About Us
The Long Game
The Joanitones started as a pinch me moment, not realizing the personal and group growth they would experience. Joanie found Lydia, Steve retired, Kenneth got married, Oggy had a couple of kids. And, their music grew, and developed into complex melodies that are who they have become-a damn fine band.
Our Story
Joanie had a really unique birthday present one year-two hours of studio time at Sandbox Studios in Shreveport, La. She had written a song she envisioned would be played in the top floor of artspace for a landscape show of two Louisiana native's landscape paintings. She recorded it with help from Ovis at Tipitina's in Shreveport, and submitted the CD to the artspace curator. She went in the exhibit and her song wasn't playing. She thought it rude to ask, and just decided it wasn't good enough. Months passed, and she after seeing Darren Osborne of Sandbox at a jam at Lee's, she assembled a crew including David Deaton and Steve Benton to go into Sandbox and record Louisiana Landscape with full band. Lane Bayliss, Gary Graves, and Joanie were, at the time, playing around town as 'New Pony', so they were the first pick, but Gary was unavailable, so Lane brought in Steve Benton. The recording was pretty quick and videotaped by Red Rider. About a week late, we got to hear it, and Steve asked if I had other songs, and if I wanted to make a band! Gary was very busy at this time, so, I said yes, and David Deaton was too busy to be a band, and Steve knew Oggy from another group, so he invited Oggy over and we had the most amazing sessions with our beginning days. We played some covers, but mostly Joanie brought her originals to the band, and they created their parts, and we would really explore and experiment. We knew we were onto something. Since that time, Steve, Joanie and Oggy have had some trio work, sans drummer, in a search for the perfect fit to the vibes we shared, and we found it in our 7th drummer, Mr. Kenneth Brackeen. We've been a permanent foursome for over two years and since inception, over six years. WE record here and there but have yet to record a full 'album'. Our music has been evolving and recently we created a song that was melodic from Oggy and Joanie brought the lyrics. This is the goal of The Joanitones going forward, to create new songs together with the idea that our music will bring joy to music lovers of every genre, generation, and inclination for many moons to come.