Where the Hell Have We Been? Let Me Tell You!

I really didn't realize until today that I had not blogged in almost 2 months, and that we are going into the studio to record an album's worth of material tomorrow. What the hell happened? I only closed my eyes for a second. It's Halloween weekend, and we're recording, which is way cool! Yet it's bittersweet that I won't be out to socialize.

A lot has happened in the last few months. Obviously, we settled on recording time, and we're working out the logistics with our new label Critical Sun. We're very excited to be working with them. I feel like I can speak on behalf of everyone in The Januariez here, but I cannot fully express here how much I enjoy everyone I've met and have had the pleasure to work/perform with. Everything is happening so fast. Even the recording. It's kinda scary, but I am of the mind that the more it scares me, the more I should do it! The gloves are off!

But aside from all that, other things have come into play. Although these things are personal, I cannot attempt to separate them from my life as a musician. So much of what I experience on a personal level informs the very music of The Januariez, especially the lyrical content. And I'm sure that seems pretty transparent, but I gotta keep the record straight, even for myself.

September and October have been a wild ride for all of us. Reno and Gorilla J went on a 2 week tour with their stoner rock band, A Sic End. (And do they have stories to go with that!) During which time, my grandfather died. Right after their return, we jumped back into practice. A week or so later, I was in a collision on my bicycle. A man ran a red light, and I attempted to avert his van and failed. I'm okay. I'm recovering. But since the accident, I've been sandwiched in existential reverie.

Needless to say I've been thinking a lot. I had to fly to Arkansas a few weeks ago for the memorial. It was held in Gavleston, TX, but my sister, who is unable to care for herself, lives outside of Little Rock and had no way of getting to Texas on her own. My friend, Jon, and I fetched her for the event and made the 10 hour haul. (It was like a Fellini movie, but that's another story altogether.) My sister was very close to him. He pretty much raised us, but I'd left home a long time ago, and our grandparents were the only real constant in her life.

The reason I share all this is because I know it will shape some music and lyrics to come. It has already begun. The stuff we're recording right now has nothing to do with what has just happened. It has to do with things that have a happened a few years ago. It's so weird to record music that deals with things long gone. As I know that when we get around to recording the music born from the present, which will most likely be another couple of years, I will look at it much the same way. God it feels like time travel.

Well enough of that… I will end up writing lyrics in this blog if I don't stop now!

On a lighter, brighter, and more grounded note, after this weekend of tracking, we have shows coming up! And we're in the process of booking a mini Mid South tour for March! All you Southern lovelies will finally get to see us! We'll keep everyone posted on the details! Until then, we have shows in West Seattle, Bremerton, Shoreline, and we're working on Tacoma and Bellingham. If you are nearby, join us! Our next show is with our label mate, Reji Lefluer!

Thanks again for all your love and support! We love you!
xo
J-kNee

The Furniture Girls are hittin' the road this weekend with fellow CSR Artists The Januariez! Yakima and Roslyn - yer up this weekend!!

August News!

I think summer has finally arrived in Seattle. While the rest of the country is broiling, we've been brooding in 60 degree weather. Which I suppose has served The Januariez , since we have been cooped up in a practice room getting the band tight.

We have our first show THIS SATURDAY!  The Critical Sun Recordings Band Crawl. We are playing THREE shows at THREE different venues in THREE hours. None of us have ever done anything like this, so it is apt to be a learning experience! But it's all for a terrific cause. We're raising money for Music Aid Northwest. Their mission is "to provide funds for people in need by bringing business and community organizations together with the talent and resources of the Northwest music industry. Through our charitable efforts we will enhance and promote music awareness and performance throughout the region."

Please join us!

On a down note, I have some disappointing news. Holly will not be playing with us at the upcoming shows, as she is no longer part of The Januariez . I announce this with much regret and surprise, but it is the best outcome for everyone involved. We wish her well on her journey.

For the time being, Reno, Gorilla J, and I will be performing as a trio. Aside from the August 6th Critical Sun Recordings Band Crawl benefitting Music Aid Northwest, we have the following shows booked:

Saturday 20 August 2011
Poggie Tavern in West Seattle

Friday 26 August 2011
Yakima Sports Center in Yakima, WA

Saturday 08 October 2011
The Blue Moon in Seattle

Tell all your friends! And we will see you soon!

much love,
J-kNee January

Come to OUr Upcoming Shows and Meet Our New Rhythm Section!

Is it really July? Wait, it's approaching the middle of July, and I am now getting around to writing? So much has been happening, I'm having to write this in short stints. 

First things first!

The Januariez would like to formally introduce its new rhythm section!

