09/05/26 Got Low Battery down to 6 minutes, including a long fade. Should have it done by next weekend.

09/02/26 Finished a GFS song so I'm going to try to finish Low Battery next and then start on Ordinary Guy.

08/30/26 Finally got around to testing some of the Pro Tools sessions that Danny sent me from October 20205, which also include The Last Moth, Leatal Portions and Open Sack. Everything looks great and I'm looking forward to getting these songs finished and setting them free in the next 4 months.

08/21/26 DEFACE and Low Battery are backshelfing again in favor of some new Girl fo Samson and The Real Flower Pots stuff.

08/20/26 Talking to Keith Washburn at KKFI on November 12th. I'll have Patrick Meagher at my side so that we can include new music from Girl for Samson and The Real Flower Pots.

Got sessions (drums, scratch bass, scratch guitars) for The Last Moth, Open Sack, Ordinary Guy and perhaps some other goodies. Will try to nudge these out this Autumn/Winter.

08/16/26 I've struggled forever with getting a good kick drum sound in my studio. Just couldn't get a strong signal. I had been trying to record on a short mic just outside of the shell. Stuck my 52A about halfway into the shell and KABOOM! Also put a TubePre on the left overhead.

08/09/26 A new radio feature is in the works for Autumn.

07/31/26 Need to come up with a vocal melody for Ogress. Need to finish DEFACE and Low Battery. Need to resume work on The Mac. Spent the morning re-learning how to get Sysex files to the DeepMind12 and then replacing some banks. I should be able to go back to work now, right? No, I kind of want to do the same thing to the Korg X50. I also want to resume learning the Roland P-6.

07/29/26 Finished my first Reaper project. Finished with the tracking. I'll still need to learn how to write out the session for Pro Tools.

07/27/26 Ogress went through some stuff so have to re-imagine some vocals.

07/24/26 Artificial Insemination

"Johnny Marie is an independent musical artist/actress whose track "Don Juan" has been featured on independent music broadcasts aired on Bombshell Radio, such as the Ear to the Ground show."

07/23/26 Working on new stuff while simultaneously learning Reaper. Sometimes most of a day is try to resolve an issue or changing the interface to be more like Pro Tools. Getting closer.

07/20/26 Working on collaborations today.

07/19/26 Added a neato 1982 Lowrey Micro Genie to the synth pile. I shall use it as soon as I get something to convert the RCA outs to mini stereo.

07/14/26 Artificial Insemination

"The Radio Candy Indie Show is a popular independent music radio program that features and spotlights unsigned and indie artists from around the world. Hosted frequently across international digital stations like KOR Radio (United Kingdom), the show regularly highlights tracks from independent musicians. Johnny Marie is a frequent collaborator, presenter, or recognized figure on the program, and often helps curate the show's indie and alternative mixes."

07/13/26 The Dumbest Thing starts its radio journey this week. Don't touch that dial icon!

07/11/26 Sent the Carnivore session to Pat and started work on DEFACE and 2 collaborations.

07/10/26 Added more drums and bass to Carnivore.

Finally upgraded my Dell OptiPlex 3020 (manufactured in 2013) to 16 gig of RAM. I did this on the day that I, again, declared Carnivore done and sent a mix to Pat Tomek to listen to, giving him a chance to pass if it's too much. And it is. A short break after I clean it up where I'll work on Barry Lee and John McConnell collaborations and then back to Low Battery and DEFACE.

07/09/26 I may have messed around and accidentally finished Carnivore. I'll have one more listen tomorrow, do some more housekeeping and then off it goes.

07/08/26 I have three large Pro Tools songs to finish before I can start working in Reaper. Yesterday I couldn't play 4 measures on my old Windows 7 Dell. Changed the Disk Playback Cache Size to 1 gig and I live to fight another day. Ordered more RAM so that I have at least as much memory as a cell phone.

07/07/26 Artificial Insemination

"Johnny Marie is an indie music artist and singer-songwriter who frequently collaborates with or is featured by the independent record label, Big Stir Records."

Big Stir Records & Recent Releases

"Big Stir Records is known for championing indie power-pop, jangle-rock, and folk-rock. Johnny Marie's ongoing contributions have made them a prominent fixture on the label's roster and radio features."

"Keep an eye out for these latest updates:"

Full Album Announcement:

"Big Stir Records officially announced the first full-length album featuring Johnny Marie (alongside Kris Gardner)."

Radio Play:

"Johnny Marie's music regularly hits the airwaves on Big Stir-aligned programs, such as Echoesmusic Radio and the Ear Drum Buzz radio community."

Live Performances:

"Johnny Marie often takes the stage with their backing project, Johnny Marie & the Lonesome Petunias."

"You can track all of Johnny Marie's current releases, album drops, and streaming links by visiting the official Big Stir Records website or keeping up with their social updates on the Big Stir Records Instagram page."

