09.26.09
A quick Hidden Systems pre-sale progress report: Firstly, thank you thank you to everyone who has donated so far. As an artist who is now more independent than ever, it means so much to me to have your support - even moreso given these precarious financial times. As things stand right now, this album can't come out without your generosity, and because of you, we are well on our way to making that happen. However, we're not there yet...so if you haven't donated, there's still time! And of course, you get something right away for your contribution, namely the entire album, plus those exclusive bonus tracks and free pre-release CD with donations of $15 or more. Plus my undying gratitude. Not a bad deal, really :) For those wondering about a release date, well, there isn't one just yet. I'll announce one just as soon as enough money has been raised, and every donation brings that just a little bit closer...thank you for your patience!
Shows update: I have 2 great Seattle shows coming up on 10/1 and 10/18!! Both are with the band, and both are with other excellent bands too, so check the shows page for more info and come on out and see us! I've also made a few more handmade sheet music books and will have these for sale at these upcoming shows. They'll be available online again just as soon as I get a chance to post them, so if you're not in Seattle check for those right here.
Oh, and I almost forgot about the June tour! I haven't had a chance to do much touring with a full band, and this time was really a lot of fun. I'm hoping to bring those guys along more often in the future! Our friend Rayanne also hopped in the van at the last minute and rode along all the way to Arizona, which made it even better. We did have some harrowing moments on the road...but I suppose it's not a bad thing to be reminded every now and then just how lucky we are to be alive! And we were also lucky to have an excellent driver behind the wheel at the time. Thanks to Eagle for keeping us from becoming vulture meat!! On a lighter note...we also got some awesome press from the LA Weekly! And that always feels good.
05.10.09
June West Coast tour dates are now posted, with more still to come! Also, the new album will be available soon via digital-only pre-sale. Details coming soon!
03.12.09
I just got back from a great weekend touring the inland Northwest with Andrew Means, Jeremy Hadley, and Eric Eagle by my side. For the last show in Kennewick at the Red Room, I played a solo set, and a kindly audience member took some HD video of the show. You can see me play "We're in the Air" from Seaworthy Sleeper EP here. (To properly enjoy it, you might want to give it a minute to load since it is high quality video...)
I've also got an all-ages solo show coming up in Seattle in just a couple days that came about rather serendipitously...and a band show with Point Juncture, WA at the Tractor in April! You can find more info about these shows here. And tour ideas are in the works...more on that soon!
02.20.09
Seattle, Spokane, Moscow (ID), and Kennewick shows posted! Details here.
07.08.08
Just announced: the band and I will be opening up for Shearwater in Seattle on July 24th at Nectar Lounge! As this show may sell out, you may want to purchase advance tickets through this link. More details on the shows page. August shows in Olympia, Portland, and Spokane are posted there as well!
05.20.08
New CD!! The Seaworthy Sleeper EP is now up for sale right here. It not only includes new songs, but also live recordings of songs from Clouds Electric, as played on the last two tours with Jeremy Hadley!
Oh, and we begin our spring US tour this Thursday, May 22nd, with a show in Portland, OR. Check here for the full tour schedule!
05.13.08
All Clouds Electric secrets now revealed including time signatures, chord changes, lyrics, and piano parts! Brand new and entirely handmade sheet music books now available!!
05.08.08
Just a couple quick notes...after a week of mixing in Portland with Tucker Martine, I've posted several tracks from the new record on my myspace and facebook pages! Also, the show in Pierre, SD has been moved to June 11th! I can't wait to head to the Midwest!
04.08.08
Anyone who knows me, knows I love playing house shows, and this last one in Ballard was no exception. And the freshly-tuned piano complete with candelabras from the pre-electricity olden days -- allowing us to save electricity, 1850s-style -- didn't hurt! I was also suprised to find that a member of the press took an interest in our living-room shenanigans and wrote this kindly live review on SeattleSoundMag.com. Oh, and I just posted a few more tour dates in May, with more coming soon!
03.27.08
Thanks so much to everyone who came to the show last night at the Sunset, and to Seattlest.com for this amazing live reveiw: http://seattlest.com/2008/03/27/we_went_johanna.php
I’m hoping to finagle a way to bring this 10-piece monstrosity of a band together again soon!