Meet Gorilla J on bass and Reno January on drums!

Hooray! We love them so!

As mentioned in the previous newsletter, after Holly and I returned from LA, we received a phone call from the bass player of A Sic End asking us if we were still looking for members. Shortly after that phone call, we began having regular practices. Now we've got a set down and we're beginning to write together. It's really amazing how this is coming together. We are all so excited.

So now, you must come out and see us live!

This Wednesday July 13, at Darrell's Closed Mic and Sad Hour, we are playing a short little warm up set. This is the place we all met, so it's the place for us to try things out and get comfortable. We'll be there around 8:30.

Our friends at Critical Sun Recordings have asked us to join the bill for their Band Crawl, August 6th. All proceeds benefit Music Aid Northwest. We'll be joining our friends the Furniture Girls as well as a few other great bands! Should be a killer afternoon and evening of music, fun, and raising money for music education across the Northwest.

Check the flier! Surely you can make ONE of these, since we are playing THREE venues in 2 hours!

We've also been invited to play with the Furniture Girls in Yakima, August 26. I know there's a handful of you in Eastern Washington, so here's your chance to come out and help us tear it up!

Until then, we'll be working on getting some new photos, and we're gonna film the Darrell's open mic. So keep and eye out! We hope you're as stoked as we are!

Until then!

xo,
J-kNee January

How We Got to the Hollywood Sign and Other Business

Hello, hello! Caution! Long road ahead!

I really didn't intend to go so long without writing. But there has been so much going on right now, and I'm super excited to share it with you! Let's see if I know where to start!

Well, I guess I'll start with our name change. Holly and I played the open mic at Darrell's Tavern in Shoreline, which was killer. My friend, Bahia Rowan, made it out as well, and she played some songs she's compiling for a Halloween CD. It was a great night!  There were so many people there. Even Murdock, who used to play with me in Nancy Frieko, sat in with us. There was another guy at the open mic who sat in on bass, and I cannot remember his name for the life of me. (You can smack me next time you see me.) He's married to a woman named Tanya who tried out for us back in March. Super cool lady! Anyway, as we were leaving the stage, Tal, who runs the open mic, called us the Januaries by mistake. I didn't hear it, but Holly did as well as a few other people, and they all thought it was a pretty cool name. After kicking the idea around, we decided to officially change our name. So we looked around online to make sure the name wasn't taken, and sure enough, there was a band from 2000 called The Januaries. So we decided that adding a "z" was the best thing to do. We are now The Januariez! You can check out our new site at http://www.thejanuariez.com . Please feel free to share your feedback, so we can make the new site as awesome as possible.

Talking about the new website, one of the guys we met at the ASCAP Expo is building the site for us! So let me start by sharing what this ASCAP Expo thing is all about. ASCAP stands for the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. They do a lot of things and have a lot of events, but most importantly, they make sure songwriters get paid when their music is used. The Expo, rather the I Create Music Expo, is an annual event held right in the middle of Hollywood's "Walk of Fame".


Yet, I digress. The first night we were there, the expo featured a networking reception. The first person we met knew our friend and local musician, Amy Denio! I about fell over! What are the chances? We met more and more music creators who have had a lot of success from attending the expo. And then the following day, after my one on one session with a music publisher, I ran into one of the people we'd met the night before. He, in turn, introduced me to the people he was talking with, and they, in turn, offered me their cards and asked for copies of the EP. One of the guys had asked me where the Hard Rock Cafe was, and I tried to explain it, and then I just offered to show him. And then he invited me to join him and his friends for happy hour/dinner. Holly was in a panel, so I had to text her to tell her where to meet us. About a half hour later we were all at the Hard Rock cafe.

These guys, Rob, Mark, and Tom, had all graduated college together and were some of the nicest, silliest, and intense people I've ever met. Two of them were publishers and the other is a producer and makes websites. We ended up hanging out with these crazy guys all afternoon. They offered us insight and advice we just couldn't get anywhere else. We parted ways at the next networking reception, cause we were gonna go try to get to the Hollywood sign. So, my friend Pamm picked us up and off we went. We got pretty close, but we couldn't find the trail, and it was getting dark, so we all went back to the hotel with plans to attend one of the showcases. On our way to the room, we ran into Rob, who was one of the guys we'd hung out with earlier, in the elevator. He told us where everyone was going and where to meet up! So, we hooked up with them and a few other people. One of them was a girl name Jessi, who is also a vocalist/lyricist. So we hung out at some restaurant, until it was decided we should go to the dive across the street. That's when we ran in to Mr. t.



Not something you see everyday! hehe. OMG! It was so surreal! But it was great! At any rate, it was great meeting and hanging out with everyone! And Tom, thanks for the website! It's totally appreciated!

