john norman - american roots music
All I've got is firelight, my guitar, and a pen
The Difference
Born June 2014
This month marks the 4th anniversary of my last solo effort, and I thought I would celebrate by streaming all the tracks here on the website! Just click the "Music" tab, and enjoy! I'd also like to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone who helped make this project happen, and to ensure you all that another is on the way, hopefully in the next year or so. I know, I'm the George RR Martin of songwriters. You can't rush genius, people!!!
Hey folks-
SUPER excited to be part of the Sunday Night songwriter series at Dirty Precious, an amazing little new spot in Gowanus, run by my dear friend Katipai Richardson-Wilson. They've been featured in Time Out NY and BK Mag, and are absolutely KILLING IT. So come out and discover a cool new nightspot so you can be all "Oh, I know just the place" next time you're meeting up with your peeps. I'll be going on at 8pm, and playing for an hour or so, and I'll be featuring some new material!
Dirty Precious is located at 317 3rd Ave in Brooklyn. More info on their website.
Our first show after the Holiday Season will be a return to our favorite spot, the legendary Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn. Come see me and the band tear things up at this wonderful gem of a venue Sunday February 28th at 10pm. We've got some new tunes and a few more surprises up our sleeves. Click here for directions and info, and bring a friend!
So, as promised, Brie and I threw together a Christmas album for y'all. We'll be handing out copies to friends and family as we make our holiday rounds, but for those of you we might miss, we wanted to put up a link to download the files as our Christmas gift to you. Thanks for all your support this past year, and we'll see you in 2016! Click here to download all tracks.
For the past several years, I've been working on developing a new, exciting approach to music based on all the influences I've been exposed to in my life, but grounded in the music of my childhood and my southern ancestry. I certainly haven't been working in a vacuum, and I thought it was high time that the name of this project reflected that. "Blood will tell" is an old hillbilly saying meaning that family traits (often bad) are inescapable, and will return generation after generation. I prefer to see it through the lens of genetic memory: all the things we are, good and bad, are influenced by the actions of those that came before, and will influence those that come after, on a blood-deep level. There are infinite stories within us. Our blood will tell those stories, given the time and the silence. In any case, I think it rolls off the tongue. Big thanks to my two main bandmates, Briana Lobbett and Pearl Rhein, as well as Ryan Hyland and Rob Nelson who played on my last album, and all my friends and family who bring their energy and inspiration to this work. You are all The Blood Will Tell.
Hello dears. Hope you all had a fantastic summer. The band and I have had a restful month, and we're looking forward to polishing up some new material and re-connecting with all our New York folks. To that end, we'll be holding down the fort at the legendary Freddy's Bar in the South Slope on Friday October 30th, starting at 11pm. Freddy's always has a great line-up, so come on over early and get a good spot! More info and directions at FreddysBar.com
my favorite local fan
Hey Michigan peeps - I'll be returning to the Northville Winery and Brewing Company this July 3rd for my annual homecoming hootenanny. Featuring the mad skillz of Rob Nelson, Ryan Hyland, and who the heck knows who else (you can't throw a rock out there without hitting an insanely talented musician), we'll be grooving by the railroad tracks from around 7pm until the beer runs out or someone calls the rock police. More info on The Winery at their website.
Picture me squashed in between two very talented musicians.....
For those of you planning your summer, we'll be back at Pete's Candy Store on Saturday July 25th at 8pm! If you've never been to Pete's, you're seriously missing out on one of Brooklyn's best small music venues. Come share some great music with us in the quiet, intimate back room, and then head up to the front bar or back yard for drinks and revels! More info and directions at Pete's Website.
Freddy's is one of those places that used to exist all over Brooklyn: a big oak bar, snarky Irish bartenders, great pub food, a couple of cats, and a lovely little backroom tucked away from the bustle of the bar where musicians play amidst video installations and funky art. A little like the late, lamented Goodbye Blue Monday (*sniff*) or a micro-South Paw. So anywhoo, the gang and I will be occupying Freddy's on Friday, May 15th at 8pm! See y'all there. Directions (and weird video art) at Freddy's Website. For added enjoyment, you can read the World's Most Intimidating Booking Submission Page here.
