." Anyone who is anti-war (and who isn't?) would appreciate "Praise God" which is on both the "Cruel Words" and the "Live at the Night and Day Cafe" CDs. The latter is Johnny's best live album.
We also have a new item: Johnny's only release on vinyl, "Hell or High Water." This is a 7-inch record which includes two songs, the title song and "Divorce, American Style." It was released by Munich Records in 2000. We only have 20 of these.
In the U.S., please order by December 18 to ensure delivery by Christmas. In Europe, order by December 14.
Remember, Johnny is happy to autograph CDs — just remember to ask when you make your Paypal payment (there's a place in the order form for note to seller).
Hope you all have a happy and musical holiday season.
Message from Johnny: Hello friends. Just got back from a fun and adventure-filled Hellwood tour. It was great to play the tunes that Brian (Willie B), Jim, and I wrote. Special thanks to Mike Stark on organ for making us sound so good. Every gig was a blast. The Take Root Festival in Holland and the Mean Fiddler gig in London were particularly memorable. Oh, yeah, Glasgow was so exciting that I lost my glasses. We fought the Lemonheads to a draw. Jim and I are thinking of booking a standup comic tour—kind of a weird, goth Martin and Lewis. Keep checking the web site—I might be headed back to Europe for a tour in January, performing solo.
The Hellwood CD, "Chainsaw of Life," is now for sale here for U.S. and Canadian buyers. If you're in Europe, please check your local record store or amazon.com. (If you can't find the CD, please let us know.) Remember, Johnny is happy to autograph any CD you buy from us—just remember to request this when you send your Paypal payment. He signed a lot of Hellwood CDs before he left for Europe, so if you order an autographed one now, you won't have to wait.
The guys are about half way through the European tour. Thanks to everyone who has been to the shows. If you're in the UK, you still have time to buy tickets and see Hellwood live. (Schedule on Tours page.)
September 12, 2006
Hellwood, Johnny's band with Jim White and Willie B (aka Brian Wilson), released "Chainsaw of Life" in Europe this week. It's getting great reviews and, as of this writing, is number eight on the americana-uk.com chart. Here's what the London Sun said:
"Their voices are chalk and cheese. . . Johnny Dowd's is an earthy rumble, Jim White's is a reedy moan. But this meeting of two great outsiders is a master-class in noirish ruminations from the deep south set to soupy, funked-up rock 'n' soul. . . Joining them in their imaginary nightmare outpost of Hellwood, population 3, is multi-instrumentalist Willie B. Between them, they kick up an unholy racket. They appear to strike up a rich, but questioning dialogue with God. Clearly Katrina and the war in Iraq are on their minds but so are humdrum human concerns—all ingredients in the big chainsaw of life. Genius."
The Hellwood European tour starts on October 4. Check out the dates on the Tours page. Please note that a Berlin show (at Trompete) has been added. We may also have a show in Germany on October 13. Stay tuned for more information.
If you're in the U.S., you can get "Chainsaw of Life" at Johnny's shows and at this site starting in mid-October.
Take a look at the videos from Johnny's recent U.S. tour on
the Images page. They're links to YouTube, so the images are low-resolution,
but
they're interesting artifacts of Johnny's shows. Thanks to Rocket Morton
for getting these clips up on the site.
August 10, 2006
Johnny and the band are on the road in the U.S. right now. They've had some great shows. The one at Mick's Music and Bar, Omaha, was the kind of show that makes these tours worthwhile. Thanks to Dean and everyone for their hospitality and to all who came to the show. In Denver, Johnny was glad to visit with three of his special fans (you know who you are!). In Seattle and Portland, Mark Pickeral shared the bill, and the band enjoyed hanging out with him. Vancouver was a blast — it was the first time Johnny has been there. He was happy to see such a good crowd. Thanks to Ralph Alfonso of Bongo Beat Records for videotaping. Click here to see a clip. Kevin House performed that night, too, and helped make it a great evening.
Links to reviews of "Cruel Words" and show previews have been added to the Reviews page. Remember, if you'd like to order "Cruel Words" or any CD from us, Johnny is happy to sign it. He signed a few before he left for the tour, so if you order now, you probably won't have to wait.
Hope you're all keeping cool on these hot summer days.