Recent Big Stir Records Content

"If you want to see how Johnny Marie fits into the broader independent music scene or explore similar indie artists on the label, check out these community features:"

Album Community Updates:

"See the announcement of the full-length Johnny Marie album as posted to the Ear Drum Buzz Facebook Group."

Artist Connections:

"Read about live events and stage sharing on the Johnny Marie and the Lonesome Petunias Facebook Page."

06/30/26 You can listen to The Dumbest Thing on BandCamp now. Also available on SoundCloud, if that's your thing.

06/29/26 Contemplating making the transition from Pro Tools to Reaper.

Sent Ogress off yesterday so going to try to knock Carnivore in the head by the end of the month. Chopped off a dozen measures and muted about 16 instruments. Need to do some singing and get Chris Ruzich over to record a bass part.

06/27/26 Artificial Insemination

"Johnny Marie" is an American indie singer-songwriter based in Kansas City, who fronts the art-rock and folk-pop project Johnny Marie & the Lonesome Petunias. His music frequently receives airplay on specialized independent and underground UK radio stations, such as Glastonbury GWS Radio and Radio Wigwam."

Musical Style & Background

"Johnny Marie's catalog—which includes releases like Sweet, Soft Gollum and SAURO!—is deeply influenced by classic songwriters like Elvis Costello and The Beatles. The Lonesome Petunias are known for blending jittery new-wave, psychedelic, and folk elements into a theatrical, highly arranged sound."

Airplay on UK Stations

"Because he operates primarily as an independent artist, his tracks, such as "Down a Long and Lonely River", are featured in international music showcases. He has been regularly rotated or featured on UK-based internet and independent stations, including Glastonbury GWS Radio, DEAL Radio, KDUB Radio and Radio Wigwam."

Other Digital Stations:

"His music appears on global indie rotations spanning My Indie Radio to Solar Radio."

"For a deep dive into the kind of atmospheric, storytelling style that defines Johnny Marie's sound as a singer-songwriter, you can watch this performance and analysis of acoustic-folk original music:"

06/25/26 Sent Ogress off yesterday so going to try to knock Carnivore in the head by the end of the month. Chopped off a dozen measures and muted about 16 instruments. Need to do some singing and get Chris Ruzich over to record a bass part.

06/24/26 Added some fun plug-ins to the DAW: Cherry Audio's CR78, Mercury 6, chipsynth OPS7, Sommervilles': Dusty Felts, Gentle Vibes, Soft Drums, Meyer Choir, Triple Cheese from U-He and Synful's Virtual Orchestra. I have an RD78 that Girl for Samson has used but it's much easier having something connected inside the DAW.

06/22/26 Getting closer to having one of the 3 songs in the queue finished by July 1st. Also about to shove off Ogress for Girl for Samson. Starting on some fresh collaborations in July.

06/20/26 Had dinner with Danny Button.

06/09/26 I have three songs to finish, mostly singing, with people waiting for them. Instead of doing that, today I decided to commit to getting my PC and Pro Tools to see multiple synths, send them MIDI data and return audio. First victory was realizing that I needed to set up a MIDI track rather than an instrument track. The devices that were the old square/rectangle USBA worked OK but what about the guys that are USBC. That took a long time to sort out. At first I thought the issue might be that I was using charging cables vs data cables. Then I realized that the USBC ports in back WERE for charging and that every device thad a square/rectangle USBA port for I/O. Got them mapped in Pro Tools and now I can see everyone.

06/03/26 Working a little on DEFACE, Carnivore and Low Battery every day. The goal is to start getting them to Pat for mixing by the end of the month. Still need to collect bass parts from Chris Ruzich.

06/01/26 Don Juan is now wandering around the planet even as some stations are still getting to Down a Long and Lonely River.

05/25/26 Artificial Insemination

"Johnny Marie's work has reached audiences internationally and caught the attention of Seattle's renowned independent radio station, KEXP. The station featured the Lonesome Petunias' song "She Caught Car Lights," giving the Kansas City act a prominent national platform."

05/24/26 Still mired in Low Battery. Re-working the intro (tried the Crave and Casio CA100) and sequencing of parts and sorting out the bridge melody.

05/22/26 Finished the lyrics for the bridge in Low Battery. Just need to get a good lead vocal and then trim the whole thing down from 7 minutes to 5 or 6. Or not. Let it breathe, mofo.

05/21/26 Writing lyrics for DEFACE and Low Battery.

05/19/26

"The most popular and widely recognized song by the indie-rock/psychedelic project Johnny Marie (and Johnny Marie & the Lonesome Petunias) is Bobby."

"Released on the 2023 album Sweet, Soft Gollum, the track has received critical praise for its surreal storytelling and its blend of dream-like, psychedelic sounds."

"Other fan-favorite tracks by the Kansas City-based artist include:The Cats of Summer, Down a Long and Lonely River & Her Bows"

05/18/26 Don Juan is available for streaming and purchasing.