We did finally make it to the Hollywood sign! The day of our departure, Pamm snagged us from the hotel with a route in hand! Apparently there is a hiking and a horse trail leading up to the sign. Though you can't get right up to the sign anymore. There's a big fence and cops and stuff! But we got pretty damn close!



And I finally managed to see my first cousin and her new baby (well I guess she's a toddler now). It had been too long! I'm hoping we can host her and her family this summer!

But man, I can't wait to go back! It was a great time!

As for everything else:

As you might remember, Holly and I were expecting to add a female bass player to our line up. Unfortunately, that fell through as quickly as it came about. I really can't get into details, right now. You'll have to wait for VH1's Behind the Music to get the story. Sorry. At any rate, as disappointing as it was for us to have it not work out, we went and played our usual open mics we had previously scheduled. To my surprise, we ended up running into my old friends from Tacoma: Laughtertrain. Laughtertrain is amazing! There are/were one of my favorite bands! I hadn't seen them in years, and there they were, gearing up to play! And to top it off, the Purkster himself got up and sat in with us on our set! It was a great night. Jake said he video taped both Laughtertrain and The Januariez, but I have yet to see the evidence. We'll post it as soon as we get a hold of Jake!

And it seemed like only a few weeks later, Bubba Jones, from Furniture Girls and Critical Sun Recordings, caught interest in us! We were thinking he liked the CD tracks, but it was the crappy open mic video that grabbed his attention. We met with him to discuss "the future". I don't want to get into all just yet, but good things are afoot. Them, just a couple days later, Holly and I went to the Deep Dark Robot show that we promoted. Thinking that Linda Perry would be happy to meet her promoters, only to realize she wasn't, I ran into to StayC from Furniture Girls, who asked me to sit in on a gig the following Saturday night at the High Dive!  It was such a killer show, and being on stage with good people like that is what I live for! Thank you Furniture Girls for everything!

After we returned home, we were back at it! Photo shoot, meetings with Bubba, and I got a message from my pal, Troy, who is the editor for Innocent Words Magazine. He will be featuring a review of the new EP in the June issue. Look for it here: http://www.innocentwords.com/

And finally, I got a call from Josh, the bass player of a Sic End. We met Josh and his drummer, Reno, a few months ago at Darrell's Tavern. Josh wanted to know if he we were still looking for a bass player… 

And there ya have it! That's where we are today. I think I've remembered everything. I really do need to keep up with this thing a little better!

Until next time…
xxoo
j-kNee

The Unforeseen and the Unknown

I've always conceived of rock music as ageless. It keeps you young. It keeps you moving. And age is something that is more determined by attitude rather than an actual number. The more you age, the more you stiffen. And I'm not talking absolutely about the body; the mind has to solidify first. I also conceive of all music as unifying. The true artist wants nothing more than to share his/her art with the world while embracing the art of other fellow artists, regardless of genre. Well, this is what I would like to believe. Perhaps I'm a bit of an idealist.

Enter the open mic at the Greenbean in Greenwood. The Greenbean is a non-profit coffee shop in my neighborhood. Its open mic occurs the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from 7-9. It is advertised online as an acoustic open mic. Fine. Holly and I play rock music, but we do acoustic sets, too. And open mics for us are great practice for playing live and, in our case of late, dealing with the unforeseen. (Though I had a feeling about it, but I'll get to that in a minute.) The open mic was run about a group of, I'm guessing, baby boomers. One of them was dressed in a teal and black striped shirt and had green hair, so I imagined these guys to be "young".

The first four acts consisted of the guys who were putting on the open mic or their friends. That's cool, I thought. They were silly hippie types. I gave them my attention and listened to their songs. Then it was time for me and Holly. We had three songs prepared to play, you know, the standard open mic set. We opened with 16, and I sang my heart out. But as you know, the song 16 is not a happy hippie song. It is about a woman regaining her strength and purpose after an abusive relationship. We finished the song, and though everyone clapped, I could feel tension rising in the room. Not something I feel very often. Then we played Tables and Chairs, which is just a sad song about the realization of personal worthlessness. We finished the song and were getting ready for our final song when the guy running the open mic quickly stood up and told the audience to give it up for us.

WHAT? Wait a minute! We were in the middle of our set. I said, "I thought we had 3 songs." And then one of the friends came up and said we were done cause they were running out of time. And then, the MC told the audience that they had to move things along cause it was 10 minutes to 9 and that they close at nine, but by my cell phone's time, it was 8:06. I sat there in disbelief. Like it really wasn't happening. I didn't understand. Then all the guys running the open mic were up there clearing the way for us to leave.