Happy Independence Day. Your all-American boy, Johnny Dowd, is releasing his latest CD, "Cruel Words," in the United States today. It's for sale on the Store page of this site and also in stores across the country. (If you buy it here, Johnny would be happy to autograph it for you. Just ask when you send your Paypal payment.)
Entertainment Weekly reviewed it last week: "Drawn to the shadows? Then you might run into Johnny Dowd . . . Here Dowd continues crafting extraordinary Beefheartian Gothic-rock tales of the disenfranchised. There's plenty of his discomfiting growl and dark wit on Cruel Words. But on his sixth disc—his most tuneful and accessible—there are raucous sing-alongs too, including one with the Mekons' Sally Timms and Jon Langford ('Drunk'). It's an outsider-art show come to life." —Beth Johnson
For a free sample, download the MP3 of "Ding Dong" at left.
The U.S. tour starts at the end of the month. New dates have been posted on the Tours page.
New dates are up on the Tours page for Johnny's U.S. tour (July/August) and as well as his Hellwood European tour (October). More shows will be posted soon.
"Cruel Words" will be released in the U.S. on July 4. You'll be able to buy it here at this site starting that day (U.S/Canada only).
More collaborations may be in Johnny's future — this
time with Jackie Leven and Stuurbaard
Bakkebaard. More on those projects
later.
May 29, 2006
Johnny, Jim White, and Willie B (aka Brian Wilson) just finished their Hellwood record. They call it "Chainsaw of Life," and it will be released in Europe on Munich Records in September. It will also be available at shows in the U.S. and at Johnny's web site. Hellwood will tour Europe in October.
"Searching for the Wrong-eyed Jesus," the film Johnny is in with Jim White, showed on the Sundance Channel on May 29. If you missed it, keep an eye out, maybe they'll show it again. It's also available for rent through NetFlix.
The U.S. tour is shaping up. It will start on July 26, and the guys will go across the country and back. So far, we have confirmed dates in St. Paul, Omaha, Seattle, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Austin, and Cleveland. We'll post dates on the Tours page soon.
April 25, 2006
Message from Johnny: We're back from the European tour. I have to say this was one of the best tours I've ever done. Below are some of my memories (or lack thereof).
Special thanks to Brian Wilson and Mike Stark. Not only did they play like men possessed, they also — with the help of Mike Edmondson — did a great job of tour managing. But none of this would have been possible without the efforts of my manager and wife, Kat Dalton. And thanks to everyone who came to the shows — we couldn't have done it without you.
March 15: Fly out of Syracuse, New York. Off to conquer Europe.
March 16: Amsterdam, Netherlands. Go to the coffee shop to "drink coffee."
March 17: Hiversum, Netherlands. First show. Meet the boys from Bomb Shelter. They do a great set with a poet. Robin brought wire flowers for my wife.
March 18: Kontich, Belgium. We see our photographer friends Kris and Tania. The band rocks so hard, the neighbors call the police.
March 19: Oostende, Belgium. Kamagurka in the house! Also, Tania sings beautifully a cappella.
March 20-22: Three days in France. Visit a famous monastery and drink beer. Perform at La Moriere in Mont Dol. Eat, drink, and be merry. Special thanks to Marga and Hans for their hospitality. (Hans, thanks again for the Chickencaster).
March 23: Spend five hours with the French police and barely make it to the gig in Utrecht. Rock and roll. Saw all my Dutch friends.
March 24: Rotterdam, Netherlands. Play another gig with Bomb Shelter. Mark does "God Created Woman" with us. We stay at his mother's house. It was great.
March 25: Den Bosch, Netherlands. All-star jam with Stuubaard Bakkebaard.
March 26: Haarlem, Netherlands. I wore my new orange shirt in honor of Holland. Other than that, I can't remember what happened.
March 27: Hamburg, Germany. We realize we need to find a laundromat.
March 28: Berlin, Germany. Play at the Deutsches Theatre. Hang out with directors and actors. It was kind of an out-of-body experience. Maybe I could play Faust.
March 29: Halle, Germany. Again, my memory fails me. It was my birthday. Now I remember. The people sang Happy Birthday to me. The boys gave me an exploding flower. Beautiful town.
March 30: Vienna, Austria. Visited the World of Him shop and rocked very hard. I almost hurt myself.
March 31: Kufstein, Austria. Played with an excellent songwriter named Jackie Leven.