3.04.08
It took me a while to get on the bandwagon, but my album Clouds Electric is finally up on iTunes. I'm also featured on the iTunes Indie Singer/Songwriter Spotlight for the week, alongside some awesome fellow indie artists like Bon Iver, Goldfrapp, Thao, and Blitzen Trapper! I feel so welcomed into the downloadable fold. Yes, I have entered the 21st century, folks. I think this makes it official. I have left the 90s behind! At least until a few months from now when it comes back into style...
Here's a link to buy Clouds Electric on iTunes:
I've also posted two songs-in-progress from the new record, one on my myspace page and one on my facebook page! At this point, these are still unfinished and unmixed recordings, so you might detect a flaw or two, but I still wanted to share a little bit of what we've been working on, holed up in the studio these past few months. I'll be rotating in different tracks every few days, so check back if you want to hear more sneak peeks!
Also, my friend Clyde from Your Heart Breaks (also the designer of this very website!) just finished a music video we started long ago and then sort of forgot about. It's for my song "Fireflies" and you can see and read about it in Clyde's blog!
2.19.08
Check out my new musician page on Facebook! If you use Facebook, and would like to receive updates and event invites through that site, just sign up as a "fan." I'll also be posting songs-in-progress from the new record on that page in just a couple short weeks. You can now also sign up for email updates and news about shows near you here.
2.11.08
We're in the studio working on a new record! More soon...
12.10.07
Some nice folks at the Seattle Channel have made a video profile of me that airs throughout the month of December and is also available on iTunes as a free download! It's part of a series called "Seattle Verve" which profiles three local artists, musical and otherwise, every month. They do an outstanding job profiling some really wonderful people, so I am really honored to be included. You can watch it here or download it free at the iTunes store (just search for "Seattle Verve"). The show also airs several times a week throughout December on channel 21 in the Seattle area, so if you live around here check the schedule and you can see me on your TV.
10.22.07
Ooh...Clouds Electric t-shirts! That's right, I've got a t-shirt with my name on it, with your name on it right over here! A huge thank you to Clyde and Sylvia for making, and making possible, these brand new tees!!
10.05.07
We just added the last couple shows to our current US tour -- shows in St. Louis, MO and Manhattan, KS! Also, there's been a venue change for our Boise, ID show, as the Visual Arts Collective is not going to be up and running in its new space this month as expected. We'll have the new venue posted as soon as we can. See you soon, I hope!
09.09.07
US Tour dates with Horse Feathers are now posted -- Cambridge, Akron, and Boise shows just added!
08.04.07
"Sigh Lens" is back in print, and copies are now up for sale on the sounds page!
You can buy it on its own, or take advantage of the snazzy new 3-pack option -- if you buy Clouds Electric, Sigh Lens, and Up North in the same order, it's now just $25 plus shipping. Say WHA?!!
08.03.07
Well, for the next few months here I've got shows, shows, and well...more shows! To kick it all off, I'll be opening up for K Records star Mirah next Thursday at the Triple Door in Seattle! I'm really thrilled about this show, especially since I get to play it with my wonderful new band comprised of Velella Velella's Jeremy Hadley and Point Juncture, WA's Victor P. Nash and Ioa. What with their vibraphones, trumpets, electric guitars, glitchy synths and what-not, these three have added some startling new colors to the Clouds Electric palette...new sounds that have lent themselves very well to a few brand new songs, too. Jeremy, Victor, and Ioa will also be joining me for those West Coast tour dates which have now all been posted. As for Fall, a US tour is in the works with unblievable Portland band Horse Feathers! Dates will start coming in over the next week or so for that, so keep an eye out if you're on the East Coast, or in the Midwest, or the Pacific Northwest, or, well, most anywhere in the continental US. And for those of you in Europe, we're just about ready to get to work on that late-winter journey across the Atlantic I've been talking about. Thanks so much to everyone who has offered to help us set up those shows and/or sent along their suggestions! And please feel free to keep those emails coming, as we're still in the planning stages. I'd still love to hear from you!
It's funny how things usually seem to come all at once, or not at all. I took a much-needed break from shows this spring to focus on writing songs for a new record, and just when I'm ready to play again I suddenly find myself with shows coming out of my ears! I don't think the timing usually works out this perfectly. I mean, I'm pretty sure the expression "when it rains, it pours" isn't meant to explain situations in which you really want rain and then actually get it -- not to jinx myself or anything...but maybe it's time to go find some wood to knock on...or maybe the new band just needs some claves!
