John Courage

What a week! I’m honored to have been at my first @jazzfest with the legendary Eric Lindell and The Westside Summer League. It was a great run with 4 club dates at the coolest spots around New Orleans, and a fantastic time playing the festival on Saturday at The Blues Tent. This city has music coming out of every crack in the sidewalk, and as I walked through the French Quarter yesterday I was struck by how simple the magic really is. It’s just that we got to keep on making it, and coming to a place like this recharges the creative vibes in a deep way. I saw some great music, learned at The Jazz Museum, got some steps in, checked out a vampire shop, ate more than a couple Po Boy sandwiches, and had plenty of good times and memories. New friends all around, and it was a blast running into shredders all over town. Feeling lucky and full of appreciation for the whole thing. I’m excited to get home and back to the practice shed, this week has inspired me to hone in on even more. See you out there!

Here’s a little clip of “Put A Cork In It” live from @lutherburbankcenter 🎥 by @schlee_official

Another travel adventure playing guitar for @mattpondpa along with @bathtubcig on cello- we had a fun run playing with @danmanganmusic and had a great time honing in our acoustic trio set. I found my new favorite pizza in Brooklyn- @roeblingpizza kills it daily, got lucky to catch a slice before he sold out. Then we headed to @utopiastudiosbearsville to cut tracks for the next album- it was amazing to be in a legendary room and catch the inspiration. I’m looking forward to showing you what we worked on! My CourageCaster did great, now I’m gonna go test its versatility in New Orleans for @jazzfest with Eric Lindell. See you out there! ✈️🎸

April 22 @BabysAllRight , it was great to see New Hampshire/Philadelphia, PA-originated, Hudson Valley, NY-based singer-songwriter @MattPondPA for the first time since 2002 (when he was on tour with @TheNewPornographers & @TheFramesOfficial ), this time on tour opening for his longtime friend @DanManganMusic , and, with @TheRealJohnCourage 🎸 & @BathtubCig cello/🎤, playing exquisite versions of intricately-crafted songs from throughout his career, including some that were written when he was living in a small Brooklyn apartment with roommates not far from the venue in the mid-2000s, and a cool cover of Oasis' “Champagne Supernova” that he recorded for mid-’00s teen TV show The OC. Setlist: So Much Trouble Halloween Brooklyn Stars Several Arrows Later New Hampshire Specks Closer Love to Get Used (see earlier post for an extended clip) Champagne Supernova (@Oasis cover) After Matt Pond PA’s excellent set, it was a pleasure to see for the first time Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada singer-songwriter @DanManganMusic play a captivating solo acoustic set of poetic and subtle Nick Drake-influenced folkish songs, including the hummable “Melody”, the anti-depression ballad “In Your Corner (For Scott Hutchinson)” dedicated to the late Scottish singer-songwriter @FRabbits , and a venture into the center of the crowd for fully unamplified singalongs on “Robots” and “So Much for Everyone” with Pond, Courage, and James. Fully indie artist Mangan also builds strong connections with audience, giving out his mobile number to later share an audio recording of the show with them (scan the QR code in the last 📸 to get on his mailing list). Setlist included: It Might Be Raining Melody Peaks & Valleys Road Regrets In Your Corner (For Scott Hutchison) Goodbye America (unreleased) You Silly Git Basket Robots  So Much for Everyone  I Have Won The War Already (unreleased; see earlier post for an extended clip) #GoodMusic #MattPondPA #DanMangan #IndieRock #AcousticGuitar cello

@BabysAllRight great to see New Hampshire/Philadelphia, PA-originated, Hudson Valley, NY-based singer-songwriter @MattPondPA for the first time since 2002 (when he was on tour with @TheNewPornographers & @TheFramesOfficial ), this time on tour opening for his longtime friend @DanManganMusic , and, with @TheRealJohnCourage 🎸 & @BathtubCig cello/🎤, playing exquisite versions of songs from throughout his career, including some that were written when he was living in a small Brooklyn apartment with roommates not far from the venue in the mid-2000s. Here's an extended clip of banger "Love to Get Used" from 2013 LP The Lives Inside the Lines in Your Hand. #GoodMusic #MattPondPA #IndieRock #AcousticGuitar #cello

I’m certainly going to over post about last night- but that was seriously a dream. Thank you to @emmylouharrisofficial and her incredible band for letting a local kid open up the night. Big shout out to @lutherburbankcenter for making sure to support local artists!! It means a lot, and it was a beautiful way to launch my new album “Decades” Couldn’t have done last night without @schlee_official slinging merch and shooting some BTS clips. Thank you to @sloanirving for helping out with merch, and I can’t wait to share pics that @thevisionsofjohanna snapped of the evening. Absolutely amazed, inspired, and grateful. Keep on!