April 1: Schaffausen, Switzerland. This show was put together by some guys we met at a gig in Detroit, Michigan. That Detroit show went so wrong, we weren't even allowed to take the stage. The Schaffausen show, in contrast, was fantastic. Finally got the laundry done. It cost $300.
April 2: Zurich, Switzerland. Lovely gig at El Lokal.
April 3: Travel to back to Amsterdam. Ten-hour drive, much silliness.
April 4: London, UK. Sold-out show at The Borderline. The boys outdid themselves.
April 5: Played at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios for the "Mixing It" show. Some people from Borderline show also came to this one. Met a lot of good people who work for the BBC.
April 6: Fly home.
Other news: The U.S. tour schedule has changed. The tour will now start in late July. We'll post dates on the Tours page as soon as we have them.
Johnny and band arrived in Amsterdam today: the European tour has begun. To our friends on the other side of the pond — please check the tours page and see if there are any shows near you. The guys are in fine form and will be playing all the songs from "Cruel Words."
Radio Eins in Berlin will broadcast an interview and live performance by Johnny on Tuesday, March 28, at 2:30 PM. Catch it if you can.
The new CD has been getting great reviews. Here are a few snippets:
"Cruel Words is undoubtedly Dowd's most powerful work musically, with his own serrated, waspish guitar lines and long-time drummer Brian Wilson's jazzy breakbeat flourishes now joined by the bravura keyboards of Michael Stark, whose touch is uncannily sure at all times." — Andy Gill, The Independent (London). For full review, please click here.
"Dark, dense, and brilliant." — Peter Watts, Time Out London
"With his lean, mean, funky songs about drinking, religion, and wheelchairs, Mr. Dowd comes across like Johnny Cash reinvented by Quentin Tarantino. Nasty." — Nuts
The U.S. "Cruel Words" tour is now being booked. It will start the first weekend in June, and the band will be traveling from the east coast to the west. We're also planning to get to Vancouver, which will be a first. The U.S. release date for the CD is June 2.
Johnny's collaboration with Jim White now has a name: Hellwood. That's the name of their band which also includes Willie B (aka Brian Wilson). They're on schedule for record release in September (on Munich Records) and European tour in October.
The March/April European tour is fast approaching. If you live in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, or the UK, be sure to check out the schedule on the Tours page. "Cruel Words," Johnny's new CD, will be available at the shows.
Johnny on BBC Radio: The day after the Borderline show in London, Johnny and band will perform for the "Mixing It" show on BBC Radio 3. They'll perform for a live audience at the famous BBC Maida Vale Studios. The show will be recorded and broadcast later (date of broadcast not yet known).
The U.S./Canadian release date for "Cruel Words" is June 6. Our friend Ralph Alfonso at Bongo Beat Records is releasing it, and it will be distributed by Burnside Distribution in Portland (really good guys, by the way). The U.S. tour will also be in June. Dates will be posted as soon as we have them.
The collaboration record with Jim White is in the works. Jim was here in Ithaca recording with Johnny and Brian (aka Willie B) a couple of weeks ago. The record will be released in Europe on Munich Records this coming September, and the band (Johnny, Jim, and Brian) will tour Europe in October.
There's a nice review of the film Johnny was in, "Searching for the Wrong-eyed Jesus," in the current issue of Uncut. The DVD of the film was released on January 30 in Europe and will be released in the U.S. on March 14. It can be ordered through amazon.com.
Johnny's band mates, Brian Wilson (Willie B) and Michael Stark have formed a band called Tzar. Their first CD will be available at Johnny's European shows in March and April.
January 11, 2006
European tour dates have been confirmed for March and April and are listed on the Tours page. The new record, "Cruel Words," will be out by then, and Johnny and the band will be performing all the new songs while on tour.
A very interesting project: Johnny is getting together with Jim White to record later this month. What will come of this unique collaboration? We'll provide more details when the business side of the project is finalized.
Be sure to check out Howe Gelb's new CD, "Arizona Amp and Alternator." You'll hear a familiar name in track 15 ("Vows"). Howe might be coming to Ithaca for a show in early March. We'll keep you updated on this possibility.
Our fellow Ithacans can catch Johnny at the Chapter House on February 4. Good way to spend a cold winter night, don't you think?
