Official Band Name: John Sonntag and The Tall Tones:
Brandon Kurzawa on drums.
Nicola Stemmer on bass.
John Sonntag on guitars, harmonica and vocals.
Influences
my cats racing up the stairs. the late train passing through harbor landing. lightning.
hoboken. ampeg reverb. midnight. october. snow. the farmers road. towns with no traffic lights. black and white movies. smiles. empty highways at night. little feat. old secrets.
the golden hour. Lucille. rain. plowed fields. walking. sleeping. dreaming...
John Sonntag tells of "Chasing Stars" on his new album's title track - but for a growing following of fans who frequent his warm and honest shows, Sonntag is the one to watch.
Reared in the rust belt, later a local legend on the hip scene of Hoboken, New Jersey, and now a distinguished producer-performer based in his home studio in historic Lambertville, NJ, on the banks of the mighty Delaware, Sonntag brings a lifetime's worth and a country-full of musical skills and insights to his exciting concerts and CDs.
Gifted on the guitar, mandolin, harmonica, and piano in addition to his haunting, versatile voice, Sonntag is equally at home in roots-rock, country and funky settings, though he's mastered many genres to transcend them with a style truly his own.
Sonntag's voice can be as sweet as a bird in his tender love songs, or as gritty as the gravel roads of his odes to broken American dreams in the industrial hinterland. There's something for everyone in his music, but no mistaking his sophisticated sound.
Educated at the musician's mecca of Berklee in Boston, seasoned on the urban-folk scene in Hoboken and sought after as an act to share stages with everyone from Alison Krauss to Maria Muldaur, he is also a much-valued sideman and producer in the worlds of indie folk and pop, playing with or producing for DIY favorites as wide-ranging as the power-pop troubadour Mary Ann Farley and the irreverent folk group Girlyman.
Sonntag has made his mark in concerts and conferences throughout the East Coast, and makes an indelible impression on audiences everywhere with his supple vocals, smart arrangements and sharp storytelling. Following a musical path both unpredictable and assured, on Chasing Stars Sonntag confirms that for his creative journey the road is wide and the sky's the limit.
John, great seeing you and hearing you yesterday. Thanks for making I'd Know Exactly What To Do come alive...again!And it was good to see you taking the program title literally. After all, it's not called the Saturday Afternoon FINISHED Song Swap, now is it? Get cracking on that third verse!
A compliment of the work on Arlon's "Salem St." Very tasteful. I always would rather lay back on his stuff because the songs are so good on their own. Nice sounds and playing. Your stuff sounds great too. Never got to hear you play before.
John, It was great meeting you, Lucille and your baby on Saturday at the festival... You did a great set...and the Porchboard bass really added to your songs. Please keep in touch and I hope we get to run into each other many times in the future.. Dave
Hi John, We're looking forward to hearing you play at this years festival... it's gonna be fun. Carla ends the show right after your set. See ya soon, Dave Blackledge
Thank you once again for you guitar stylings yesterday at the Pleasantville Music Festival! You sounded great, and it was really great to work with you!
Ok, I don't usually do this kind of thing, but I got this message the other day in my comment box here at myspace and I just had to pass it around! It said:
"I Think You Should Know" is at #10 on the current Top Ten at TarniusMusic.com! Download it today and help Lackawanna Rail get to #1!
I was pretty excited, and then I went to the page and found out that it was at #5! Anyway, check it out. You can get to the page by going to http://www.tarniusmusic.com/lackawannarail
Like I said, I don't usually spread information this way, but this is kind of neat, you know? Check it out when you get the chance.
Thanks for the add. How did you find me? You beat me to it. I had your card laying here to do it but had not yet. Thanks so much! Hope to see you soon. Enjoyed hearing you.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Well, there is snow and sleet and freezing rain here in the North East. All around yucky weather. It's slippery and cold out, and the good side to the whole thing is that my part time job is closed for today (and I still get paid! whoo hoo!) so I have the chance to sit here and send this comment to all my myspace friends. I'm an old man you know, and I have kind of lost track of who I have sent my thanks to for being my friend here and who I have not. But I really do appreciate you being friends. It's great to have the connection to share experiences and stories, and find out about what kind of things other people out there are doing. I'm glad that we are friends. Thanks for adding us! I hope that we get the chance to meet up out there on the road soon!
