ABOUT THE ARTIST
Johnny Blueheart’s music is where the honky tonk meets the circus tent, where old school country crosses wires with a distinctly American, distinctly dystopian take on gothic balladry. In Johnny’s forthcoming EP, Heroes of Circumstance, coyotes howl across desert plains while cello and circus organs whine and growl in return. Once a mainstay of the Northern New Mexico music scene (The Taos Inn, The Chili Line Depot, Mineshaft Tavern), Johnny is now based in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he recently headlined several shows at Boulder’s famed Gold Hill Inn, touching the blue hearts of cowboys and clowns alike.
The descendant of four Holocaust survivors and born Matthew Beals, Johnny sang in punk bands and barbershop choruses while growing up in the melting pot of New York. An early project, ISOMER, had him performing avant-garde vocal compositions around the Big Apple (CBGBs, Pianos) and releasing three full-length albums. A lover of sound design, he also served as live foley artist for theater troupe The Interstellar Radio Company, for whom he cracked celery and slung toilet plungers as the opening act for folk rock sensation The Magnetic Fields during a cross-country tour.
It was during a soul-searching voyage out west working as a horse wrangler in Texas for a stint, living in an off-grid community and ultimately becoming the Night Manager at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, that the name Johnny Blueheart was born. “I wanted a name that sounded classic and American while also giving me room to breathe into different genres. I aspire to evoke the blue heart of America, fitting on stage at a dusty dive bar on Friday and a glitzy jazz club on Saturday."
In Heroes of Circumstance, Johnny's signature baritone evokes longing, hope, hardship, and resilience. Self-producing the album with a cadre of musicians on pedal steel, upright bass, baritone guitar, cello, and percussion, the EP's six songs are a cinematic journey that spans the genres of outlaw country, gothic rock, tribal folk, and circus music.
The descendant of four Holocaust survivors and born Matthew Beals, Johnny sang in punk bands and barbershop choruses while growing up in the melting pot of New York. An early project, ISOMER, had him performing avant-garde vocal compositions around the Big Apple (CBGBs, Pianos) and releasing three full-length albums. A lover of sound design, he also served as live foley artist for theater troupe The Interstellar Radio Company, for whom he cracked celery and slung toilet plungers as the opening act for folk rock sensation The Magnetic Fields during a cross-country tour.
It was during a soul-searching voyage out west working as a horse wrangler in Texas for a stint, living in an off-grid community and ultimately becoming the Night Manager at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, that the name Johnny Blueheart was born. “I wanted a name that sounded classic and American while also giving me room to breathe into different genres. I aspire to evoke the blue heart of America, fitting on stage at a dusty dive bar on Friday and a glitzy jazz club on Saturday."
In Heroes of Circumstance, Johnny's signature baritone evokes longing, hope, hardship, and resilience. Self-producing the album with a cadre of musicians on pedal steel, upright bass, baritone guitar, cello, and percussion, the EP's six songs are a cinematic journey that spans the genres of outlaw country, gothic rock, tribal folk, and circus music.
Taos Tempo News - June 4th, 2020