About this Event
"Modern Johnny is a feeling," says Theo Katzman in regards to his
third LP, Modern Johnny Sings: Songs in the Age of Vibe. "He's an
archetypal character who represents the plight of the singer
songwriter trying to make it in today's music world."
Modern Johnny is not an alter-ego, per se, but he and Katzman do have
some striking similarities. Born in the mid-80s, both were raised on
the rubble of 90s rock radio, the remains of their parents' record
collections, a handful of 'Greatest Hits' CDs, and several hard drives
worth of mis-credited MP3s from Napster. Both left home for [INSERT
BIG CITY] with a "songs-can-change-the-world" attitude. Both find
themselves stumbling through the free market in the age of social, the
age of streaming... the Age of Vibe.
And it's a confusing climate out there. Billy Joel hasn't released an
album in nearly three decades, Stevie Wonder is ranked 230th on
Spotify, and The Beatles are best known for their appearance in the
XBOX video game Rock Band.
To be clear, Modern Johnny isn't necessarily what the kids are asking
for: He's too heart to be hip, too hip to be pop, too pop to be rock,
and too rock to be art.
TOUGH SITCH.
But no matter the zeitgeist, both Katzman and Johnny forge ahead the
only way they know how: in pursuit of messy, honest, exuberant human
emotion through popular song. The result is Modern Johnny Sings: Songs
in the Age of Vibe.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
1904 Music Hall, 19 North Ocean Street, Jacksonville, United States