We walked off to our table where my husband, Ron, was sitting.

We all sat there shaking our heads as the next act went on, which happened to be one of the guys that had been on right before us. He was playing AGAIN. Not only that, but his lyrics were insular: full of inside jokes for his friends-the very ones sitting there running the open mic. One of the open mic guys came up to us and in a condescendingly polite tone said, "Thanks for playing some rock n roll". This is about the time Ron said, "Open mic my ass! This is a closed mic. There is only room for these people and their friends." I looked at him, and asked, "You think we were run off?" Ron answered, "Absolutely you were run off. I sat here and watched the whole thing go down." At this time, the guy after us finished and then the guys running the open mic, who had already played earlier with some of the other guys, got up to sing some covers from the 60s.

I knew something felt weird earlier. We went into the coffee shop around 3pm to find out about the sign up time. We got some tea and sat down. After a few minutes, I considered backing out. I told Holly, "I hope they don't run us out of here." And then, I thought, no, we'll be fine.

And then, there we were at 8:30 pm, just finished playing some powerful songs. And we played really well. And no one wanted to talk to us afterward, which is usually the case. No one asked about the songs. No one asked about my voice. No one said anything except that one guy thanking for playing rock n roll. I looked up at the stage and some guy dressed in a graduation cap and gown was on stage talking about being the Professor Know it All. Holly found a back exit and we left. As I was leaving, a guy in the kitchen told me, "Great job tonight!" He really looked at me. It was sincere. This guy was also very young.

Now it is the morning after, and I'm still sitting here trying to wrap my head around all of it. I don't understand exclusion. I never have. I grew up around it down south. Everything is so segregated. And I didn't understand it there either. That's why I moved here to Seattle. There are many ageless folks here. It's easy to stay young here. I know plenty of musicians the same age as these guys, but who are way younger. You know? Of course, I know people in their 20s who have already stiffened in their thinking. Last night seemed so surreal. I didn't expect it. And I didn't want to accept it, because it doesn't fit my ideal of music. But these people are aged. They are stiffened. And they don't like anything different or new. That's why we were run off. We made them uncomfortable. And isn't that the heart of all exclusivity? Fear of the unknown?

I'm glad we played that open mic. Each situation just makes us stronger!  I hope we jarred their minds loose.
xo,
Jane

No Open Mic Tonight!

Hey everyone!

This is just a quick note to let you know that Holly was in a car accident about an hour ago, and so we will NOT be playing the open mic at Conor Byrne tonight. We really hope this doesn't cause any inconvenience for anyone.

Holly is okay, just a litttle shaken up. The next two open mics are good to go, and we will also be playing Greenwood Elementary School's Rock n Roll Fundraiser Saturday, March 5th. That event starts at 5:30. It will be held in the Commons at Greenwood Elementary School 144 NW 80th Street 98103. $5 suggested donation.

Anyway, sorry for any confusion, and we hope to see you in the next week or so!

xx,

Jane and Holly

UPCOMING SHOWS

Green Bean Coffeehouse	Seattle, WA	Thu Feb 24 11	08:00 PM
Darrell's Tavern	Shoreline, WA	Wed Mar 02 11	08:00 PM
Greenwood Rock n Roll Fundraiser	Seattle, WA	Sat Mar 05 11	05:00 PM
> See More / Details

January News for February

Hello all!

First of all, we want to thank everyone that has been out to see us play over the last month! Your support means everything to us! If you missed us this month, and would like to see what we've been doing, we have posted some live video from the the Skylark on 1/26/2011.

And now, everything else!

The EP is up online. You can listen to the songs on Facebook and ReverbNation. If you haven't become a fan yet, please do! We can keep you updated with pictures, video, and last minute details (like when I got sick a few weeks ago!) The EP has not been officially released yet, meaning no artwork has been put together and nothing has been sent for duplication. And I know I said we weren't going to duplicate, but it looks like plans have changed. We'll let you know when those are finished. Until then, we've been bringing homemade copies to the open mics and giving them away for anyone that signs the mailing list. Once we get some artwork together, the songs will be available for download online.

Holly and I are preparing for a trip to LA. We're headed to the 2011 ASCAP I Create Music Expo. We're really super excited about this. It's been years since I've been to LA, and neither one of us has been to a huge networking conference such as this. Plus, I have some family and friends there I've not seen in a great while! The event will be held in April.

Finally, here is a list of the upcoming open mics:

Sunday 2/20 at Conor Byrne (21+ acoustic set)
Thursday 2/24 at the Greenbean Coffee House (all ages acoustic set)
Wednesday 3/2 at Darrell's Tavern (21+ electric set)

We will continue these open mics until we find a bass player and a drummer.

