Neatomajick Productions

New Lineup and Upcoming Show! 

Hello!

Only today did I realize it has been almost a year since I posted anything. My first thought is to feel bad about it, but then, I had to acknowledge that I’ve just been too busy to sit down and really write about what I’ve been doing all this time…

So, yeah, some of you may have heard, and maybe you haven’t, but The Januariez is back together, and with a fresh line-up. No longer a trio, we have morphed into a quintet with 2 guitars, keys, kaoss pads, and all sorts of weird stuff. And what’s even better is that everyone in the band works together, and we’re all friends! So it’s lots of fun, and we’re all very happy about it!

Yes, I’m still playing with the Black Tones, and it’s a blast! I can’t enough of that band! Go like them and all that, so that you can come out and see us! And BUST is still around, but it’s on the back burner. We’ve been talking about when we can get together again. And Bad Shadow, well, it’s taken a back seat as well. Ron and I decided to start doing some renovations to our home instead… Finally, my book is still in its process. The more I write, the more stuff comes up that I need to face. It’s like Pandora’s Box, but it’s good! Just taking its time, and I have time for it. It can take as long as it needs.

But yeah, I want to talk about Januariez some more…
How bout some introductions:

As you know, I am J-kNee, vocalist/guitarist/yarn spinner

Meet Abby Markson, lead guitarist/queen shredder

and Michelle Brayson, keyboardist/vocalist/ master of kaoss

Carl Germain, bassist/sound detective

and Gus Johnson, drummer/maker of coffee

Sorry I don’t have any pictures, but 4/5 of the band suffers from myopia.

If you can’t tell, I’m really excited, not just cause I love everyone in this band, BUT because, Carl and Gus have the same birthday in the same year, yet they were born thousands of miles from each other! AND they are both Geminis. This is significant because in The Black Tones, Eva and Cedric are fraternal twins and they are ALSO Geminis. It gets even weirder. Okay, Giordan from Black Tones is a Leo, and Abby from Januariez is a Leo. Then there’s me, in both bands. And Black Tones have talked about adding Michelle to their line-up! So not only is it all incestuous, but we’re astrologically identical. You can laugh, but we think it’s cool!

So, our first show is April 8 at the Lo-fi, and we're playing with a band called Automotive Steamhorse and I don't know who else right now. We know it’s a Wednesday, so fucking what?! It’s going to be fun! Not sure what time we go on, but we won’t go on first, cause three of us work til 9 that night! We’ll be somewhere in the middle.

Anyway, we’re really looking forward to getting out, seeing all of you, and playing regularly! And we’re stoked to perform all these new songs and revised versions of old songs (which are kinda like playing new songs). It’s gonna KILL!

Until next time! Listen to our music, and come to the show!!!

xo,
your palz in the januariez

I have Emerged  

Hello all,

Long time, eh? I wish I'd had more to share over the last 6 to 9 months, but it's been nothing but transition. Last time I wrote, I intimated that The Januariez were on indefinite hiatus, and that is still the case, sort of. We don't have any shows scheduled, and we aren't planning on recording anytime soon. That said, Reno and I are still open to future engagements and opportunities, meaning we could be persuaded to play a show or two, but we'd have to play as a duo or find a new bass player. And honestly, since Josh left, we weren't the same band anymore. It just didn't feel right to me, and I think that translated on stage. So that's where we are. 

So yeah, we played our last show in June, but Reno and I have both been busy with other projects. He started playing with a cabaret band called L'Orchestre D'Incroyable. I haven't seen them yet, but I hear they're pretty dope. He's also doing theater gigs at the Centerstage Theater in Federal Way. Check these out when you have the chance!

As for me, I've spent the last 9 months teaching at School of Rock, jamming with people, filling in on occasion, and I even played Glockenspiel on Amy Denio's new album, Prodigal Light!  But what's new is that is that I just joined The Black Tones as lead guitarist. I am soooo stoked! They have been one of my favorite bands since I first saw them with Watch it Sparkle and NightTrain at the Columbia City Theater. We played the Blue Moon a few weeks ago, and tonight, we're playing a show with Letters, The Sun Thieves, Torre, and Victrola at the Skylark in West Seattle! 5 bands for 5 bucks!  We have some other cool stuff lining up this summer, so stayed tuned!

And if that isn't enough, Eva (from the Black Tones), Crystal (from the Crystal Fuzz band) and I have started an all girl band called Saucebox. Eva's on drums, I'm on bass, and Crystal's on guitar. It sounds super cool. Our subject matter ranges from sex to Satan. We plan to be out playing late April/May. Keep an ear up for tunes, photos, and show dates!

