On July 29th from 11am to 8pm, Soulsational Festival will be celebrating music and wellness for its 7th year at Veterans Park in Bayville, NJ. This free community event will feature "live music, local health and wellness businesses and practitioners, giveaways, a silent auction, and lots of opportunities to give back and unite the Jersey Shore community." One of the event's live music acts is JO MARIE & THE COMPANY. Enjoy this interview with vocalist Jo Marie, below:
What's your name, where are you from, where are you based now, and what do you do?
My name is Johnna Marie but I go by Jo, and I'm from Red Bank, NJ. I am mostly known as a background vocalist for bands and artists like The Jody Joseph Band, Matthew Stephen and the Sweet Action, The Taylor Tote Band, The Keith Egan Band, Revelation Band, RB3, Jeremy Adam (and more) and I am the lead vocalist for my band JO MARIE & THE COMPANY. Additionally, I am a full time studio photographer, and I volunteer for Heartstrings Non-Profit.
What's your background? What would you like people to know about you & your work?
I work for the Jody Joseph Music Company as a junior instructor. She was my mentor for 10 years, and now I have the pleasure of teaching others to do what I love!
I've been performing since the age of 7, and it all started with Jody Joseph Bongiovi. From there, I went to college and was a performance major, and now I get to bring those skills to others both on and off stage. I think my passion for performing is so deeply rooted because it began at such a young age, that when I teach it's like the spark lights up all over again! Music is a beautiful and powerful healing agent for anyone, anywhere, anytime and giving that to someone is such a gift.
How did you hear about Soulsational? What can we expect to see/hear at the festival, and what are you personally most looking forward to?
I heard about Soulsational last summer when I was working as a promoter with Dave Mooney! I met with Gina and was given a slot on the pavilion stage and it was such a fun time! This year, my band (Julian Michalski of Pepperwine, Nick Ryan, Anthony Flora and Michael Squillace) are featured in SOULSTOCK - a flashback to Woodstock 69'. All of our songs are going to be straight from the bands who played Woodstock that year (except for one surprise song). I could not be more excited! There's so many people on that original line-up that have influenced me as a performer - I can't wait to sing some of these songs for the first time! We hit the field stage at 2:20 PM. I'm also super excited to see some local friends on the pavilion stage as well. It's going to be a good one!
How can people connect with you online? Do you have a website? Are you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, etc.?
The easiest ways to connect online are:
Instagram: @johnnathegiant
Facebook: facebook.com/johnnamariemusic or by searching "Jo Marie."
I'm totally into social media so please feel free to add, follow or drop a line! See ya at Soulsational!