And finally, I am putting on a fundraiser for Greenwood Elementary School's arts and music program. Please consider attending, Here are the deets:

Greenwood Rock n Roll Fundraiser
feat. Gavin Guss and TBA
Saturday March 5th, 2011
Doors at 5:30pm
Show at 6pm-8pm
Please dress in your best rocker attire!
$5 donation

103 NW 80th street
Seattle, WA 98117
in the Commons
food and beverage available

Hope to see you soon!
xx
Jane and Holly

MOVING FORWARD AND SO STOKED!

Hey!

Thanks for finding us here! I know some of you are brand new, and others have been with me since the beginning. Either way, I'm just gonna start in the usual fashion-at the beginning.


My name is J-knee. I was born and raised in central Arkansas. I've been playing music most of my life, beginning with my first live singing performance at age 3. My grandparents were both singers and involved the local arts community. I participated in all the plays and learned basic music theory in elementary school. At age 11, I joined the school orchestra as a cellist. The following year brought me my first guitar, and I began teaching myself piano the year after. At 16, I started learning drums, and at 18, I picked up the bass.

A month after I turned 20, I took a one way bus to Seattle, WA, but I ended up living in Tacoma. (This is an entirely different story that I won't attempt to discuss here.) I met many great musicians and friends in Tacoma. I played guitar in a band or two, but there were so many guitarists that I decided to focus on bass. I played bass in several bands in Tacoma, most notably Dr. Inme.

A few years later,  I bought a van and decided to travel. I had hoped to do this with a band, but I'm really hard to get along with (at least had been). So I went on my own. Months were spent living in my van traveling down the coast and in the southwest. I stopped in my home state before heading toward the east coast, but I got stuck for a while.

Old friends, nostalgia, and a broken down van tethered me to my own roots for long enough for me to join a couple of bands as bass player and a guitarist. I played bass in an (almost) all girl cover band called Red Sister Planet, and in some weird experimental band called Band for All Seasons. I also played guitar in another band with Skeeter Thompson from Scream and Bircho from Trusty and Black Eyed Vermillion. The latter was an absolute mess.

At one point, I was playing in 3 bands with different roles. That's when life happened. I played my last show at 8 months pregnant. I attempted to continue playing after my oldest son was born, but it was almost impossible for me. Looking for a creative outlet, I enrolled at the local university.

For the next few years, I studied philosophy, English, and creative writing. I also got married, had another kid, and moved back to Washington. Believing that my life as a musician was over, I had become focused on teaching and writing. And after I graduated, I found some freelance work as a writer, but it was all in the porn industry. And you know, it just made me kinda sick after a while.

At this point I had 2 kids, a college degree that seemed worthless, hadn't played any music in a few years, and I was completely depressed. I didn't even know who I was anymore. It's sad to say, but it is so true, when you become a mother, you really forget who you are for a few years. And some people never get past that. I mean, the only thing that seems to matter is keeping that baby alive. My youngest was getting ready to start kindergarten, and I was totally lost. I asked the universe for help.

Not a few months later, a gig teaching guitar to young girls fell in my lap. I even tried to turn it down, saying I was out of practice. But they insisted I teach, cause I had experience teaching. My co-instructor was Laura Viers, who was such a positive influence. She was almost like a guidepost reminding me of which road to take. It was then that I reconnected myself with my love of music. I spent the next year going through old recordings and getting my playing back up to speed.

From then, I began writing music again, this time with confidence in my lyrics. I started looking for people to play with, tapped my old friends and connections, started hitting open mics, taking voice lessons, and then went on to record a solo EP under the name Nancy Frieko.

Throughout my life, I have battled with mental illness and drug/alcohol abuse. On again/off again. Most of the work I did as Nancy Frieko was spent under the influence of alcohol. As of New Year's 2010, I have been sober. I spent all of last year laying low and weeding out my life. I recorded 3 songs with some friends (Dee and Ross) from London, and I began playing live with my friend, Holly.  Holly and I now perform as January.

Which brings us to here and now! Holly and I have been performing weekly open mics while we search for the rest of the line-up. As it stands, Dee, will be joining the live band indefinitely come late March. We are very excited!

We are also in the process of finishing up artwork for the EP. I know. I know. I said I wasn't going to have anything put together, but it looks like I need to now. I really didn't know what was gonna happen with all this. I just wanted people to listen to the songs and love them. I didn't care about the rest. And now, well, people are listening and loving the songs, and I'm a little behind! eek!

So, stay tuned! The updating is ongoing!

xo,
j-knee

Check out music from January