And for the finale on the music front, my husband and I have actually begun work on an online performance art project called Bad Shadow. We have talked and talked about this over the years, and now we're doing it! I know this is going to sound totally stupid, but we've written all these songs about our home, our kids, the dog, the cat, etc. They are the campiest songs, but they make us smile, and that's really what it's about, right? So anyway, we'll be filming this summer and plan to release content this coming fall/winter. 

But now... this next thing I'm getting ready to share scares the crap outta me: I started writing a book. Ya'll can shake your heads and laugh or whatever, I could care less. Writing is something I have done my whole life. I even have a degree in creative writing, and I've always felt that my lyrics were the crux of everything I've ever created. I know most people don't read lyrics; they just wanna zone out on the song. So I reached this point where I felt like my heavy content might serve better in a different medium. The story is completely written, but it lacks organization, clarity, and a consistent voice. So, at the moment, I'm editing for all those things. My goal is to have it ready to publish at the end of the year. (I might be pushing myself, maybe Theo Nestor's Writing is My Drink might have something to add!)

See cause I've had this voice in my head nagging me. It's worse than a personal trainer. It tells me to write and not worry, that it it will write itself if I just surrender to the process. So, I agreed. Almost as quickly as I surrendered, I was asked to perform my writing at Folklife this year. Do you know how many times I have applied to perform Folklife over the years? And they would never book my band. I agree to listen to a voice in my head, and this happens! And not only that, but I also have a spoken word gig booked next Tuesday, March 11 at the Chaco Canyon Cafe in West Seattle. I am going to tell stories for 30 minutes. OMG! Preparing this piece has required me to organize my thoughts in a way that lends itself naturally to a larger piece, like a book. A kismet wave. There's a writing session from 6-7pm, followed by my reading and an open mic. 

I'm really excited about all the work I have, and I'm also completely terrified. But this feels right! Playing music with my friends feels right. Working on a project with my husband feels right. Telling my stories feels right. I am more than grateful for these opportunities, and I hope that I am able to share some of these moments to be with you. 

Dates and media will be posted on this page, The Januariez fb page, my blog, twitter, tumblr, sound cloud, etc. I've also created a personal page on Reverbnation, which you can check out-though it's not really anything new. Please check out The Black Tones on FB, and give them a like. And keep and eye out for a Saucebox page and a Bad Shadow page. It's a busy year!

See you tonight!
xoxo


J-kNee

The Other Way, or What to Do if You Think Your Mate Might be the Anti-Christ 

Happy Halloween everyone!

Hope everyone is enjoying the season, even with all the change! This fall has been more intense than most, for me at least. As I wrote in a previous post, The Januariez is on indefinite hiatus. And so I've been using the extra time to experiment. I have a website for J-kNee January now, thanks to Accelerated Web Studios. Hit them up should you need a great site!

Gotta couple other things on the burner, but I gotta see how they turn out before I speak.

However, there is one thing I can speak about right now!

As most of you know, last year I hooked up with Alice Bag, and we played some cool shows together to promote her memoir Violence Girl. As we've gotten to know each other, she has encouraged me to write my own story. My life has been, well, my life, and I don't have any tight adjectives to sum up the richness of my existential train. But it is and has been unbelievable. When I wake up, I find myself awed by the fact that either "I'm alive" or that "I'm not dead". Though these phrases may seem identical, I promise you both carry very discrete values for me.

So I wrote something. Lisa Lunney, who writes for Punk Globe, contacted me last month about writing a Halloween feature for her blog. I accepted and wrote one of the darkest things I could summon. And what I have written provides a glimpse into my religious upbringing and how it has shaped the perspective of who I am now. Which who I am now, is who I have always been, but somehow I became tangled in a telephone cord and misunderstood my own messages.

So here it is... a piece about embracing "hell"!

http://littlemisstrainwreck.com/2013/10/22/halloween-special-j-knee-of-the-januariez-shares-a-tale/


