john
Deadlines
Originally published in Seattle Weekly The next few weeks are going to be a stressful time for me. After a period of many months where all I’ve done is restfully contemplate my navel and dig holes in my garden, my band… » More inside
Light Rail and Liquor in Seattle and Portland
Originally published in Seattle Weekly I took the train down to Portland over the weekend to play a variety show called Live Wire, which is broadcast on the Oregon Public Radio. The show is like A Prairie Home Companion if you… » More inside
Selling Out, Again.
Originally published in Seattle Weekly One of the most prevalent misconceptions about music, and the music business, is that the truly talented musicians don’t need to, or shouldn’t have to, promote or publicize themselves. Publicity is naively thought of as the… » More inside
Collaboration is Hard for Anyone
Originally published in Seattle Weekly It’s not a simple thing to collaborate, let me tell you. Songwriting, unlike painting or novel-writing (or meditating) lends itself easily to team effort because there are two distinct halves to a pop song — music… » More inside
Competition Among Bands
Originally published in Seattle Weekly There is, of course, a lot of competition between bands. It’s an obvious thing to say—like saying there are a lot of Skoal Bandits at a Kenny Chesney show. But the competition between bands seldom looks… » More inside
Sasquatch Poker Skills
Originally published in Seattle Weekly A few years ago I was invited to join a small, friendly poker game that was just starting up among a group of Seattle music people. I knew most of the players already, or knew them… » More inside