Not Gonna Drown Today

From my new album WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE SUN. My intention with this song is to express a childlike faith in discovery of life beyond the material measures of time and space, to go to where angels meet astronauts, to a place where everyone is happy and wise. The lyrics were inspired by Alexander Key's FORGOTTEN DOOR novel and the C.S. Lewis space trilogy. Musically I was influenced by The Beach Boys, Moody Blues, 10cc, surf rock, and space rock. It features stunning guitar work by my old pal Mike Roe (of The 77s) on guitar. I knew he'd "get it” pretty fast. 

Song written & performed by Johnny J. Blair copyright 2024 publishing pending.

We're Getting Closer to the Sun

A Place Across The Sky

A lo-fi demo combining arpeggiated synthesizer with organic instruments

Johnny J. Blair & Mike Kanski "Spacecraft Over The Glaciers"

A lo-fi 1975 jam session captured on cassette.

Opus & The Original Interstellar Subway Buskers (lo-fi NY Jam 1975)

Someone

Poppy Field in a Gravel Bed (feat. Lindsey McFarland)

This is Song 3 from my album WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE SUN. Our main character is a celebrity astronaut (much like David Bowie’s Major Tom), letting go of personal dramas and traumas while conversing with his wife. Like most of the songs on this album, the lyrics are written from a 12-Step Recovery dynamic while our astronaut prepares to rocket off into a universe that blurs the material with the spiritual—where astronauts meet angels. The spaceship cruise means exploring a timeless outer space and a healing inner space. In making this recording I was joined by drummer Mick Berry and my soulmate Robin Mackey on harmony vocals (mixing by Chris von Sneidern at Tape Vault Studio in San Francisco). Musically I was inspired by the electric piano style of the late, great Ian McLagan, and the production ended up sounding like ELO and glam rock. https://johnnyjblairsingeratlarge.bandcamp.com/track/letting-go 

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Letting Go

Where I Comfortably Belong.mp3

==============================
All instruments and vocals - Donny Grace
Written, Produced, and Recorded by Donny Grace 
© Donny Grace, Full of Grace Music, ASCAP

REACH  FOR THE SKY 

Times are tough, really gettin' rough
Never seen nothing like this before

Staying home, feeling all alone
Never seen the world affected more

But we can't let it get us down
We're gonna turn this whole thing around

       Yea, I know we're gonna make it
       We're gonna reach higher
       We'll fight to stay alive
       In time we'll be fine
       I know we're gonna survive
       'Cause we're gonna reach for the sky
       Yea, we're gonna reach for the sky
       We're gonna reach for the sky
       Yea, we're gonna reach for the sky

We're all one, The same ole sun
Is shining on each of us

We'll pave a path, that takes us back
To the beautiful way life was

We each must do our part
Maybe not hand in hand  ;-), but heart to heart

       Yea, I know we're gonna make it
       We're gonna reach higher
       We'll fight to stay alive
       In time we'll be fine
       I know we're gonna survive
       'Cause we're gonna reach for the sky
       Yea, we're gonna reach for the sky
       We're gonna reach for the sky
       Yea, we're gonna reach for the sky

© Donny Grace, Full of Grace Music, ASCAP

Reach for the Sky

Right Turn Only

“Johnny is a virtuoso…” –Brian Wilson
“A delightful entertainer…” earcandy.com
“Pop music with a conscience…” Goldmine magazine
“The Harry Houdini of rock’n’roll” Spotlight magazine

Entertainer, songwriter, and “Singer at Large” Johnny J. Blair is known for his brand of “pop music with a twist,” influenced by Americana, British Invasion rock, old school soul/r’n’b, psychedelia, and punk/new wave, with melodicism breathed by classical, gospel, jazz, and world music. 

As a solo acoustic act or when fronting a band, Johnny engages an audience. He was called “a white James Brown” by Brown’s legendary drummer, Clyde Stubblefield. Johnny’s current itinerary includes performing in assisted living homes for people with disabilities and dementia: “Music goes through the brain into places where math and language don’t reach. It heals, and it makes a difference.”

Since the 80s, Johnny has issued full-length recordings to a global audience— from the “new wave concept album” DOOR IN THE WATER, to the soulful masterwork FIRE, to the bare-knuckled acoustic “agitpop” of TREADMARKS, to the “Ziggy Stardust meets PET SOUNDS” of GRATEFUL to the glam-tango tinged masterwork I LIKE THE STREET (with musical support from The Badlees, Eric Biondo/Beyondo, and Mike Garson, David Bowie’s pianist).

Johnny has worked with a range of acts—most prominently with Davy Jones of The Monkees (“I learned valuable stagecraft from David”). Johnny played and worked with Jones for 20 years, and he was the touring bassist/vocalist with The Monkees 45th Anniversary Tour of the UK and USA. Other artists Johnny has played with are John Bechdel (Ministry), David Cassidy, Buddy & Julie Miller, and Al Stewart (“Year of the Cat”). 

For 2019, Johnny on the beat with fresh material and a new album in the works, WE’RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE SUN. He says, “I’ve played the Royal Albert Hall, CBGB’s, Disney, The Fillmore, Las Vegas, Mabuhay Gardens, the Tokyo Billboard, holy temples in India, desert islands, Caribbean cruise ships, churches, prisons, garages, biker bars, and picnics, but I’ll really hit it big when I play for you!”

Letting Go

Johnny J Blair

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