1369010_568370919877326_270296044_nThe Other Way, or What to Do When Your Mate Might Be the Anti-Christ
Told By J-kNee January of The Januariez
When I first began sleeping with the man who is now my husband, he whimsically asked, “What would you do if I told you I was the Anti-Christ?” I stopped, thought for a second, and laughed, “Well, I guess I’ll just have to go to “hell” with you then!”
This exchange happened years ago, and I can attest that our “hell” together has been most rewarding! You see, the irony for me is and always has been that as a young girl growing up in central Arkansas someone somewhere at any given point in time for no discernible reason at all sought to “save” me. Sure my life sucked when I was a kid, but really, whose didn’t to some extent? I’m not looking for sympathy. Truly, if you don’t experience pain, you probably aren’t a carbon based life form to begin with. Life on earth is not always rainbows and cupcakes, and consider how dull and inane existence would be if that were the case. I didn’t require their “saving”.
Clearly I remember the first endeavor to drive me into the flock. My mom took me to one of those ever infamous back masking sermons of the 1980s. Anyone remember those? The Seventh Day Adventists hosted the one we attended. Check out the link below and listen to the track. Then imagine sitting next to your mom, young and impressionable, as the pastor preaches the explicit damnation of your favorite bands.
That was probably one of the most demoralizing experiences for me! Ever! Music is my life! And to have some imperious adults promise that you were “going to go to hell and would never see your mommy again” if you listened to Led Zeppelin, KISS, The Who, The Eagles, or even ABBA for fuck’s sake was more than traumatizing. The intention wasn’t to “save” me, unless scaring a seven year old girl into submission is some perverse form of salvation.
It took me a few years to override the programming. But sure enough, once I had, some strange pastor guy randomly appeared at my house to talk to ME specifically about accepting Jesus Christ as mypersonal savior, so that I would not “die and go to hell“. I told him that I was ten years old and completely incapable of making such a life-altering decision. In retrospect, I think that guy just wanted to get his fleshy white fingers of judgement on my dark personal bits.
The proselytizing followed me into middle school and junior high. Everyone I knew attended church regularly (Monday, Wednesday, and Sunday), or at the very least, they brandished strong convictions in Christ and feigned their church-going. I hated church. I hated everything about it. As far back as I can remember, church was the most insidious place you could send me. Everyone was so awkward, concealing their hearts and intentions, speaking from a bromidic mind, and ever anxious about hell. So many restrictions. I couldn’t understand why it was so popular. It was full of posturing and deceit, and the music was downright dreadful.
Over the course of secondary school, I think I was “saved” at least five times by five different churches/pastors. Maybe it was three. Nevertheless, my suspicions of the church crystallized into the principles I hold today. And it’s not that I am specifically anti-Christian; I am more anti-authority. I have a good handful of friends who identify as Christian, and that’s their path, their Will, and I respect that. But it is not mine. ‘Cause for me, no sooner were I to submit to an organization that demands the eternal sacrifice of my spiritual Will to some spurious authority, well, in my estimation, my Will would no longer be mine. Then to adhere to the standard classifications and teachings as posited by the church, only the word of “God” matters. Anyone else can go to hell. Assimilation complete.
Demon
Demon
So there I was. I’ll pass, thank you. I experience no binary existence between light and dark. I only recognize parts of a cycle, one and the same. And I am, have always been, and will always be part of this infinite cycle.
And here I am, Now, with you entering the darkest part of the year-the part of the year that appears to frighten such followers. All the hullaballoo about ghosts and demons and witches really raises the hackles. For me, the things that live in the dark have every right to exist as much as the things that live in the light. As humans, we occupy the entire spectrum. The interplay of light, shadow, and color shape experience and perspective. We are literally blind within the extreme polarities of light and dark, so there is no empirical way for any human to know what is IN the dark OR the light, much less what the dark or the light actually IS! We don’t fucking know! All I see is potential.
So much time is spent glorifying the light, and the darkness gets cursed, labeled as evil, and dragged behind a truck. The darkness should be equally revered. Darkness provides universal balance. The emotional values attached to light and dark are human constructions promulgated by and through socio-religious hegemony, and we have been duped into believing that darkness is, has been, and always will be bad, and consequently, light is, has been, and always will be good. Without darkness, there is no rest. Darkness provides us an opportunity to slow down, turn inward, and observe. In darkness, our personal demons and ghosts and witches or whatever images you contain rise to surface of our awareness, allowing us the opportunity to fully grasp and embrace the very core of our being. Working at a dark level enables us to shine at the light level. You gotta work the soil in order to grow the crops.
I’ve never been afraid of the dark. Surprisingly, I’ve always feared attention, though I sure go out looking for it! I’ve always been self-conscious, because I know how intense I am, and I know I have frightened and intimidated people unwittingly. (Though there has been some intention at times, but that’s another story.) Plus I’m a little weird. From my perspective, the church community’s solution was to badger me into servility, so I would no longer go around grating on Christian sensibilities and offending the general populace of small town Arkansas with my innate eccentricity. Or there was theother way, celebrate my darkness and go to “hell” with my music, my ideas, and my man. And I gotta say, going to “hell” was the best decision I ever made!
Happy Halloween y’all! Give your demon a squeeze! Happy-Halloween



10/23/2013

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Summer Bittersweet Stuff 

Hi everyone,
Sorry I've not written or posted in a while...the Januariez were really busy up until June, and then, we weren't, and now, we haven't been. It's hard to drive a band when the engine is missing some cylinders, and in our case, there was too much downtime between shows and tours. One of us would go out of town for a while, and we'd go without practice for a month or two. After a while, we lost momentum. Or perhaps it was just me. And in the end, it probably is only me.

