Introducing....Johan

I was going to write up a little post about Johan (Myspace), but figured that my friend Adriaan, who helped facilitate getting Johan to appear at the next KNOCKOUT, could do a much better job of it. Here's what Adriaan has to say about them:

Johan was founded by Jacco de Greeuw. They released their debut album Johan on Excelsior Recordings in 1996. Johan instantly put Excelsior Recordings on the map as THE indie record label in The Netherlands. Three singles were released; 'Swing', 'December' and the 1997 anthem 'Everybody Knows'. Johan was out there and the press and public were ready for the follow-up.

But Jacco takes his time when it comes to song writing. 5 years after their debut album, Johan released Pergola. Rave reviews, prestigious awards for another excellent album. 3 more singles: 'Pergola', 'Tumble and Fall' and the classic pop song 'Day Is Done'. Pergola is one of those albums that are on the Dutch All Time Albums list. The album brought the band to New York for the first time, playing the CMJ festival in 2001.

Frontman Jacco is a man of traditions. All the wrong ones unfortunately. So we had to wait another 5 years for another release. But it was surely worth the wait. 10 years after their debut, Jacco is the only member left in the band. Currently the band plays with Jacco de Greeuw on vocals and guitar, Maarten Kooijman on guitar and vocals, Diets Dijkstra on bass and backing vocals and Jeroen Kleijn (of Daryll-Ann fame) on drums.

In May 2006 Johan released THX JHN. A thank you for all the fans that had to wait so long for a new album. The 'Oceans' single had an accompanying video that features Marta, a fan who travels from Argentina to the Netherlands to see Johan play their first show in years. Besides 'Oceans', Johan released the singles 'Walking Away' and 'She's Got A Way With Men'. THX JHN topped end-of-the-year lists in The Netherlands in 2006. You can watch an excellent video of the band's performance at Paradiso in Amsterdam on Oct 25, 2006 here.

But now it's 2007. Time to see Johan perform in New York for the first time since 2001! Check them out on February 15th, supporting The Mooney Suzuki at Rebel and February 16th, headlining Battering Room's Knockout at Union Hall (Tix on sale).

THX JHN!

Well there you have it. My first guest post! Thanx Adriaan!



Wow. I don't know if all those folks are going to fit into Union Hall.