July 11, 2024

Hey Y’all,
 
I truly hope everyone is staying cool, hydrated and safe in this brutal heat we are experiencing this summer.  I have been living Christmas in July and while that doesn't mean I've put up a Christmas tree yet, I've been listening to holiday music and indulging in the predictable, cozy la la land of Hallmark Christmas movies and wishing for sweater weather!


Christmas did come early as I was gifted two last minute gigs this week - the first is this Saturday, July 13th at Hell's Bottom in Takoma Park sharing the bill with The Snapshirts, a wonderful trio that produces surf music that will make you pony your pants off!

Secondly, Arch Alcantara and I will perform for our first time at Earp's Ordinary in Fairfax, Virginia, on July 21st!  See all the details here!

We know there is so much great live music to choose from on pretty much every night of the week so, as always, a super big thank you for supporting us.  We all rely on and appreciate YOU ever so much! 

With Big Love and Peace,

Gros bisous (xoxo)
 
Janine

Kensington, Pies and Trolley Trail Day!

May 31, 2024

Hey Y’all,

It's the last day of May and almost half the year is behind us... when did that happen?!  May was packed full of fun times indeed one of which was a solo performance opening for The Snap Shirts at Hell's Bottom. What a fun band - lots of great surf music - fabulous musicians and a woman drummer! Keep an eye out for their upcoming shows - you won't be disappointed.  It was a bit unnerving but way more fun to perform solo.  I haven't done it very much except for farmer's markets so I marked this as a first.  Thanks to The Snap Shirts for the opportunity. Y'all rock!

I have a few performances coming up the first half of June so let's get to it!

Saturday, June 1st Arch Alcantara and I perform at the Kensington Historical Society Summer Concert Series.  This is an early morning concert, kid friendly, a farmer's market across the street and the weather looks perfect!  We sure hope to see you there to kick June off in a musical way!

Thursday, June 6th Jay Byrd and I perform at Dangerously Delicious Pies in Baltimore.  DDP is a super fun and rockin' venue in the Hampden area of Baltimore.  And my favorite  combo of beer and pie will be available, folks!

Saturday, June 8th I perform at the Trolley Trail Day celebration!  This is an all day affair with lots of family activities (9 hubs of things to do), food, music and pure fun.  Trolley Trail Day is a day that celebrates the full 3.8 mile trail connecting Hyattsville, Riverdale Park and College Park.  

We know there is so much great live music to choose from on pretty much every night of the week so, as always, a super big thank you for supporting us.  We all rely on and appreciate YOU ever so much! 

With Big Love and Peace,

Gros bisous (xoxo)

Janine

Barns and snap shirts!

May 17, 2024

Hey Y’all,

Well April decided to drip into May with those 'April showers!'  For the third Saturday in a row, I had an outdoor gig that still went on in the rain.  This past Saturday the entire band squeezed under a tent at Jiffy Lube Live to perform before Neil Young.  While Mother Nature tried to ruin the day, she did not and then apologized with a rainbow!  It stopped raining, folks streamed into the VIP Lounge and rocked out with us.  Neil was so great - my first time to see him actually and he did not disappoint!

Sunday, May 19th Arch Alcantara and I return to The Barns at Hamilton Station.  I love it here and if you've never been to this winery, you will, too.  The renovated barn is so cozy and charming (if they would let me live in it, I would!) and the 'backyard' is beautiful with a huge pond and greenery for days.  This is our last performance here for 2024 so please join us, won't you?!

Wednesday, May 22nd I am performing before The Snap Shirts at the beloved Hell's Bottom in Takoma Park.  Get yer Hump Day fun here with great music and cheap drinks - it's an early show, too!

Another video from my bday show awaits you on YouTube - Angel from Montgomery - with very special guest Teresa Jiménez!  Teresa is a wonderful vocalist and songwriter and she kicks ass on this lovely song.  Watch it here.   Please consider the thumbs up and sharing with all of your music lovin' friends!
 

We know there is so much great live music to choose from on pretty much every night of the week so, as always, a super big thank you for supporting us.  We all rely on and appreciate YOU ever so much! 

With Big Love and Peace,

Gros bisous (xoxo)

Janine

May 3, 2024

Hey Y’all,

May has pushed April aside and here we are staring down half of the year already so let's get to it!