So. We have been on hiatus since June. We also took a break from late November to March, and we've had to turn down some awesome shows during those periods. There are only so many shows you can turn down before it begins to affect your trajectory. The last query I received, however, instead of turning down the gig, I asked to play solo, and well, that's what's happening! I have my first solo gig Aug 26 at The Sunset. Doors at 7:30. $6. I'm first.

As far as the future of The Januariez goes, I have no idea if and when we will be playing out again or what that line up will look like. Right now, it's not moving. Everyone's busy with other projects, and I'd rather not force it. So for the time being, I will only be performing my songs solo. What happens along the new path remains to be seen.

With all that said, I am still performing with live bands, and I've spent the summer jamming and playing with different people. Most recently, I started playing with a band called Taxidermy Western. They are kinda like a Johnny Cash meets QOTSA sort of band. Really grimy with strong imagery. It's cool, cause for years I've tried to get lead guitarists to make their guitars sound "like a ghost" on a couple of my songs, and no one ever quite knew what I meant. I stepped into rehearsal with Taxidermy, and they busted out that exact phrase in describing how they wanted something done! Total trip and a good omen! So I'm singing and making eerie noises. It's fun, and I'm doing something different and cool. We played our first show together last Friday at Chop Suey, and there's potential for more. Go like them on FB and reverbnation!

On a different front, I am back to teaching on a larger schedule. I don't know if you remember, but I was hit by a van on my bike almost 2 years ago. I broke/bruised a few ribs, damaged a lot of soft tissue, and re-arranged my entire perspective. I just don't see the world the same way, and I know I am not even the same person. My brain just functions better. I feel sharper. So much so that I signed on to volunteer with Rain City Rock Camp for Girls.

Rain City Rock Camp is hands down the most amazing thing I've ever been a part of. I wish I'd had this camp when I was a kid. Sure it's a rock camp, but they compliment it with self defense, body image workshops, media literacy, and self-empowerment! At my interview, they asked me if I could make an all day training, and I remember thinking, what the hell is going on that requires a full day training? And well, when I realized the camp's mission, it all made sense. Some of these girls have never touched an instrument in their lives, and this camp creates a safe space for young girls to find their power. Absolutely amazing! Note that there is also a ladies rock camp in the fall! Perfect for those who have never played an instrument but have always wanted to!

And then, about the time I joined up with RCRC, the School of Rock announced it was moving only blocks from my house. I've been teaching for years, so I dropped off a resume and cover letter right before they opened. After a couple of follow-ups, I met up with the manager, and less than a week later, I was hired for a songwriting summer camp. Currently I am only a sub, but the place is growing! Looking forward to what's ahead!

That's about it on the music front. The rest of my life has been pretty busy, too, but that kinda goes without saying. It's good to be here!
xo
J-kNee

And the Beat Goes ON.... 

Whoa!! Here we are in the middle of a bunch of travel. Tomorrow morning we head to LA for the ASCAP "I Create Music" Expo. I attended a few years back, and it was one of the best experiences I've had in the industry. Looking forward to seeing old friends, new friends, family, and meeting some awesome folks! For the record, we want to personally thank Corbett, Dan, Estebo, Gilman Street, Urban Wolves, Mad Judy, Point of View, Break Anchor, Joe, Erik Anarchy, Linc, Red Room, Patty at the Baby Bar, Catholic Guilt, Ray's Golden Lion, Jeff, Ooooz, JFKFC, The First Losers, Deadeye, Darrell's, Dan, Jack, Half Rushmore, Rocket Surgery, Skyeler, Lullwater and Favors the Bold(yall were outta control!), NWCZ, Darrell, Sherrie, Cody, Ion Storm, Super Desu. Thanks for everything!

Last time I wrote, we were preparing for our tour, which has now reached its final leg. We have played some great shows with some great bands and met some great people. We also played some not so good shows and encountered some not so awesome conditions. But that's okay, cause we got some new songs out of the deal! Tri-Cities will have its very own song! haha! For those who don't know, Hanford is located near Tri-Cities. It is a radioactive dump, and according to the locals, it has produced some radioactive tumbleweeds. In an effort to identify them (if they happen to blow into town) authorities had them painted bright pink. They say if you see a pink tumbleweed, call the government and they will give you $500. There is much more to this story, and it will be told soon!

Anyway, I took some photos and video while we were out. It's not the best quality by any means, but you'll get the gist. No pink tumbleweeds, though.

Catholic Guilt

Spokane

Spokane

Rocket Surgery

Mount Shasta

Urban Wolves

Break Anchor

Point of View

Yall know what this is


Weed, California

Erik Anarchy

Erik Anarchy

Mad Judy

I can't find the photos from Eugene and Tri-Cities for some reason. I know they are up on FB and Twitter. sigh.

And finally, here's some rough video from Tri-Cities.


