Jeremy & Lynne feat. The Typical Johnsons

By Don Thrasher
Contributing Writer
Music was always important to Jeremy Siegrist and his new bride Lynne. However, it became all-consuming when they started writing songs via e-mail in 2012 while Siegrist neared the end of his 20-year stint in the Navy.
The acoustic duo known as Jeremy & Lynne recently added a backing band, the Typical Johnsons, featuring Andy Brogan (lead guitar, vocals), Jeff Brogan (bass) and Justin Luckey (drums). The husband-and-wife team recently discussed the new band and the new CD, “The Sailor & the Siren,” the follow-up to their 2015 debut album “Drawing Blood.”
TEAM BUILDING
Jeremy: “We’re coming to this really late in the game. Sometimes it can be a bit of a struggle because I’m 43 and I wonder if we’re too old for this. Our drummer and guitarist have been playing in bands since they were 18 and we haven’t. Lynne and I are the head of the project even though they’ve been playing longer than us so we’re kind of flying by the seat of our pants right now.”
Lynne: “Having a band has changed the way we write, and it has opened up new venues for us, too. Jeremy and I did the coffee shop circuit for a while now and with the full band we’re definitely looking at a lot of different places to play.”
Jeremy: “People are more willing to accept us as a full band. When we have everybody moving we go from being this Americana folk duo to being a very loud band. The songs have moved toward this alternative country, rock ‘n’ roll thing. That shocked me at first but I really like it.”
STUDIO TIME
Jeremy: “We did an EP this time because we wanted to try to put our best foot forward. We put our whole effort into these six songs
Lynne: “We recorded with Kirby (Johnston) and Jack (Wiley) at Moon Ranch Entertainment, which was great.”
Jeremy: “We’re still new to this whole thing so they really guided how the recording went. Instead of trying to find out what works, they were right there with suggestions.”
OUR OBSESSION
Lynne: “Music has always been a big part of our lives.”
Jeremy: “It would have to be to even attempt to do something like this. It’s all engrossing. I’m more worried now that we can’t stop. There’s no stopping us but that’s just who we are. There’s no deviation from the course. Now, we just go, go, go.”
Lynne: “Yeah, when do you stop? When do you know enough’s enough?”
MORE INFO:www.jeremyandlynne.com. - Dayton Daily News

Americana, defined by the Americana Music Association as “contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues, resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw,” may be an inclusive genre, but it is definitely not an easy one. Relying heavily on a rich musical heritage and archetypically American-roots themes, Americana demands dedication, talent, and vitality of spirit in equal measure. Fans of the genre expect, in one breath, both a firm grasp of established style and innovation in songwriting. It’s this tension that makes Americana such a robust, dynamic genre. Like branches of a tree, each artist relies on those common “roots,” but also adds their own experiences like a patchwork of multicolored bark and leaves.

Into this honorable lineage step Jeremy & Lynne, a singer songwriter duo from Ohio. Having collaborated on recordings since 2012, the pair finally released their first album, Drawing Blood, this March. For a relatively new band, J&L already have an excellent grasp on the genre. Although most of their songs are based on quite simple chord progressions, their lyrics and songwriting style clearly identify their work as no-nonsense Americana music. One characteristic of roots music might be, for instance, energetic acoustic strumming and lyrics steeped in metaphor to convey thoughtful ideas. For instance, in the eponymous track of the album, the chorus goes:

“Without that grain of sand, there won’t be a pearl. / No grist inside the mill in your happy little world. The words that turn the wheel aren’t the ones you want to feel. / It’s the ones that draw the blood that seem to be most real.”

What unifies the various elements of Americana is the centrality of storytelling – whether folk, bluegrass, country, blues, or whatever else, these hold fast to an affinity for sharing personal experiences. This comes out most obviously in the subject matter of the songs. Jeremy & Lynne make excellent use of their musical space to give room to their past stories, inviting the audience to walk the shores of Lake Erie or watch the destructive behavior of a crazy ex girlfriend. These fragments of a life are at once fundamentally individual and radically universal. Certainly, not everyone goes through what the songwriters have, but the beauty of this narrative method is that we are included, participants in the collective display of memories. In much the same way that close friends share the most personal life details, Americana fans are privy to the inner lives of the artists themselves.