Saturday, May 4th I am performing at the Adams Morgan Porchfest with Jay Byrd - it's our first time performing together so I'm super excited as Jay is a great guitarist.  To see the when and where, visit the FB event here

Saturday, May 11th the full band performs in the VIP Lounge at Jiffy Lube Live before the Neil Young concert!!  I have never seen Neil live so looking forward to it very much. Drop me a line if you're attending the concert - I'd love to say howdy!  

Another video of the song, True Love #5, written by John Rossman and yours truly has been released and you can view it here.  And as always should you feel so inclined, give it that thumbs up and share it with all of your music lovin' friends!

With Big Love and Peace,

Gros bisous (xoxo)
 
Janine

April 23, 2024

Hey Y’all,

Thanks to those of you that came out to our earlier shows this month! Now April is starting to wave goodbye though before we say 'so long,' there are three musical happenings this week!

This Thursday, I am performing solo at the Riverdale Park Farmer's Market... and it is safe to say there will be a surprise guest or two!  Friday night Scott McKnight and I appear at The Common Kitchen (donuts!) and Saturday afternoon, my good pal, Terry Smith and I perform at the Petworth Porchfest!   All of these are super fun community events, free and family friendly! 

And if life is trés occupé this month, there are some great things coming in May!  Get a sneak peek here... 

In my last message I promised some video from my birthday shindig and you can watch the first video, Hopeless Wednesday, here.  If you feel so inclined, give it that thumbs up and share it with all of your music lovin' friends! 

We know there is so much great live music to choose from on pretty much every night of the week so, as always, a super big thank you for supporting us.  We all rely on and appreciate YOU ever so much! 

With Big Love and Peace,

Gros bisous (xoxo)
 
Janine

April 9, 2024

Hey Y’all,

How can it possibly be April already?  Well, time waits for no man or woman, so I'll get to the point... I really do appreciate you being a member of my fabulous community, reading these missives and coming out to shows.  Your support means the world!  I realized I haven't reached out since January so it's time for an update on musical happenings. 

My birthday bash back in February was so much fun (friends, cupcakes, champagne - what more do you need?!), I'm still aglow from the evening. Thanks to Billy Coulter and Teresa Jiménez for being my extra special guests.   John Rossman (guitar), George D (bass) and Yaakov Birnbaum (drums) rocked it all night long and the videos to prove it are coming very soon (though in the meantime, you can find other videos here)!

April is full of fun gigs and collaborations and this week you can find me with two of my favorite fellas!  Friday night John Rossman and I will return to The Common Kitchen and Saturday, Arch Alcantara and I will spend our evening at Maryland Meadworks!  More info below. 

John and I are in the midst of writing new songs, and we look forward to sharing them with you in the near future.  One working title is Forget Me Not - a song about family, the people that come and go in our lives and the threads, bits and pieces they leave us with whether we realize it or not….  

I would love to hear what's going on in your world, so please do drop me a line and say howdy! janine at janinewilsonband dot com.

We know there is so much great live music to choose from on pretty much every night of the week so, as always, a super big thank you for supporting us.  We all rely on and appreciate YOU ever so much! 

With Big Love and Peace,

Gros bisous (xoxo)

Janine

First Night Alexandria

New Year's Eve Songwriter in the Round

For the first time together Billy Coulter, Scott McKnight and I invite you to join us at First Night Alexandria for a songwriter in the round where we perform our original songs - a favorite cover or two - and give you the scoop behind the song.  All your burning questions answered!  This is a family friendly event with lots of music, events and activities with fireworks to boot!  We will perform four sets on the hour beginning at 7 p.m.  The mighty Jim Faris joins us on bass.  We hope you'll join us and ring in (almost) the New Year together....  2024, here we come!

November 7, 2023

Hey Y’all,

I don't know about you but I'm happy as a clam with this cooler weather!  And while the temperature gauge is on its own roller coaster ride, tomorrow will be on a high of about 78 degrees!  I have a last-minute performance at the Riverdale Park Farmers Market so stop by and say howdy, grab some great local food and drink and wear that t-shirt while you can!