It won't let me link one of our news songs... just go to our youtube page: thejanuariezband

Stay tuned for photos and video while in LA. Can't wait to share!

As soon as we get home, we have a show at The Comet with our Bay Area friends, Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits and Seattle's own Bottlenose Koffins. This show is gonna kill! It's already broken Beau's shoulder, and now City of Industry will have to delay their debut. Check out this here little video from BJE! It will all make sense.



We've been singing this song like mad!

Well, that's it for now! Send us a message if you wanna catch us in LA.

much love!
j-knee

The Januariez 2013 Spring Tour 

It's going down! 



The Februariez are Already Here... 


The Februariez are Already Here…

And I didn't send out a newsletter for January. Personally, January has always been a busy month: my b-day, taxes, planning for the new year. Historically, it is the doorway to the year, which I have always found intriguing. I like doors. Doors are utilitarian and aesthetic. You can let things in, or lock them out. You can filter what you want, allowing in light and sunshine without the accompanying insects. There is no end of beginning with the doorway, and you cannot close one door without opening another. During the segment of the year between the Winter Solstice and Candlemas, I lay low, working on new music, planning the following year, reflecting on the past year, making decisions, and throwing out the things that no longer serve me. 

So we have some cool stuff to announce!

First of all, we have had some amazing reviews, as well as an interview, this year! 




We've also been receiving quite a bit of internet radio play as well as commercial airplay! We have a couple of more interviews coming up, too! Be sure you follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay posted! 

Thursday February 28, I will be participating in the ASUW's Everybody, Every Body Art Gallery and Fashion Show! It's an annual event that celebrates and promotes healthy body image awareness. I will be performing an intimate 3 part piece titled The Mirror. "This work is an exploration of a reflection of past, present, and future selves and identities. The aggregate of these reflections illustrates my understanding of the nature of refraction at an emotional and social level. We are what we project."  The first part of the piece has never been performed anywhere, and I'm actually kinda scared, cause it is soooo hard to play! ha! Come out and celebrate!

In March, We are heading out in somewhat of a fractured tour. I don't know how many of you know, but I am married with 2 boys. This makes traveling difficult. Granted my kids are now in high school and middle school, it is still hard for me to take time off away from home. The fact that I'm doing ANY of this amazes me. I got pregnant when I was 24, and I had believed at that point, that my life as a musician was over. (Though I never sold my gear, I must have had an inkling…) I took SEVEN years off from playing. I would pick up my acoustic every now and then, and I retained most of my theoretical knowledge, but my chops were gone. After I graduated college and got my kids in school, I searched for a job that would employ my newfound skills, but the only good playing job I could find was writing for an online porn magazine. I made really good money, but I hated my audience. I hated what I was writing about. I hated the objectification. I was so angry about the whole thing, because the doors weren't opening for me the way they had before when I was playing music, and I was promoting something I didn't agree with. A few months later, I was cruising Craigslist for jobs, and I saw a posting for a guitar teacher. I had experience teaching and working with kids in particular. I had years of experience playing, but I was out of practice. I wanted to get involved again, so I emailed with my resume asking if I could volunteer. Instead, they wrote me asking me to teach. I tried to to turn it down, saying how out of practice I was, and again, they insisted. The door had opened, and there I was teaching music with the likes of Laura Viers, Lori Goldston, and Rachel Flotard. What's really funny is that I didn't know who any of these ladies were, except for Lori, cause I had met her back in the early 90s when she worked with Nirvana. What's more is that I learned that Lori and Laura and I shared some close mutual friends. Friends who have nothing to do with music, but who have everything to do with life! 

That was 7.5 years ago. I have been writing, playing, practicing, and teaching ever since! Slowly and deliberately, I keep moving onward and upward. I remember asking Laura how she got where she was, and she told me she took one step at a time, making each goal, each step attainable. I have carried that gem with me ever since. 

I am still setting goals, and I'm still juggling a family, a home, teaching, session work, writing music, the band, and all the business work that goes into running a band. So we're going out on three 4-day excursions beginning March 14th. We are still trying to sort out a few last minute dates for confirmation, but this is what we got! Some doors open on their own time...

March 14- Spokane, WA    The Baby Bar w/ Catholic Guilt
March 15- Tri-Cities, WA   Ray's Golden Lion w/ J.F.K.F.C. and The First Losers
March 16- Shoreline, WA  Darrell's w/Rocket Surgery and Half Rushmore
March 17- Tacoma, WA     NWCZ radio interview 

March 28- Eugene, OR      Black Forest  w/ Lullwater    
March 29- Berkeley, CA    924 Gilman St w/ Cold Feelings, Break Anchor, Mad Judy, Urban Wolves, and Point of View
March 30- Somewhere       tba
March 31-PDX                     Red Room w/Ion Storm, Erik Anarchy, Super Desu, and Fluid Spill

April 17-21- LA  ASCAP EXPO
show tba 

April 22- Seattle                   The Comet w/ Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits and the City of Industry
May 4-    Seattle                   The Skylark w/Animals in Cars and Sources in Code

And some time in between we will be getting that video together. The line up changes kind of put everything behind… but not too far, cause we are already planning our next album! 