Today is the day- “Decades” is available on all streaming platforms, Bandcamp, and you can put my little emo songs in your IG story or make a video of your dog dancing to “Put A Cork In It”! This release marks 25 years since my first solo album- somehow it feels like an eternity since then, yet there is the same 18 year old behind my eyes staring back in the mirror. I became a “solo” project by accident, as my band had quit when they found out that I had left the church. Writing songs helped me through that time period, and eventually I reformed the band through many lineups and have made music with my best friends. But there is a feeling to knowing you can do it alone- and even though my focus these days tends to be working in other bands, I have always been writing and keeping songs back that were meant for intentional listening. If you’re a lyrics person, this one is for you. All lyrics are available on my Bandcamp page, and I hope they give you a glimpse into the worlds I have enclosed on this record. Big shoutout to the crew that made this possible - no album is born alone, and I had a great group of friends help me. Recorded and mixed by @stuartmarkham_ , and mastered by @billpalmer73 The album cover may be one of my favorite elements of the whole thing- it’s a 17 x 6 film photograph snapped by the legend @johnmblackwell , and was really brought together with the top shelf album design touch of @jjstapes I could wax poetic about the meaning buried in the lyrics, or the weird 100 year old guitar that I played half the album on, or the feeling of putting out new music amongst chaotic times, personal struggles, or even just this particular moment in humanity’s history. But ultimately, this record is for you. I want it comfort you in the ways you need, and heal your heart in the quiet of a car ride home late at night. I give you this album as a friend, as a watcher, as a lifelong musician finally taking a moment to look back and tell you what I have seen. Thank you for listening. Please put it on infinite repeat, add it to your sad playlist, share it with your folky Aunt, or just listen however you like to. It means the world to me!

Estero World Tour has been an absolute blast- catch our final show of the run this Thursday at @hopmonksebastopol What a treat to have the allstar lineup backing us up- don’t miss your chance to catch the show! Tickets in bio

One week from today, I have the distinct honor of opening for @emmylouharrisofficial on her Santa Rosa tour stop, and I decided to release a new solo album to commemorate the occasion. Many people know the current version of what I do- and I am honored to play guitar for @mattpondpa , and I love playing guitar and bass for @rattlesnakecharm . I am always stoked to rock with Eric Lindell and our new project @estero____ , and I look forward to more guitar work coming up with @davidjhaskins . I am honored to have made records for @schlee_official , @jade_brobro , @frankie__boots , @benhereforever @broscomatose , @kevincarducci , and many, many others - however, the absolute beginnings of my story start with a small room and an acoustic guitar as a teenager. As I lost the foundations of belief, the guitar and writing songs became a powerful tool of therapy, and a vehicle to examine my truth. The craft has given me a window seat to the world, and now we watch as greedy men attempt to burn it all before our eyes. I have had an incredible support crew of bandmates and co-creators over the years, who made the dream possible. But for this moment, I needed to return to the start. So next week, I give you “Decades”- a new album 25 years in the making. 10 songs, just vocals and guitar, no overdubs, no edits. Thank you for being on the journey, thank you to everyone who has supported my band or my vision along the way. Later this summer I hope to have vinyl and cassette versions for the heads- but for now I will have CDs at the shows and the album should be available on streaming platforms next week. Early reviews have everyone choosing different favorite songs, so I know there’s something for you in here. Keep singing, keep pushing. To create is to resist. I’ll never stop. 📸 @johnmblackwell

Good times with Estero this weekend! See you at the Hopmonk Sebastapol April 16! Thank you, Eric Lindell, John Courage, Willy Jordan, Danny Eisenberg and George Humphreys!

I have a new solo album coming out on April 17th called “𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬”, and I wanted to give you a peek at the epic cover shot. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ No man is an island, and it took some of my very trusted co-creators to bring this to life- first off it was @stuartmarkham_ who was able to get me in the studio right away, tracking the songs over two days at @whitewhalerecordingstudio - which has been my home base for many projects over the years. Next, I hit up my long time buddy @johnmblackwell to just casually “shoot an album cover”. That’s no small pressure to put on a session with 6x17” film negatives, but this is the same photographer who shot my wedding on long expired Type 55 and delivered the photo of a lifetime. Needless to say, he absolutely nailed it. Please open the CD when you get it and look at the front and back covers together, as they are one panoramic shot. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ After that, I called on local legend @jjstapes to help me with the layout, and Josh always has the right eye for that vintage-but-fresh look that was in my head for the concept. “Instant classic” was the early review by a close friend. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ And the frosting on it all was the wizard @billpalmer73 who mastered the songs to perfection. Bill has been involved with almost all of my released albums, and it is a deep honor to work with someone who shares your vision in music and audio. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ So all this to say- I have a solo show at @thelostchurchsf this Thursday with @gutterswan - and I will have exclusive copies of my new album available! This will be the only chance to score a physical copy until April 17th. What better way to hear the new album?! Ticket link in bio-

Schlee and I got together to sing a song by one of our favorite Irish artists @thecranberries to commemorate St. Patrick’s Day, but also to acknowledge the continued violence, war and chaos that haunts the world right now. These times are dark for so many people all over the planet right now - so this is an offering for peace and healing in these times. Ireland stands with and fights for oppressed people globally, and we uphold this proudly- as this is my first St. Patrick’s Day as an Irish Foreign Born Citizen - John 🇮🇪 (𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐓𝐮𝐛𝐞, 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐨) #zombie #ireland