Whiskey Raccoons
I Discovered Whiskey Raccoons on Facebook, I was surprised to hear that they are a local band. I think what drew me to them was first Cara’s voice and secondly their style. Let’s talk about the style first, you really can’t pigeonhole them. I think it definitely is a melting pot of genre, main ingredient is American, with some Rock and Country. Then add a little Pop & Singer/songwriter. Now let’s talk about Cara’s vocals. She has a voice that easily sings different styles of music effortlessly. There is a song on their album “This Is Us” called “Open Your Mind” it is a powerful ballad, Cara’s voice is so melodic on this song. Then she sings “Saint Jerome”, and she goes into slight Rocker voice, still sounding great. For me her vocals are something I could sit down and listen to for hours. Johnnie is an amazing guitar player. His playing is so smooth and perfectly fits into every song, no matter if he is playing acoustic or electric. All songs on this album were written by Cara & Johnnie. All of their songs are well written. There is a song here for everyone. One of the songs that has a real Country feel to it is “Foliage In My Whiskey”, as most songwriters know that songs about Whiskey are the winners. The song “Horseradish” is a great song, cause it’s not what you think. It’s more about a lifestyle than the actual product. Love this. So, as you can tell, I am very excited that I found the Whiskey Raccoons on Facebook. They are really good, can’t wait to see them live. I was able to ask both Cara & johnnie some questions, here are their answers. Plus, here are couple of ways to find their music & more about them. https://www.whiskeyraccoons.com/ https://www.youtube.com/ 1. How long have you been playing music? Cara (singer) has been singing since she was a child and performed in a number of Musicals from 2009 – 2011 in Arkansas and joined her first band in STL in 2013 after auditioning in a basement for a “male only” band. Cara found a Craigslist ad asking for male singers for a rock band that intended on playing music all over STL and she called and asked to audition. The band agreed to it and after they heard her sing, they decided to make an exception and offered her a spot as lead singer. Johnnie (guitarist, backup vocalist) has been playing guitar since he was 11 years old (for roughly 30 years) and at 17 began performing in a band with his Stepdad around bars in Chicago where he grew up. Johnnie began singing live on stage a few years after he joined the Whiskey Raccoons in 2014. 2. How many bands have you been in? Cara has been in two bands – the rock band she first joined in 2013 and the Whiskey Raccoons, which she helped found in 2014. Cara and Johnnie met through Craigslist and have never looked back. Johnnie has been in two bands full-time, his Stepdads band when he was a teenager and the Whiskey Raccoons) but has played with a number of other bands as a fill-in over the years. 3.Where were you born? Cara was born in STL, MO, and is the 3rd of 4 kids and Johnnie was born in Chicago, IL, and is the 6th of 7 kids. 4. Are you self-taught? Cara began singing as a child for fun, performing for family whenever given the opportunity. When she became interested in musical theater, she took some voice lessons for about 3 months while living in Little Rock, AR. Other than that, Cara has done her best to study vocalists online and at live shows and is self-taught. Johnnie learned guitar from his Dad as well as his Stepdad but has never had any formal training. 5.Who are your biggest influences? Johnnie’s biggest influences are those who inspire him, including Eric Clapton, Weezer, Green Day, Blink182 and other alt rock bands. Cara’s biggest influences are Miranda Lambert, Elle King, Cam, Steely Dan, DMB, and Andy Grammar to name a few. The Whiskey Raccoons biggest influences are Fleetwood Mac, Miranda Lambert, Mulligan Brothers, honeyhoney and Wild Rivers. 6.What style of music do you consider yours? The Whiskey Raccoons are considered an Americana-Rock style band, encompassing a variety of genres into our original tunes including splashes of Country, Alt Rock and Pop. 7. What was your first gig? How old were you? Cara’s first official gig as part of a rock band was at Sky Music Lounge in 2013. Johnnie’s first gig was when he was 17 at a bar called “Jay’s Lounge” outside of Chicago, IL. The bar was a total dive on the South-side of Chicago and Johnnie was beyond nervous but grew to love the experience in the end. 8. What advice do you have for someone starting out in the music business? Johnnie: Invest your money in good, quality equipment and gear because it lasts longer, and you get what you pay for. Cara: trust your gut, do what *feels* right, meaning play music you love to play. Talk to people, make friends, make memories, be kind to yourself and to others, appreciate the opportunity – not everyone gets the chance to get up on a stage and sing or play their hearts out for friends, strangers, family, or anyone who will listen. 9. Do you write your own songs? Yes, we do. We started writing originals in 2015, fell in love with the process and haven’t stopped. We are doing our best to finish writing and releasing more original music this year (2023). We have about 15 originals just waiting to be recorded and released. 10. What would people be surprised to hear that you have in your personal record collection? Johnnie: 90s Rap (Tupac, etc.). Cara: tons of Indie Folk and Americana type music by artists who aren’t very well known but who should be because they’re amazing! 11. What would you be doing if playing music was not an option? Johnnie: currently works M-F in IT to pay the bills and we play music as much as possible on the side. If playing guitar was not such a large part of Johnnie’s life, he would probably be a movie critic and a more avid gamer. Cara: works as a VP/ Creative Program Director at a PR company full-time and would probably get more into musical theater and painting (acrylic on canvas) if I did not have music as an outlet for me. 12.Besides your own songs, what is your favorite song to perform? Johnnie: anything with a lot of movement or songs we’ve done a lot of arrangements on such as “Kiss” by Prince or “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5. Cara: “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac or anything by Miranda Lambert. 13.If you were strictly a songwriter, who would you like to see sing your songs? Johnnie: The Offspring. Cara: Miranda Lambert (not sure if you can tell, but I’m somewhat of a super-fan of hers J ), Cam, Maren Morris or any other female country singer.
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Joyann Parker
I first heard Joyann on YouTube, it was her song “Envy”. This song has that very sultry Blues feel to it. After listening to some of Joyann’s other songs I realized that she had a voice for many different genres. Joyann’s voice is so powerful, with such great control. I love that Joyann can’t be pigeonholed into a certain genre. There are 3 CDs I have of hers, she wrote the songs on them with the help of her guitarist Mark Lamoine. It’s hard to pick which album is my favorite, they are all so good. So, I will pick my favorite songs from each. The first album is “Hard To Love” 2018, of course one of my favorite song is “Envy” I love the rhythm on this one, it’s got that Bluesy/Rock feel to it. Plus, Joyann’s voice has a powerful tone to it which fits with the mood of the song. I also like “Memphis”, it has good Rock/Bluesy beat to it. Joyann’s vocals on this track are really strong and powerful, gives this song a rough tone to it. Definitely gets you out of your seat. The last song on this album is a great example of the many styles that Joyann can do, the title track “Hard To Love” is in the style of an old standard. Joyann’s voice is perfect for this song… Joyann’s second album is “Out Of The Dark”, one of my favorite is “Carry On” it has kind of that Gospel sound to it. Another favorite is “Either Way” this a beautifully simple song that really showcases Joyann’s amazing vocals. My next favorite song and another one that really shows the strong and versatile of Joyann’s vocals is “Come On Baby (Take Me Dancing)”. Joyann’s latest album is “Roots” which in my opinion is her best to date. My first favorite song is “Forsaken” it’s like Gospel song got blend with some real Deep Blues. This song also shows how powerful of a voice Joyann has. My next favorite is the title track, “Roots” this song has good rocking sound to it. Another song that shows the power in Joyann’s vocals. Love the backing vocals she has in this song, it really makes you want to get up and dance. My next favorite is the last song on this album “Sconnie Girl” this song is kind of an Autobiography for Joyann. It’s about growing up in Wisconsin. Love the rhythm on this song, it’s that toe tapping kind of rhythm. I highly recommend all of Joyann’s albums, but “Roots” to me is the one that really shows the diversity of Joyann’s talent. I was able to ask Joyann some questions, here is her answers. Also some links to where you can find out more about Joyann Parker. https://www.facebook.com/joyannparker https://www.joyannparker.com/home https://www.youtube.com/@JoyannParker 1. How long have you been playing music? I started singing at 2 years old and playing piano at 4. 2. How many bands have you been in? 3 3. Where were you born? Mellen, WI 4. Are you self-taught? Yes 5. Who are your biggest influences? Lots of classic rock - Heart, Clapton, but also southern gospel, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, maybe even a little Elton John. 6. What style of music do you consider yours? It’s hard to put in a box, but I have to go with Roots music or Americana. 7. What was your first gig? How old were you? I think I probably sang for a wedding around 12 years old. 8. What advice do you have for someone starting out in the music business? Don’t give up. It’s always going to be tough. Make sure that you’re doing it because you love it, and you care about the people you’re making it for. 9. Do you write your own songs? Yes 10. What would people be surprised to hear that you have in your personal record collection? Lots of electronica 11. What would you be doing if playing music was not an option? Being a mom 12. Besides your own songs, what is your favorite song to perform? Anything by Etta James. 13. If you were strictly a songwriter, who would you like to see sing your songs? Mavis Staples, Chris Stapleton. |
AuthorHello, My name is Michael. I am into music, have been for over 48yrs. Big fan of all kinds of music, right now it has been the Blues for the last 10yrs. I do not play any instruments, But I very interested in the recording aspect of the industry. Have messed around with it a little and always learning new things about it. I have met many wonderful people because of Music.. Hope you enjoy my Blogs... In the last two years I have been producing House Concerts. I also in the past 2 years got to produce and engineer an album for a very good friend of mine from Sweden "Magpie". Archives
February 2024
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