December 2, 2005
Christmas CD sale: How about buying your music-loving friends a Johnny Dowd CD for Christmas? From now through December 31, Johnny's latest releases — "Johnny Dowd Live at the Night and Day Cafe" and "Cemetery Shoes" — are just $10 each when bought from this site (U.S. and Canadian buyers only). That includes shipping. "Cemetery Shoes" even has a Christmas song on it. Johnny is always happy to autograph CDs. Just be sure to request this when you make your Paypal payment.
October 26, 2005
Message from Johnny: Hello everyone. My new album, "Cruel Words," just went off to the record companies and will be released in February in the U.S. and Europe. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. We recorded at Pyramid Sound here in Ithaca with my buddy Alex Perialas engineering. He did a great job of capturing the sound and energy of the band. Of course, we had the advantage of working with a couple of monster players, Brian Wilson and Michael Stark. Kim Sherwood-Caso is back, too, singing like a bird. Jon Langford and Sally Timms put the icing on the cake, tearing it up on a country weeper called "Drunk." Like I said, I'm real proud of this one, and I hope a lot of people buy it.
Other news: Our friends in Ithaca should check the shows on the tours page. Johnny and Kim have some shows lined up for their duo act.
September 14, 2005
To our fellow Ithacans: On Friday, October 7, at 7:00 PM, Johnny will do a musical introduction to the film Searching for the Wrong-eyed Jesus at Cornell Cinema (Willard Straight Hall). See him live, then see him on celluloid. The film will also show on October 8, but Johnny won't be at that screening. You can catch him at the Chapter House that night.
September 1, 2005
New photos are up on the Images page. Just click on photo titles on left of page. Thanks to Michael Steele for his photos from SXSW.
Johnny and Brian will be performing at Musicfest NW in Portland on Saturday, September 10 (Fez Ballroom). You can also catch Johnny on the big screen — Searching for the Wrong-eyed Jesus opens on September 9 at Portland's Cinema 21.
On September 29, the whole band will be going up to Montreal to perform at the Pop Montreal Festival. They're playing at the coolest club (The Green Room) on the coolest street in Montreal. Hope some of our friends in Canada can make it.
Recording for the next record is almost done. It's sounding good. To the Kim Sherwood-Caso fans out there: you're in for a treat. Kim is on many of the tracks. There will also be a few surprise guest artists (more on that later).
July 16, 2005
The film Johnny is in was shown in New York this week and will be showing across the country this summer. See the review for "Searching for the Wrong-eyed Jesus" at the New York Times web site. You can find a listing of other showings at the film's web site (go to their "news" section) and also here.
One of the highlights of Johnny's June tour was his show in Omaha at the Goofy Foot Lodge. He said the guys who booked the show really know how to treat musicians. Of course, the shows with Neko Case were spectacular. Johnny said he's always amazed when her hears her voice.
Johnny's been recording the next record which will be out in the spring of next year. It'll be a real rocker. But don't worry, the Dowd dark themes will still be there.
June 6, 2005
CD prices slashed! Priced to move! We've lowered the prices on "Wire Flowers," "Johnny Dowd Live," and "Down in the Valley" by about one-third (for European buyers, too). When these are sold, there won't be any more. Future collector's items?
Johnny's heading out to NXNE in Toronto this coming Saturday, June 11. He'll be playing at the Drake Hotel at midnight. After that, he and Mike will be driving to Bloomington, Indiana, to meet up with Brian who's been drumming for Neko Case. Johnny and band (including Brian) will be opening for Neko for the rest of her tour and adding a few dates of their own at the end. All the dates are now on the Tours page.
When Johnny returns to Ithaca, he and Rocket Morton will bring out their duo act when they open for the legendary Eugene Chadbourne at the Chapter House on July 1. This is something you Ithacans won't want to miss.
April 23, 2005
Johnny will be touring with Neko Case in June. Dates are listed on the Tours page. May tour dates are also there.
An interview with Johnny will appear in the May issue of the Musician's Atlas online newsletter, AtlasOnline.
Thanks to everyone who has written to say they like the new live CD ("Live at the Night and Day Cafe, Manchester, UK").
March 31, 2005
Samples from the new live CD are up on the Albums page now. You can buy "Johnny Dowd: Live at the Night & Day Cafe, Manchester, UK" from the Store page of this site or at Johnny's shows. The CD is not available in stores.
The film Johnny was in, "Searching for the Wrong-eyed Jesus," by Andrew Douglas, will be distributed theatrically in the U.S. in July of this year. Some of the screenings are listed at the film's web site. A soundtrack album will be released on Luaka Bop Records on June 7. A DVD release of the film is also planned.
