SOLD OUT: Johnnyswim, Hope Country
$18 ($16 adv.). Doors 7:30 pm.
press release: JOHNNYSWIM have confirmed a second leg of their Let It Matter Tour this March, in support of their forthcoming album Georgica Pond. To further celebrate the release of Georgica Pond (out this Friday, October 14), the band performed songs off the new album for The New York Times’ Facebook Live sessions.
Georgica Pond is receiving early critical acclaim and is exclusively streaming in full as part of NPR Music’s First Listen series. Of the album, NPR Music hails, “Their sparkly pop songs exude L.A. sleekness, but they’d easily translate to country radio with the application of a little twang…and the lyrics frequently touch on the elation, complication and lifelong work inherent in love, devotion and family.”
Georgica Pond was produced by JOHNNYSWIM’s Abner Ramirez and recorded at the couple’s home studio in Los Angeles, with bass and drum parts added at the Castle in Nashville. JOHNNYSWIM teamed up with a few different songwriters and collaborators including longtime collaborator Britten Newbill, violinist/composer Anton Patzner, Nashville-based songwriters Natalie Hemby and Chris DeStefano, as well as country music icon Vince Gill, to create a listening experience that spans a range of tones and emotions.
Of their process, Ramirez explains, “Any fear we had on album one has completely evaporated. We know the people that come to JOHNNYSWIM shows. We know it matters to them what we have to say. We realize that, much like ourselves, our fans appreciate honesty. We wanted that to be the cornerstone of this album.” Amanda Sudano Ramirez further highlights the themes on the album: “love, legacy, the past and the future all put into this bittersweet mixture that makes you fully appreciate the present.”
Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano Ramirez make up JOHNNYSWIM. The pair met in Nashville in 2005, instituting a songwriting partnership not long afterward. They clicked together musically and personally, beginning a romantic relationship along with their creative connection. The couple married in 2009 and relocated to Los Angeles. In addition to their 2014 debut full-length, they’ve released three EPs, as well as a Christmas EP and a live album.