07.08.07
Sad to say, our Seattle show at Atlas on July 26th has been cancelled because the venue is closing down temporarily...Best of luck to Atlas in getting up to code, and stay tuned for another Seattle show this summer!
As for touring, those August West Coast dates will all be posted real soon, and I am finally contemplating my first tour of Europe for this Winter! If there's a club in your town that you think I should play at -- or, better yet, if you happen to be someone who puts together shows over there and are interested in helping out -- I'd love to talk with you! Here's how to get in touch. xo j
06.21.07
August West Coast tour dates are now being posted as they come in! I'm very excited to announce that I'll be taking a brand new band along on this tour including members of Point Juncture, WA and Velella Velella!! Feel free to send me an email if you'd like us to come to your town...
03.16.07
Very exciting news: You can now hear and download my song "Mobius Waves" at Yep Roc Records' Digital Singles Club! Just stroll on by their website, or you can even get friendly with them on myspace.
We're also on tour right now, taking the night off in the town lovingly referred to as "the little apple" -- Manhattan, Kansas. And we are loving it. For details and photographic evidence, check my blog -- I'll be posting as we go! Of course, we also have many shows to go, including those dates with Robyn Hitchcock, so check the shows page for details...I hope to see you somewhere between here and home! xo johanna
02.06.07
I'm excited to announce, I now have a brand new song available for FREE download at blogupmusique.com! There you'll find a compilation made up entirely of lullabies, including my new song and about 30 more pleasingly sedating tracks from the likes of grizzly bear, metallic falcons, jana hunter, tender forever, and many more -- all free! Enjoy and sleep well :) xo johanna
02.03.07
US tour dates with none other than Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 have just been posted!!! This is only part of my March/April tour -- I'll be adding many more dates all across the country soon, so check back if your town isn't listed yet...Can't wait to see you along the way! xo johanna
01.03.06
Okay, okay...so i DO have some Seattle shows coming up...I really was going to take a little break, but, then all of a sudden these really really cool shows came up, and, well, you know, I love playing shows, so who needs a break anyways? :)
By the way...today, "Fireflies" was Today's Top Tune on KCRW -- again!! Yow! That is so exciting, and again, a huge honor. They have been entirely too good to me. In fact, I think I might be in danger of becoming spoiled!
Oh, and one more thing...I have a brand new song coming out this month on an online compilation! Plus, the entire compilation will be available for free download. I'll post more info here as it comes in...happy, happy new years to you! XO johanna
12.15.06
Some post-tour news...You can now see our live performance on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic any time, online! I owe a huge thank you to everyone at KCRW for being so kind and making us feel so at home at the station. What an amazing first show in Los Angeles!
Meanwhile...it's nice to be home from my first west coast tour, but it's already got me thinking about tours to come, and hatching plans for the spring...east coast perhaps? Feel free to email me any tour-stop requests. I'm getting ready for a tour homecoming show on Sunday, too! It'll be the last show in Seattle for a bit, so come on down to the Tractor if you're in town...xo johanna
11.29.06
A quick note for anyone who might have planned to buy Clouds Electric through Amazon...I got a barcode for my little old record, and put it up for sale on Amazon a few days ago...However, i have since reconsidered selling through Amazon due to, um, some financial nonsense...In any case, for now, Clouds Electric, along with my two earlier releases, will still be available online only through my website and myspace page. I'll be sure to let you know if that should change...
I'm sorry for any inconvenience. But do know that, by buying from me directly, you are literally paying for me not only to come to your town to play shows, but also to make future recordings. And doesn't that feel better than over-paying some corporation to be the middle man? xoxo johanna
10.24.06
This December west coast tour is shaping up quickly now, with many an exciting stop -- including an appearance on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic with Nic Harcourt!! Check the shows page for tour date updates and more info as it comes in...xo johanna
10.11.06
My song "Fireflies" is being featured as "Today's Top Tune" on Los Angeles radio station KCRW! Recent featured artists include Cat Power and Yo La Tengo. Um, I'm still waiting for that one to sink in...nope, not yet! xo johanna
09.23.06
I'm so excited to announce that I'll be opening up for Juana Molina and Adem at the Crocodile on October 20th!! You can get all the info for the show here, as well as details on my upcoming October 1st show with Karl Blau at the Mars Bar! Such amazing shows coming up...I hope you can make it!