We're really looking forward to playing out and seeing you all again! It's been too long! 

Much love!
J-kNee

PS, I have created a personal tumblr page where I have been posting poetry, random photos, and other musings. Check it out! 

Happy Holidays! Tour Re-cap and Confessions 


Well hello everyone! I am finally getting around writing about the last few months, which included the release of our debut full length album, AUTHENTIC (and I am unable to express how exciting this has been), the supporting shows (even more exciting), and all the cool bands, people, and venues we met along the way (by far the best part). Special thanks to all the new folks who joined the mailing list!

So last time we talked, it was October. (That seems light years away from me now…) We were in the building up phase, I guess. (Recording, mixing, and mastering the album feels like last year.) And it was so easy compared to the stress of getting the timing of everything else right. See, I've have never done this before. Ever. 

Sure, I've recorded and released stuff before, but I've never actually planned anything out. In fact, I don't think I've ever truly planned anything. As I'm writing this right now, I have no plan for what I'm going to say. I just go with it…

This album was the most collaborative thing I've ever done. I have to be honest about myself here, but sharing, collaboration, and compromise have never been my strong suits. I prefer to tell people what they should do, simply because I think my way is the best way. I know I have run a lot of people off intentionally and inadvertently. I don't regret any of it; my mistakes are only that. I am what I am, and no one can change that except me. 

That all said, if I don't know how to do something, I will ask for help if there is someone clearly more qualified than me. I know this sounds funny, but it is appallingly true. (I used to try to hide this from people, but I don't think I had anyone fooled.) And what's worse is that I really do want to collaborate. I love the idea of it, but I digress. 

When this band started (and I suppose you could say it started in 2007, since we are playing some of the songs my previous control freak of a project played), these were my songs. I wrote the lyrics, the bass, the melody, the harmony, the guitar, (I have pulled people in to play lead or add a part here or a backing vocal there, but those were all works for hire.) It was a way for me to get a sense of potential collaborators without feeling obliged. 

Over the years, these songs have evolved, but I didn't realize how much they could change by sitting back and letting a drummer play. Every drummer I have ever played with took the music home and studied it before showing up to play. Reno is the total opposite. He listens to what is happening right then, and plays what he feels. It is the most awesome thing ever. These songs are no longer only my songs; they have become Reno's songs. They have become The Januariez songs. 

Right after we recorded, Tony rejoined us. Tony and I have been playing together since 2007. I think his records say 2008 (cause that's when I released the EP for that band), but I distinctly remember playing the Skylark November 2007 with him and his band Mofius backing me up. Seeing Blind was on the bill, too! That was my first show after taking a SEVEN year hiatus to have babies and go to college. Not only had I not been on a stage in 7 years, but I was singing and playing guitar, whereas in the past, I had always played bass and sang backups. 

Mofius never played with me again, but Tony stayed on for the next  two years until it was clear to me that I needed to kill the project and figure out something else. I quit drinking and focused on recording an EP that would not only help me find some solid people to work with, but also might garner a little attention. That was the January 16,91 EP. By the time it was released (June 2011), The Januariez were a four piece band with shows on the calendar. By the time of our first shows, we had become a trio. After our SXSW trip, Josh quit, and I asked Tony to sub for a few shows and step in on the recording. Tony filled in until we found Brian. Brian was with us only long enough to record, whereafter we begged Tony to come back. 

(Part of the deal was that we would help out on Shai Azul projects… I am actually working on lyrics and vocals for one of their songs now! I will share the details when it becomes more detailed. )

So Tony is back, and he has asked to play some songs from the old band. And Reno has requested we play some of those songs, too. But it's crazy, cause they aren't the same songs anymore. And then we've written a good handful of new songs. We already have enough material for another album! And what is so awesome is that the new songs are truly collaborative. There is no planning! They just happen! 

Back to the album...The recording process, the mixing, the mastering, the manufacturing, the artwork, all of that, came together pretty easily. There was no stress. We set reasonable deadlines with lots of flexibility. We hired Blue Shoes Media to help us with PR. And the booking of the out of town shows was relatively painless. The only show that was really difficult to book was our CD release party. It was kind of an anomaly. We wanted to do something different, and well, it was different! Note to self* in booking a CD release, stick with the venue you know! That all said, I'm glad so many of you came out to support us! And I'm super stoked we got to play with The Black Tones and Three For T. Check them out!



