Wayne Janus

Guitarist - Singer - Songwriter Wayne Janus is from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Wayne started his own Blues band in the mid 90’s and toured through out Ontario performing at festivals, clubs and private parties. His raw and energetic live performances began to draw considerable attention to his musicianship. With in a couple of years he landed a job with Live Earth Management as the lead guitarist for a well established Bluesman named George “Wild Child” Butler. Over the next ten years Janus and Butler would perform together intermittently through out Canada, U.S.A. and Europe.

After returning from Europe and performing at the 2003 Lucerne Blues Festival. Janus released an all original Rock-Blues project entitled OMP. Many other recordings during live shows were captured but due to the busy tour schedule, OMP was the only release. Because of this, Wayne and his band decided to book “after hours” studio time so they could release a “Traditional Blues” project to show the diversity of the band. A project entitled “The T.N.T. Bluesmen” was released in 2004. After returning from the 2004 Snow Bird Jazz and Blues Festival in Utah, Wayne was offered an amplifier endorsement from Bill Costello of “Busen Amplifiers”.

In March of 2005, George Butler passed away. Wayne sadly recalls, “I was told that George was having some routine surgery and that we would be back out on the road by summer of 05’.” With little time to reflect, Janus and his band pressed on with a very aggressive pace recording and performing through out Canada.

In 2006, Wayne pulled out of live performances to work in the recording studio. Producer and Studio Engineer Dan Jefferies sponsored Wayne for recording in 06’. Janus explains, “We had all these unfinished recordings and ideas for songs.” The result at the end of the 06’ year was a very solid Blues album entitled “All Access Blues”. “All Access Blues” is an all original complementation of studio sessions from the previous three years. The album features songs with solo and full band ensembles. On the track entitled “Moving On”, Wayne puts down the guitar to play some “mean” harmonica and sings about “Wild Child”.

By spring of 2007, Janus had formed a new band and was performing live and experimenting with other genres of music. Wayne explains, “Because I have and understanding of Blues music, I am able to cross over into other styles of music like Jazz, Fusion, Folk, Rhythm and Blues and Pop.”

By early 2008, an album entitled “September Moon” was taking shape and almost ready for release. September Moon is an all original Jazz/Fusion based Folk album with nuances of Blues and Light Rock. This is a very dynamic album that features Wayne’s song writing diversity.

In fall of 08’, Wayne moved to Vancouver B.C. to network the west coast of North America. In November of 08’ he performed at the World United Music and Radio Festival in San Marcos, Texas. Upon returning from Texas, Wayne officially released “September Moon” and “All Access Blues” through a distribution company called CD Baby. With in two months of the release, “All Access Blues” was getting radio play on numerous stations through out the South-Western and North-Eastern United States. Air play has also been noted throughout Canada and Europe. Roots Time Magazine in Holland gave “All Access Blues” a very prestigious review and referred to Wayne as the “trump card” of the Canadian Blues scene.

While networking on the west coast Wayne wrote another solid Blues album entitled, “Delta Rain”. This new CD is expected to be released by late spring in 09’. There is “talk” that he might regroup with Bassist Cameron Walsh and Drummer Brian Murphy to record “Delta Rain”. Janus, Walsh and Murphy haven’t performed together since they “backed” George “Wild Child” Butler at the 2003 Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland.

Wayne Janus connects with the listener. His stage presence and musicianship reflect a natural professionalism that is very appealing to the toughest of critics. His reputation is “backed” by strong reviews, sponsorship, endorsements, references, audiences, radio and of course; his music.