December west coast tour dates are in the works, too. Drop me an email if you'd like us to come to your town! xo johanna
09.11.06
You can now request songs from "Clouds Electric" on KEXP! Hooray for independent radio!!
Thanks so much to everyone who made it out to the show at Bumbershoot! I enjoyed playing that big ol' shiny grand piano so much that i basically wanted to hug it! But then i thought that might look a little bit strange...so I just kept on rockin those sweet jams instead. And, yeah, it was pretty sweet. xo jk
08.30.06
It's hard to believe that Seattle's sunny time of year is already nearing its end. And, well, I'm not exactly thrilled about that. But one of the things that keeps me up-beat this time of year is Bumbershoot, that beautiful Seattle music and arts festival, which I am very excited to say I'll be playing in this year! Joining me this Labor Day on the Northwest Court Lounge stage will be stellar band-members Keith Lowe, Eric Eagle, and Paris Hurley, plus an actual, for reals GRAND PIANO! Yep, I'm pretty much beside myself.
In other sunny news..."Clouds Electric" has been getting a bit of radio love across the nation with airplay on some of the best remaining independent/music-loving stations I know...like WFMU in New York, KCRW in Santa Monica (it was even played on Morning Becomes Eclectic with Nic Harcourt!), KZSU in Stanford, The Current in Minneapolis...it's being added to Seattle station KEXP's rotation next week, and has even been showing up mysteriously on playlists in Europe and beyond...go figure! So feel free to request it on YOUR favorite station...you know, if you're into that kind of thing...
07.31.06
Hey there. I'm so happy to announce that my full-length record, "Clouds Electric," is now (finally!) available online. Just go to the sounds page....or, if you're in Seattle, you can save a few bucks by buying at any of the 3 Sonic Boom locations! Also, Seattle folks can come down to the High Dive in Fremont this Thursday, August 17th for an awesome full-band show! We'll also be playing shows in Eugene and Portland this week...more details here.
06.19.06
With a tour homecoming show now officially in the past, I feel I am at last truly back at home here in Seattle...just in time to hop in the car again for a couple last minute shows in Portland and Olympia this Thursday and Friday! And to think I was just starting to miss being on the road! Plans are taking shape for some further west coast touring later this summer, too...but more on that later...for now, I'm still trying to piece together the five weeks and 6,000 miles between me and the end of April...oh, where did it all go? xo, johanna
05.06.06
In a whirlwind of changing shows and scenery, I've spent the past week on the road with Karl Blau, connecting the dots between Seattle and Chicago and, soon, many points beyond! It's been a truly magical week, and I'm so glad to have four more weeks to go. I mean, playing music every day, sharing the long drive with one of my favorite people, meeting cool new people in every town, enjoying some Midwest hospitality -- what could be better?! I can't think of anything...except maybe seeing you along the way! xo, johanna
04.22.06
Got a nice write-up in The Stranger this week in Kurt B. Reighley's column, "Border Radio." Thanks Kurt! I'm also getting ready to hit the road next weekend after spending Saturday night playing the illustrious Seattle Weekly Music Awards Showcase! More east coast and midwest tour dates will be showing up on the shows page momentarily....
04.11.06
"Sigh Lens" (Kelp! Monthly #21) just made it to #1 on the charts at Stanford college radio station KZSU! Check it out!
04.06.06
Well, it seems as though I've been nominated for Best New Artist in the Seattle Weekly Music Awards. I'll be damned! So, if you're into it, you can vote for me here! It also seems that I've posted several May US tour dates, and will have more of those coming very soon....Thanks so much stopping by and lending your support! Love, Johanna
03.31.06
I just posted some lovely new photos taken by Chris Zasche, pedal-steel playing photographer extraordinaire! Just mosey on over to the press page if you'd like to take a gander at those! If it's shows you're after, you'll definitely want to check out the latest, as there are several great ones coming up in april, including one with friends The Western States and Lanterna (Badman Recordings). Plus, May US of A tour dates with Karl Blau and Paleo will soon get their official posting...Thanks for stopping by! -- Johanna
02.23.06
check it out -- a little bit of love from the seattle times before my show with jen wood next tuesday...