We had a blast with all of you at Pete's Candy Store last Friday, and now we're looking forward to our debut at The Treehouse on April 19th! The Treehouse is a weekly event hosted by Tom Clark at 2A down in the East Village, and it's always a great lineup. Very humbled to be invited to play there. We go on at 9pm, and Pearl Rhein and Briana Lobbett will be with me again, adding their distinctive sounds to my mix of original tunes and traditional songs. It's gonna kick some serious ass. If you miss it, you might forgive yourself eventually, but there's no guarantee. More info about The Treehouse can be had on their Facebook page. See y'all there!
First off, thanks to everyone who has been coming out and braving the cold to support local music (me)! I'll be returning to Pete's Candy Store on Friday March 13th at 9pm. This also happens to be my big sister Kim's birthday (39 again!), and without her love and support, there's a good chance I'd be off making widgets in Nebraska somewhere instead of strumming a guitar for all of you in the wilds of New York City. So come on out to My Big Sister's Birthday Show! Bring your own sister! There might be cake, but there will certainly be great tunes, laughs, and booze. Check their website for directions.
In April I'll be making my debut at The Treehouse at 2A, a great East Village tradition of cool American-roots, rock, punk, country and rockabilly songwriters curated by the incomparable Tom Clark. I've enjoyed more hours of great music there than I can count on my callused fingers, and it's a great honor to be included. That one is Sunday April 19th at 10pm. Info and directions are available on their Facebook Page.
Pete's Candy Store is one of my favorite venues in New York, but this will be my first time on the stage there. the place has the feel of a gypsy caravan, and the bar is up front, so the sound in the back room is intimate and warm. Come soak it up with me on January 6th at 8pm! Directions and other info on Pete's Website.
Hey all- I'll be playing my first local show in quite a while on Sunday, November 16th, at the incomparable Goodbye Blue Monday, one of my very favorite places to play. It is wonderfully weird, they make a mean grilled cheese, and they're named after a line in a Kurt Vonnegut book. You don't get more legit that that. I'll be going on at 8pm and playing for an hour. No cover! I'll be rolling out some new tunes for the first time, so don't miss it! Directions at the link above.
Now that all my Kickstarter angels have had a few months to gloat, The Difference is now available for purchase here on my site. Just click the "Buy Stuff" link above!
Hey all-
I think the last time I played in my hometown, I was 19 years old. My music has changed somewhat since then, but I still run with much the same crowd. Some of them will be sharing the stage with me Saturday August 30th at the Northville Winery, starting at 7pm. I'll be playing songs from my new EP, as well as some older stuff and select covers. The show is outside in the sun and fresh air, and kids are more than welcome. The Northville Winery is a great place run by my friends Rob and Carina Nelson. Come check out their local wines, beers, and hard ciders, some with original label art by my dear pal Jon Cooney. Sunshine, music, and booze, folks! Ahh....summer.
Info and directions to the winery can be found on their website.
So, proofs have been approved, money has been shelled out, files uploaded, and after I caught the 5 or 6 errors in the graphics work...IT'S COMING!
Release events will be announced soon in Brooklyn and the Detroit area, so stay tuned! Those of you who pledged to the Kickstarter project should get your deliveries within a week after the release date, and folks who selected the download-only reward option will get your download link the weekend before the release. Thank, you all so much for your support. Really looking forward to sharing this with you. I think it's my best work, to date. And it damn well ought to be!
John's new short-length album, The Difference, will be available for purchase in June. Thanks to a hugely successful crowd-funding campaign, the project was recorded in Detroit, Michigan with producer Ryan Hyland and featuring Rob Nelson on guitars, mandolin, and organ. Contrasting with John's two previous EPs, The Difference is a pared-down, intimate album, featuring songs of loss and redemption.