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Welcome to The Januariez blog! You can find news and other information about the band here! Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

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!