The Januariez

It all started at Darrell's open mic in March 2011. J-kNee January had shown up to play a couple of songs, but wound up finding a band instead. While watching the other acts, she witnessed a drummer, who later introduced himself as Reno, transform into a rhythmic conduit. Completely blown away by his ability to channel, she chased him down and asked him to play a couple of songs with her. Not knowing this guy at all, the chemistry and her intuition led her to ask him to join her new band in its embryonic form. Originally performing under the name January, because of the relation to the Roman god of the doorway Janus, J-kNee wanted a band name with intent. But that night, she perfected the name after Tal, the host of Darrell's open mic, mistakenly called them The Januariez at the end of their impromptu performance.

Knowing that J-kNee was serious (and maybe a little crazy) and that this band would be no ordinary venture, Reno took some time to consider. Active in the Seattle music scene, Reno plays with A Sic End, the nerdcore band, Southside, and jams with as many quirky musicians as he can. He has opened for some notable bands such as Naughty by Nature and Rehab and has played almost every venue in town. J-kNee, the primary song-writer and a veteran musician herself, most recently known as Nancy Frieko, has shared the stage with a foray of artists ranging from Amy Denio to Sage to The Fucking Eagles to Seaweed. She has played all over the US and has been in bands with members of Dischord band, Trusty and the legendary DC band, Scream. These days she focuses most of her time on The Januariez.

These hardworking players began practicing once a week behind a muffler shop, then scheduled two days a week, and two days a week grew into hanging out, going to shows, and sharing ideas. J-knee and Reno's efforts melded their styles to create an alchemy of rock, punk, metal, blues, and funk. Since then, The Januariez have played all over the Pacific Northwest, performing with local friends Watch it Sparkle, The Navins, The Witches Titties,
The Industry People, Gold Records, Reji Lefluer, Furniture Girls and Seeing Blind. After a chance meeting, punk legend, Alice Bag, asked The Januariez to be her backing band for a few shows which included a performance at the Women Who Rock Conference. Those shows were followed by a trip to SXSW a short Mid-South tour.

Described by Innocent Words Magazine as "T.Rex with a little Thin Lizzy and Veruca Salt fronted by Ani DiFranco," The Januariez have a little something for everyone. With a year together and 20 shows behind them, the band is excited to be recording their first full length album with Jack Endino in July 2012. The album, Authentic, set for release Autumn 2012, will be followed with a couple of regional tours.