Thanks from Johnny to everyone who came to his shows on the March tour. He had a blast and hopes you did, too.
March 14, 2005
The
new live CD is here! "Johnny Dowd: Live at the Night & Day
Cafe, Manchester, UK" is
only available from this web site or at Johnny's shows. Johnny is really
happy with how it turned out. There's an amazing version of "Papa,
Oh, Papa" with a guest trumpet player that you really have to hear.
The bonus track is a live radio recording of Johnny reciting a poem while
the band and Sally Timms play weird music behind him.
If you'll be at
his shows in the next couple of weeks – Pittsburgh, Nashville, St. Louis,
Austin, Morgantown, Cleveland – you could pick the CD up there.
If you'd like to order through the web site, please go to the Store page
(if you're in Europe, scroll down to the bottom of the page). Remember
to let us know if you'd like Johnny to autograph the CD.
Johnny, Brian, and Mike are on their way to SXSW. They hope to see some of you in Austin or at the shows on the way or the way back.
Johnny will perform at a benefit concert for the Prisoner Express Program at Cornell University on Thursday, March 31. The program mails books to over 1200 inmates all over the U.S. The concert will be between 8:30 and 11:00 PM in Annabel Taylor Hall at Cornell. Hope some of you Ithacans can make it. It's a worthy cause.
A May tour is in the works which will include Canadian cities (Toronto, Montreal, Hamilton, possibly more). Johnny's appearance on Robbie Fulks's "Robbie's Secret Country" show (The Old Town School of Folk Music) will also be part of that trip.
February 10, 2005
The SXSW shows are up on the tours page now, along with other March dates.
Johnny's "Wrong Side of Memphis" is included in a new book about little-known musical classics, Lost in the Grooves: Scram's Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed. Gary Gold wrote the article. (Thanks to JT in Erie, PA, for letting us know the book is out now.)
February 7, 2005
Another talented Wilson will be performing at the Chapter House in Ithaca this Saturday (February 12). Boston-based singer/songwriter Dave Wilson, father of Johnny's drummer, Brian Wilson, will be backed up by Brian (aka Willie B.) and guitarist Mark Symeon. Johnny's show follows.
The new live album, "Johnny Dowd, Live at the Night and Day Cafe, Manchester, UK," is going off to production this week. In addition to the Manchester show, there's a track from a live radio recording made at KFJC in California this past December. Sally Timms sings and plays a shruti box on that track. The CD will be for sale at the shows coming up in March, including SXSW, and also here at the site.
January 24, 2005
Message from Johnny: We had a great gig in Toronto opening for Neko Case and The Sadies. Neko was kind enough to sing a couple of songs with us ("Worried Mind" and "God Created Woman"). What a thrill.
January 7, 2005
Johnny will be playing in Toronto with Neko Case on January 16 at The Phoenix. It's an early show, so don't be late.
He'll also be performing at South by Southwest in March. We'll post the details on the Tours page as soon as we have them.
Another live album is in the works. Johnny expects to have it ready for sale for the SXSW tour in March. It will also be for sale here on the web site.
Sad news about Johnny's beloved thirteen-year-old Astro van: it's going to the tour van graveyard. He's bought a new van which he hopes to learn to love even though it seems too "girly."
December 13, 2004
Message from Johnny: I just returned from a month-long U.S. tour with Sally Timms. We each did our own set and then did some songs together. A wonderful group of musicians backed both of us: Mike Stark on keyboards, Justin Asher on guitar and keyboards, and Brian Wilson on drums and bass pedals. It was fun to hear Sally put the boys through their paces each night. She's a truly great singer. Thanks to the people who came out to see us and to the clubs for having us. I'd also like to thank the people who put us up in their homes. There were a lot of highlights to the tour, but I guess Joe's Pub in New York City was particularly outstanding. Great club and good crowd. It looks like I'll be doing a small tour in March that includes SXSW. All for now.
New press—
"Cemetery Shoes":
"If Richard Hell ever took a stab at roots
music it would sound like
this."— Montreal Mirror
"Garden of Delight" was selected by
Toronto Globe and Mail for their
Essential Tracks listing on November 19, 2004.
Nice review in The Stranger (Seattle) by Hannah Levin. Click here.