For those looking for the next Americana group for their collection and new listeners eager to get into the genre alike, Jeremy & Lynne are two excellent artists who make greatness happen in their collaboration - The Appetizer Radio Show

All this month, Music Connection Dayton is proud to spotlight the Singer- Songwriter duo of Jeremy Siegrist & Lynne Baker. Since 2012, these long-time friends from the small town of Minster, OH have been writing songs about life’s struggles, victories, and triumphs. Together, the pair embodies a “never give up” mentality that has carried them through the highs & lows of the music biz!
In March of 2015, Jeremy & Lynne released their debut album called “Drawing Blood”.
The duo drew inspiration from a number of influences for the project while placing their own fresh take on the Americana/Folk genre that has made a resurgence in recent years.
Shortly after the release of Drawing Blood, the duo were contacted by a Jeremy and Lynne - Drawing Bloodmusic label here in Ohio about signing a deal for their next CD.
Siegrist says, “We originally were contacted by the label after getting on the front page of ReverbNation and we did that by having all of our songs previewed and rated by their international audience. One of our songs, Inside My Head, scored an 8.9 or something overall and they made contact with us via the site. Coincidentally, it was that song that won an Ohio Music Award for best folk song for 2015.”
After some thoughtful consideration, Siegrist & Baker began negotiations with the firm. The pair traveled to Columbus to meet with a young rep from the label. Jeremy recalls,
“It really became real when they started talking about revenue streams and what we were responsible for and whether or not they would pay for the whole thing and keep a whole bunch of the rights to each song or we would pay for some and keep some of the rights to our songs. We had to do a lot of research at that point. It boiled down to a basic 360 contract where we were in essence paying ourselves, but what they could do that we can’t do or couldn’t do at the time was reach out a lot farther and push any music we recorded with them a lot farther than what we could by ourselves.”
The dialog between the two parties continued for several months before the pair decided it was time to pull the plug on negotiations.
“In the end it took about eight or nine months, three contract revisions and a whole lotta of phone conversations to determine that this wasn’t in the best interest for myself or our newly formed band. We decided to stop pursuing them and they us. It was a mutual decision, and there were no hard feelings on either side, although I felt really bad for their guy who spent a lot of man-hours into trying to appease us.”
The frustration and wasted months would have sent many musicians reeling or at the very least put a sour taste in their mouths, but not Jeremy & Lynne.
“I would most definitely go through the process again with the right label. Of course, there’s the sting of not actually being signed. For the better part of eight months, we had every hope and every intention of being a signed band, whatever that means. Honestly, I kind of consider it part of paying our dues and working our way through the local scene.”
Baker says the pair already has a game plan moving forward with a new EP already in the works.
“We are finally getting back into the studio again and are really anxious and excited to get to work on this EP. A lot of the songs going on this EP and the next album as well are about relationships and life, the ebb and flow of it, the good & the bad, and I think people can relate to them. We are planning to have the EP out by spring, and then get started on a full album to be done by the end of the year. Right now, we are just getting out there and playing shows as much as we can, finding new places to play and meeting new people.”
With that kind of persistence and determination, my money is on Jeremy & Lynne to make a BIG splash on Ohio’s music scene in the months to come!
While Jeremy & Lynne get to work on the new EP, you can grab your copy of Drawing Blood on iTunes, Amazon, or CD Baby! You can also catch them live at a number of shows this month, including their February 12th date at one of Ohio’s newest breweries, the Moeller Brew Barn in Maria Stein, OH. Later this spring, be sure to catch the duo at Taffy’s in Eaton, OH for the Songwriter’s Showcase March 26th with Moriah Haven, and mark your calendars for April 15th when the full band invades Dublin Pub in Dayton! For a complete listing of upcoming shows, visit their website today! - Music Connection Dayton