We also played a pre-release show in Tacoma at the New Frontier. For some reason, I thought it was on 6th Ave, and I went up and down 6th Ave until Reno told me it was down by the Tacoma Dome. doh! But it was fun! We played with Sources in Code and Sleeper Cell which are made up of Tacoma guys I have known for a long time, some of which share long sordid histories. It was cool, we swapped CDs with Cody Foster Army, we played a fun set, and a ton of friends came out, including my old restaurant pals. 

The rest of our gigs were in towns we're never played. They were our best shows! 

FRIDAY NOV 2 @ EAST END





This show kicked ASSS! It felt like we were playing in a basement! All the bands we played with were awesome, and JAmie Stewart from a local radio show Emotional Weather Report broadcasted live. I wish we had photos of all the bands we played with, cause the show was stellar. I have a crapberry, and aside from no memory, the photos wouldn't be worth it. Check all these guys out!  

FRIDAY NOV 9 @ RAY'S GOLDEN LION





Ray's Golden Lion is a monument to music! I didn't know what to think when we got there…it's a Mongolian Grill with a bar and a stage. Word is that the likes of Ike and Tina Turner and Frank Sinatra have played here, as well as the Reverend Horton Heat. As of last month, The Januariez have, too. The show was all age, and we played to an enthusiastic crowd and shared the stage with some killer bands! I'm just glad we played before Leona X, cause they killed!


SATURDAY NOV 10 @ THE CABIN



Playing The Cabin was like playing The Poggie Tavern in West Seattle. We didn't start until 10pm, and there were quite a few colorful people in the bar, esp a regular we re-named Sparky. I don't have a picture of him either. The other band, Old Mutt, were a bunch of minors doing these Black Sabbath style songs. They were really good! 

SUNDAY NOV 18 @ BLACK FOREST



This was the last show for the season. The Black Forest was super cool! We were really stoked for this show because the guys in Bobby Joe Ebola are good pals with my friend Fluke who puts out a fanzine. I love it how small the world is! I wish I had some shots from the show… if someone does, please share! 

So what's next? We will be releasing an exclusive Xmas edition of Authentic, sometime next week (see first few paragraphs). All the songs are backmasked. It is titled: FAKE: What the Songs Really Mean. Or something like that. We haven't really given it a title yet. We'll share the title when it's released next week. In the meantime, gotta figure out what I am really saying. The free album download will be available via bandcamp. 

Also, our SXSW documentary video has been delayed. We had a goal date of the album release with a deadline of March 2013. We intend to have it out by then, but for the moment we don't have a real date. 

And finally we have begun booking our spring tour! (The madness never stops). We will hit the towns we just played and step out a little with dates in SF and LA. SF date will be in March, and the LA date will be in April. We should have more details after the new year. Keep checking our website for details! 

Thanks again for reading! We love you!

PS Keep an ear our for our single "Dying Man" on your local college station or college hour. We've been getting radio play across the nation. If you have the inkling, call and request us!

And one more thing...I am going to be deleting most of the content on my personal profile on FB before the new year. I really need to ditch it. You can find me on Twitter or Google+. 

Have a great holiday! 



The Album is Here! 


Okay everyone! I know I've not posted anything since June. And the last time I posted, I said something about recording an album. I also spoke of a new bass player. Prior to that, we were traveling, playing shows, and shooting random/not-s0-random video. 

An entire season has gone by. Now it's time to show everyone what we've been working on! Firstly, our CD release party for our debut album, Authentic. 

The Januariez CD Release Masque!
feat Three for T and The Black Tones
special prizes for peeps in costume!
Drink Specials

SATURDAY OCTOBER 27th 
El Corazon Lounge
$8 advance/$10 day of show
8pm all ages 


We spent a chuck of July with Jack Endino. Recording, LISTENING, mixing, LISTENING, mixing, and more LISTENING. And I think we got ourselves a good CD. 

We are super excited!

But wait! There's more!  We have set up something of a small tour. Here are the dates so far:

Oct 20  Tacoma, WA 
@ The New Frontier
with Sources in Code, Shrouded in Veils, and Midnight Graves

Oct 27  Seattle, WA
@ El Corazon Lounge
with Three for T and The Black Tones

Nov 2 Portland, OR
@ East End 
with Pink Slip, The GoodSons, and Right On John

Nov 9 Richland, WA
@ Ray's Golden Lion
with Leona X, Static Box, and Tragedy Within

Nov 18 Eugene, OR
@ Black Forest
with Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits. 


We will be adding shows throughout October, so stay tuned to Twitter or Facebook. 

Now, onto bass players. As you know, my old friend Tony Rivera stepped in to help on some gigs while we found a replacement for Gorilla. As it turns out, we all reached the conclusion that the three of us are a really good fit. So Tony has officially joined us as the permanent bass player! Yay Tony! In exchange, I will be providing vocals for Tony's solo project, Shai Azul. 

