John John Brown: Songs, Stories, & Art-Lessons from Strangers

“If John Prine songs were in a giant comic book live on stage.”-White Horse Black Mountain

Kerrville New Folk winner John John Brown is bringing giant hand-drawn comics to the stage. Titled Songs, Stories, & Art- Lessons from Strangers, this original project weaves together storytelling songs and the visual arts in a live performance creating an immersive experience for the listener. Throughout the performance, Brown takes the audience inside the lives of 14 unique characters, while strumming his guitar and singing beside a projected graphic story. Unfolding is an imaginative and colorful world revealing the idea that all people, strangers alike, have a story we can learn from.

No Depression calls John John Brown’s debut album The Road "a blend of astute Americana accompanied by a quiet, reflective glow", while Americana UK said his newest release is "so well written that every song could be a short story". In recent years, he has been chosen as a Kerrville New Folk winner and an Emerging Artist at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Most notably, in concert, John John is known for mixing storytelling songs with the visual arts creating “an imaginative musical performance woven into a unique visual experience”. His most recent project, Songs, Stories, and Art-Lessons From Strangers, is the result of a four year collaborative effort with an Indonesian artist named Sapri. Despite living across the globe and relying on Google Translate to communicate pages of detailed notes, Sapri has illustrated more than 200 vibrant drawings that help portray Brown’s storytelling songs during live shows. Unfolding is an imaginative and ever-changing colorful world that takes the audience inside the lives of 14 unique characters revealing the idea that all people have a story we can learn from. While strumming his guitar and singing beside a projected graphic story, John John Brown may have found a new way to sing a song. Above all, he stays rooted in the soil of a good story.