Philadelphia show, November 12, 2004:
" In a leather jacket and with a shock of gray hair, Dowd came off like
a mysterious stranger from a 1950s pulp-noir movie directed by David
Lynch. You never knew whether he was going to lead his fabulously
dexterous three-piece band through a cover of Miles Davis' 'In a Silent
Way' or a sing-along cover of Ritchie Valens' 'Donna.' Dowd's a funny
guy, as well as a scary one: His slowed, haunted take on Chuck Berry's
'Johnny B. Goode'—with Timms singing harmony—gave the song
an air of
gothic menace. But the droll way he delivered such poesy as 'the things
you did with good intentions / Are experienced by your loved ones as
horrible afflictions,' made you wonder if he was joking, or not."—Dan
DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer
London, England, show, October 10, 2004:
" In a little over an hour, Johnny Dowd channeled the collective hearts
and souls of countless maverick songwriters (Nick Cave, Johnny Cash,
Tom Waits, and Bob Dylan principally) and made their influences
personal with his warm sense of humour, background visuals of broken
family life, and a concept stage show that almost exclusively dealt
with his parents divorce decades earlier. . . . Dowd managed to turn
his set into a more real version of VH1 'Storytellers' and let a few
hundred people into his life for a look around with incredible songs
to
back him up and keep things moving. There was no sorrow for those who
did not come from broken homes, just a bit more understanding."—Steve
Marshall, LondonNet
October 18, 2004
U.S. tour dates are confirmed and shown on the Tours page. Johnny will be promoting the U.S. release of "Cemetery Shoes," and Sally Timms (his co-bill) will be promoting her new record, "In the World of Him," which was produced by Johnny. Brian Wilson, Mike Stark, and Justin Asher will perform with both of them.
The U.S. version of "Cemetery Shoes" includes a video, "Lust," by Kat Dalton, with poem and music by Johnny. If you can't find the CD in stores near you, you can order it from this site.
The October European tour went very well. The show was called "Better to Marry than to Burn" and was a combination of Johnny's songs about love and marriage and films by Kat Dalton. Brian Wilson surprised everyone by playing baritone guitar instead of drums and bass pedals. His nightly rendition of "Iron Man" was a real crowd pleaser. Other highlights of the tour were when renowned Belgian artist Kamagurka joined Johnny on stage in Brugge and created a surreal interpretation of Johnny's "Fort Worth, Texas" and when Robin from Nijmegen brought Kat a "wire flower."
On May 15, 2005, Johnny will perform on the Old Town School of Folk Music radio show as part of Robbie Fulks's "Robbie's Secret Country" series. A short tour will be scheduled around this date.
October 13, 2004
"Cemetery Shoes," Johnny's
latest album, was released in the U.S. and Canada on October 5
on Bongo Beat Records.
We're very happy
to be working with Ralph Alfonso of Bongo
Beat. The album was released
in Europe on Munich
Records earlier this year. Sylvie Simmons of MOJO called
it "wonderfully warped, yet remarkably accessible." See more
review excerpts on the reviews page and listen to clips
on
the albums page.
Johnny will tour the U.S. in November and December in a co-bill with Sally Timms. We'll post the dates as soon as they're confirmed.
Mike Stark joined Johnny's band as keyboard player in March. He and Brian performed with Johnny during the March U.S. tour with the Mekons and the April European tour.
Johnny appears in Andrew Douglas's film, "Searching for the Wrong-eyed Jesus." David Byrne calls it "an amazing piece of work. . . beautifully dark and weird stuff." Reviewer Gabriel Shanks said, “If David Lynch made a road documentary about the rural communities of the American South, it might look a great deal like Searching for the Wrong-eyed Jesus. . . .” Check out clips of Johnny's performances at the film's web site.
Sally Timms's new solo album, "In the World of Him," was produced by Johnny (along with Timms and Justin Asher) and is out September 14 on Touch and Go Records.
Johnny also produced "Nowhere," the debut album by the Sheffield, UK, band Chicken Legs Weaver. It's available now. Former Dowd band member, Justin Asher, engineered the album. Go to the band's web site for more information.
An article about Johnny appears in the current issue of the UK magazine Comes with a Smile (#15). Included with the magazine is a compilation CD with a very cool live recording by Johnny and the band of "Papa, Oh, Papa." Information about how to order the magazine and CD is at the Comes with a Smile site.