And now the bit about the video….

We had planned to make a short documentary about our travel to SXSW last March. Well, the direction of the video has somewhat shifted. With Gorilla's departure, the new album, and everything else, well, a shift seems to be in order. We plan to have some footage ready to go with the official CD release. 

So that's it for now! It's been a very busy summer! We're really excited to share our work! 

Until next time!
xoxo
J-kNee

April Newsletter! 

Is it really April? Did we really play all those shows? Are we really back home getting ready to play another good string of shows? I think the answer is yes! 

March had to be one of the most exciting months I've experienced personally in some time. Beginning with all the awesome shows we did with Alice Bag and ending with our trip to the Mid-South. I think the best way to illustrate our shows is with some good old fashioned video footage! And thanks to everyone who donated to our Kickstarter project, we are in the midst of editing our documentary. At the moment, we are not sure when it will be finished. We're still waiting on some other footage. And there are a couple of you who are slated to be in the documentary, but we have not filmed you yet…

In the meantime, here are some highlights from last month:

Women Who Rock Conference

Women Who Rock Oral History Project

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/38791040?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="400" height="295" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/38791040">Women Who Rock Oral History Project Preview</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1848471">Angelica Macklin</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

The Babylon Death Party 



Downtown Music Hall on St Paddy's Day


The Jackalope





Hardtails





The Mid-South was great as always! I got to see so many old friends and family at every single show! And it was so warm… springtime is so hard for me in the PacNW, because the days are getting longer, but it's not really getting warmer. It's like a bad joke. This is the time of year I long to be in Texas or Arkansas or Southern California. But not Florida. I never yearn for Florida. Sorry mom. 

Next time we fly South, we will NOT play a show the very next day. The band really needs a day to adjust to the weather. It was in the low 80s and very humid out when we played The Jackalope in Austin. When we finished our set, Gorilla went outside for fresh air, and there was none! It was cooler in the venue than outside. He started feeling really bad and his face turned white and his eyes were going dark. We think he was a bit dehydrated, so we had to leave the venue before all the other bands were finished. When we got back to Natasha's apartment, Gorilla took 6 or 7 hours to recover. After that, we were gold! We hung out in Austin checking out the local scene at Trophy's, and then I hit the MEOW lunch, and then we drove to Hot Springs, then to Little Rock, then drove to Georgetown, TX the next day, back to Austin that night, and then we flew home the following day! 

When we got home from our trip, I was thinking, wow, cool, we have a couple of weeks to relax before we start playing out again. WRONG! My friend and videographer, John Dorman, emailed to let me know he was going to be in town the next week and wanted to shoot video! Remember that Kickstarter documentary we were pushing? Well, we finished filming just last night! John headed back to Boston this morning.

So? What's next, you ask? 

Well, while John is editing footage for our documentary, we have some great shows coming up this month! Here are the flyers!





We are also preparing to record this summer. As I mentioned in our last newsletter, our recording had been postponed due to my bicycle accident. I am mostly recovered, and my voice is mostly working. So we are scheduled to record with Jack Endino in July. We are totally stoked! And the timing couldn't be any better! By that time, we will have been together over a year and have over 20 shows under our belt. What a perfect way to celebrate! At the moment, we are aiming for an October release. We'll keep you posted. 

Until then, we want to thank everyone who contributed to the success of last month's events:

Alice Bag
Medusa
Women Who Rock Community
In Arts NW Collective
Tony James
Kook Teflon
Steve Dave
Starr Harris
Ashanti
Sarah Huxold
Scott Walker
Luke Papineau
Linda Scott
Thomas Valle-Guatemala
Christina Radocha
The Mabry Family
Melody Danford
Heather Pierce
Ron Mabry-Smith
Gloria Staggs
Jay T Conrad
Texas peeps
Arkansas peeps
Natasha Marilyn
Bircho Birch
Melissa Lane
Kristen Counihan
Shannon Harris
Samantha Allen
Witchburn
Transfer
LIFTOFF!
Glittercore
The Many Persian Z's
Seeing Blind
In Cahoots
Furniture Girls
Sightseer
Darrius Willrich
Rob Marcus
Lucifer
Darrell's
Critical Sun
Home Alive Documentary
Steven Sterne
Tony Rivera
Julia Hensley
Marcy and Ed Harrington
Tim Daniels
Richard Reynolds
Kari Asadorian
Fluke Fanzine
Scott Reynolds
Rob-O Connor
Andi Stracner
Ana Mae Cupcakes
Kyle Caldwell
Jonathan Seeber
Neil and Nancey Martin
Brenda Scallon
Amy Denio
Heather Ward
Troy Lund
Tanya and Devin Briggs
Steve Goodin

Much love! 
J-kNee