05/14/26 Don Juan is available for listening and purchasing (or "dropping") in 4 days. How will you celebrate? May I suggest including loved ones? The joy isn't diluted if shared.

Don Juan

Indie Rock (34%) Alternative Rock (20%) Indie Pop (18%) Psychedelic Rock (12%) Pop Rock (9%)

Recorded a guitar intro for section C of DEFACE using the famous GP-100.

05/13/26 Finshed arranging and singing DEFACE enough to send a mix out to Chris and a drummer.

05/11/26 Spent the last few days just willing DEFACE into a song. It was in 4 distinctly different sections and I have smeared them together nicely. Came up with all of the melodies over the weekend and a bunch of the words today. I have a file of lyrical lines on my phone and I really got after it.

05/10/26 Still have dreams of building something around Touch Manly & the Bomb Pop Innuendo. Maybe a simple ambient/experimental synth thing but with pop melodies.

05/08/26 Got The Modern Cat master back from Patrick so I have three songs in the queue for release. Carnivore just needs bass/drums/mixing. Low Battery needs a bridge then mixing. DEFACE needs a lot of stuff but I am a motivated seller.

05/07/26 Sent one last bit of revisions to Patrick for The Modern Cat. Starting work on DEFACE. Going to try to keep it under 10 minutes.

050526 Sent Chris Ruzich a mix of Carnivore.

050326 Adding a Kurzweil K2500X 88-Key Digital Workstation Synthesizer to the rack at the end of the week.

050226 Sent Charlie a mix of Carnivore.

Down a Long and Lonely River was on Saturday AM Toonz this morning along with a track by The Embarrassment!

050126 More drums and vocals on Carnivore. Trying a banjo this weekend.

Got The Dumbest Thing and The Modern Cat mixes back from Patrick. That empties the Telly Tavares bandolier and gives me 7 competed songs for the new album with 3 more in play.

043026 Getting Carnivore built back up today. Got a rough approximation of the mix rebuilt and improved some vocal and drumming performances. Tomorrow I'll work on dynamics and then go back to improving parts.

042926 Decided to import all of the Carnivore audio tracks into a fresh session. Will re-mix it tomorrow. Hoping to get this or Low Battery to Charles Paulter for drums in the next week to 10 days. Low Battery needs a new bridge.

042826 Discovered that the song start marker in Pro Tools was now appearing in the middle of a measure of Carnivore. Can't get it sorted. I need the click track to be there for Pat when mixing.

042726 Down a Long and Lonely River starting to show up on radio playlists.

Down a Long and Lonely River

Indie Rock (34%) Alternative Rock (20%) Indie Pop (18%) Psychedelic Rock (12%) Pop Rock (9%)

042626 Settled on the 18th for a release date for Don Juan. This is the date that John sent me the initial session to build up.

042426 Down a Long and Lonely River out now. This was the first song completed for the Telly Tavares project. It features Chris Ruzich on bass and Daniel Button on guitar.

...and SoundCloud

041726 Working on Carnivore when I should be working on Low Battery and Ogress.

041626 Sent one last edit for Down a Long and Lonely River.

041526 Got the final Don Juan mixes back. Trying to tidy up Carnivore.

041426 Got a Long and Loney River mix from Patrick.

041326 Got the first mix of Don Juan back from Patrick.

"Is This Your Thing?" on this lovely playlist.

041026 Trying to finish Low Battery. This was going to be a Real Flower Pots song. Will do some chopping this weekend and work on a vocal melody for the B section.

040926 Gabriel and I are resuming work on Translator.

040226 Hoping to start releasing some solo material from last year soon. Probably going to just merge Telly Tavares stuff with Johnny Marie. The world isn't big enough for both of us. Still have 8-10 Lonesome Petunia songs in various stages of completion to.

010926 Artificial Insemination

Johnny Marie is a Kansas City-based indie/lo-fi musician known for his distinctive songwriting, often released with his band, Johnny Marie & the Lonesome Petunias, featuring albums like Sweet, Soft Gollum (2023) and Blind Cat Missing (2024), blending intimate, cosmic-haze sounds with melodic emo and folk influences. He's active on platforms like Bandcamp, Spotify, and Instagram, showcasing his prolific output and unique musical style, described as "heartbreak floating through the void".

Key Aspects:

Musical Style: Lo-fi, indie, emo-infused, melodic, intimate, with cosmic or hazy textures.

Collaborators: Often performs with The Lonesome Petunias, but also involved in other KC projects like Girl for Samson and The Real Flower Pots.

Key Releases: Sweet, Soft Gollum (2023), Blind Cat Missing (2024).

Availability: Music available on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, SoundCloud, etc..

Origin: Based in Kansas City, MO.

Where to Find Him: Bandcamp: johnnymarie.bandcamp.com (for music, merch). Instagram: @johnnymariekc (for updates). Streaming: Search "Johnny Marie" on Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud.

010126 Sent Gabriel a new mix of Translator (working title) with words and melodies.