Saturday, November 11th - The full band appears at Hank Dietle's in Rockville!  One of the most fun and supportive rooms in the DMV!  We will have a special guest on drums - Mr. John Shepherd - and also celebrate guitarist John Rossman's birthday.  It is also Veteran's Day, so we'll rock your Saturday night in honor of all Veterans, past, present and future.  We sure do appreciate you and thank you so very much for your service!

A few videos from the October 8th Pedro Sera-leyva Tribute have been posted on YouTube and they can be viewed here!  And, if you feel so inclined, please give them a view, share, like, comment, subscribe to the channel and all that good stuff.  We'd sure love it if you did!
 

I know there is a lot to choose from entertainment wise on pretty much every night of the week so as always, a super big thank you for supporting us and all live music.  We all rely on and appreciate YOU ever so much! 

With Big Love,

Janine

March 29, 2023

Hey Y’all,
 
Winter is playing April Fool's with Spring, but I have a feeling this weekend Spring will win!  One thing that is no joke is that the guys and I will be appearing at one of our favorite venues, Hank Dietle's in Rockville this Saturday, April 1st!

I love having musician friends sit in with us, and I am very excited that my pal and guitar instructor, Greg Loman, will be joining us for some tunes on Saturday.  Greg now lives in L.A. and currently tours with the Red Not Chili Peppers!  He will melt your face off!

And to make the evening even more special, we will be celebrating the birthday of one of my best pals, Margaret Pearce!  Hope you'll join us for a crazy fun evening.  

I am coming off Cloud 9 from a super fun birthday gig back in February... it was fuh-reezing!  You really know your friends when they’ll come out in practically single digit with the wind chill factor weather…  I was verklempt with joy!  The cockles of my heart were thoroughly warmed! 

Steve Dawson of Virginia Coalition (VACO), Todd Baker of The Cravin’ Dogs and Ruthie Logsdon of Ruthie and the Wranglers joined us on stage for a handful of songs adding their talents to make the evening even more wonderful… I went to sleep with a big ol’ grin on my face, indeed!

We got lots of video and are still wading through it all but stay tuned for a taste of what you missed soon.

Meadworks was a rockin’ and the firepits a blazin’ with folks gathered round on that cold-ass night, though the tasty mead kept everyone warm.  A swell birthday indeed, one for the books really!

As always, a super big thank you for supporting us and live music!  Please continue supporting the small, independent businesses, venues, and musicians.  We all rely on and appreciate YOU so much! Wishing much peace, love and understanding,

Big Love,

Janine

February 3, 2023

Hey Y’all,
 
I'm going to make this short and sweet as I'm a bit behind from being under the weather this week (not Covid, thank goodness!).

Tomorrow, Saturday, February 4th is my birthday, and I am resurrecting my annual 25th birthday party with the entire band at Maryland Meadworks!  It is open to everyone, especially February birthdays and Aquarians - even if your birthday is February 29th!! 

Also, since it is Alice Cooper's birthday, too, we are gonna perform one of his tunes!  Can you guess what it is?!  No, it ain't Only Women Bleed... post your guess here and if you guess correctly before the show, I'll send you a surprise swag bag or come to the show and get it in person!

We will also be paying tribute to the late Lisa Marie Presley!  I never explored her music until recently when looking for one of her songs to cover.  Her last album, Storm and Grace, is deeply personal, moody and perfect for a rainy Sunday or late night when you have a lot to think about and your whiskey nearby.  The song I chose, Thanx, isn't from this album but rather from her 2005 release, Now What.  The song was written by Lisa Marie and Linda Perry.  I connected to the lyrics quickly as it's a bit of a love song to those friends that are there for you no matter what, when you're at your best and especially at your worst.  I am so grateful to have a posse of those kind of friends.  You know who you are and 'Thanx' for keeping all my shitty, stupid and fun secrets for me! xoxo

Super special guests include Ruthie Logsdon of Ruthie and the Wranglers, Steve Dawson of Virginia Coalition (VACO) and Todd Baker of the Cravin' Dogs!  This is present enough for me, y'all!  Oh, and there will be cake... just sayin'!
 

As always, a super big thank you for supporting us and live music!  Please continue supporting the small, independent businesses, venues, and musicians.  We all rely on and appreciate YOU so much! 

Wishing much peace, love and understanding,

Big Love,

Janine