JohnJohn began a two piece pop rock and Latin soul infused band, formed by Anthony Worn and Ben Viellefon. They met in unusual circumstances. Anthony started as a musician at 15 and played all over the UK for ten years, while Ben played in France, Switzerland, Belgium and the USA before coming to London. They both found the London music scene very depressing with more emphasis on connections than music. It seemed nobody was interested in listening to real live music anymore! Ben was ready to give up; working in the media industry and Anthony planned to leave the country to play elsewhere.
By a strange twist of fate, Anthony and Ben were neighbours for two years without ever meeting. In July 2001, their paths crossed: whilst looking at the larger flat next door Ben found a guitar almost everywhere he went. Recognizing a kindred spirit he dragged Anthony next door to play. They jammed and ‘Summer Spell’ was born along with the start of the band.
Composing at an unprecedented rate, they haven’t stopped playing since. So far, the philosophy behind the music is to sing and play live, needing no programming or production, therefore remaining self sufficient. If songs are strong enough, they stand on their own!
The guys quickly realized that their music was ready to take the next step – by incorporating drumming, reinforcing the rhythm backbone of the band. They first hired a session drummer, then hired top Finish drummer Kari Paavla.
He was playing in the UK band “Cinerama” and had to leave after a few months to tour Europe and USA. He recommended his young colleague from Finland Ilja Salonen. From the first audition, he felt the songs, had the right feel and within a matter of weeks the band felt comfortable. The right line up was finally there and the performances got better and better.
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YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
In december 2002 JohnJohn went to play in France, where a live performance had been filmed. A five track live video is now available on youtube.
DISCOGRAPHY
JohnJohn – “Debut album” 2001