PHYLLIS JOHNSON: vocals/keys/acoustic & electic guitar/bass/accordion/drums
STEFAN JOHNSON: slide guitar
PAUL JARMAN & MATT WEAVER: drums
Influences
NO PARTICULAR ORDER: Beatles, Byrds, Kinks, Zombies, Stones, Bowie (Ziggy Stardust), Dylan, Brian Wilson, Joni Mitchell, Dusty Springfield, Carole King, Neil Diamond, Monkees, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimmy Webb, Doors (Ray Manzarek!), Emitt Rhodes, Cat Stevens, Left Banke, CSNY, Badfinger, Todd Rundgren, Elton John, Billy Joel, Steely Dan, Guess Who, Squeeze, Crowded House, XTC, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Don Gibson, Merle Haggard, Gram Parsons, CCR, NRBQ, Elvis!, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Eagles, Jellyfish, PFR, Phil Keaggy, Keith Green, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, Prince, Sly & the Family Stone, Elliott Smith, Randy Newman, k.d.lang, Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Julie London, Gershwin, Cy Coleman, Clare Fischer, Brahms, Schumann, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, & my guilty pleasure, Barry Manilow. Yes, I'm a fanilow (:
Sounds Like
"She lives in Rubber Soul Land," a friend once stated. A brew of the Beatles, Byrds, 60's Kinks, Stones, Dylan, Doors, Brian Wilson, Monkees, 70's Elton John, and Elliott Smith. Classical, country, r&b, jazz, and gospel influences complete the mix. Comparisons with 70's Todd Rundgren, McCartney, Badfinger, Sheryl Crow, Aimee Mann, and Sam Phillips have been made.
Isolated and painfully shy, Phyllis found a companion in music. By age 5, the precocious farm girl was playing piano by ear. She routinely ran the car battery dead listening to the Beatles. Phyllis inherited her passion for music from her mother, a country singer, who sang with the 70's band, the Skylarks. “She could squeeze every ounce of pathos out of her songs," Johnson recalled. Phyllis, mostly self taught, gained recognition as a uniquely gifted singer/multi-instrumentalist. Upon graduation, she won the honorable Lillian Paulson Hauge piano scholarship. By 19, a St. Paul audition landed her in Prince's camp. "I never met Prince, but was one of the gnomes in his purple kingdom!", she jested. "Our producer was twice removed from Prince so our band was pretty low on the food chain," she added. Artistically constricting, Phyllis left the r&b band along with any hopes of a Warner Brothers deal. She hooked up with the acclaimed UND Jazz Choir, receiving 1st place national honors in Chicago and a spotlight in Down Beat Magazine. The Greeley Jazz Fest (the largest in the nation), awarded Phyllis 1 of 2 microphones for outstanding soloist. She was the only singer invited to tour with the reputable UND Jazz Band. A prolific songwriter, Phyllis had amassed a respectable catalog of songs and featured them in several original/cover bands including TBC, Jedd Zepplyn, The Suffering Bastards, & The Beatitudes. The charity album, “Another Christmas" (an original project), drew fans from Liverpool to Africa in spite of it's modest production. At age 25, a debilitating voice disorder forced her into retirement, ending a promising career. “You've been given a lemon…make lemonade," were the doctor’s words. Now, 15 years later, Phyllis is back. The formidable voice she was accustomed to has been replaced with a more fragile, world-weary one. Anticipate a double length CD of old school, redemptive, melodic pop/rock songs from a catalog 20 years deep, appropriately titled, "Lemonade."
~N. D. Griffith
Isolated and painfully high, I can't believe Im not on your top friends page! Do you discriminated against dufus'es? Well ok then, I totally understand! But what I can't understand is why there is no new music up....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I have the Operation get me Jebus onna line....
The gifts I'd leave beneath your tree, Aren't those that you can touch or see, Not wrapped in Christmas paper
But gifts to bless you every day. The gift of friendship warm and true, Is one that I would leave for you
Good health and happiness and cheer To keep you smiling through the year The gift of peace that comes from God, With prayer to guide each path you trod And when your heart has lost it's song The gift of hope to cheer you on.
Dropping by to say hi. Hope your having a relaxing Sunday. The holidays are coming time to spread joy and good will. Happy Holidays to you and yours. Keeping it low, Cole
Hi Phyllis, Hope you had a good thanksgiving with plenty of "huffin down the stuffin" lol. How are you doing these days?~plenty on your plate I expect. Hope everything is going well with the writing, can't wait to hear some more of your excellent work. Plenty going on at this side at the moment, just finding that the finishing touches are the most difficult to get right. In the meantime, take good care of yourself. Warmest regards, Paul
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