About Me
Combining the best elements of country, folk and classic rock meet Topanga Canyon, California's CITY FRITTER.What ARE the best elements of country?
The honesty and grit of Loretta Lynn and Buck Owens.
Folk?
The storytelling of Bob Dylan and the harmonies of CSNY.
Classic rock?
The ringing guitars and energy of The Beatles, Stones and Byrds.What IS City Fritter?
A fried up tasty mix of all those influences flavored by the experience and creativity of singing and songwriting team
JEWELS and JOHNNY NATION. CITY FRITTER incorporates and reflects all of the varied environments and circumstances that have shaped the band and their sound. Rooted firmly in the present, listening to what has come before, with eyes to the future - this is timeless music.Since forming in 2003 CITY FRITTER has performed extensively for enthusiastic audiences at nearly every venue in LA. Some favorites: Canter's Kibitz Room, The House of Blues, Molly Malone's, The Viper Room, Cinema Bar, Safari Sam's, and Liquid Lounge Long Beach where they had a monthly residency for 2 years. In their hometown of Topanga, they have become local favorites, playing the legendary TOPANGA DAYS festival for the past 4 years.
Outside of LA, CITY FRITTER has played shows at Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace and GRAMFEST - the annual Gram Parsons tribute concert in Joshua Tree, California where they make their second home. Another favorite gig was at The Sweetwater in Marin County, one of Jerry Garcia's favorite spots. Besides extensively touring Northern and Southern California, the Fritters had a very successful east coast tour in 2007, playing shows in New York City, Woodstock, Pennsylvania, and the Berkshires, where they had the pleasure of playing The Guthrie Center - founded by Arlo Guthrie in the church made famous in "Alice's Restaurant".
Other stops on the Fritter train include The Hotel California in Todos Santos, Baja Sur Mexico and Tradewinds on Kaui, Hawaii.Wherever they play, audiences respond immediately and positively to the unique sound and stage presence of the band. High energy vocals meet laid back California guitars - a curly haired dynamo gets the crowd moving by dancing up a storm while a handsome rock & roller takes his licks on a fine collection of instruments.Johnny's lead guitar playing for the seminal LA cowpunk band, THE JONESES gave him a solid background in the rootsy style later to be recognized as alt-country. Jewels background in theatre gives her an immediate way to connect with an audience, singing and dancing professionally since childhood, she fronts the band with humor and confidence.Soon after meeting and starting to jam, Jewels and Johnny discovered a mutual interest in the history of country music. Together they dug deep into traditional, mainstream, outlaw, and cosmic American music - approaching and interpreting it all with new eyes and a fresh perspective. On their own, each had written songs, but when they started writing together a new voice was created and the music just flowed. After a songwriting workshop with alt-country guru Jimmie Dale Gilmore, their process was solidified and the songs continue to get better and better. "We balance each other beautifully" says Jewels "I start with the truth and emotional honesty of the story of the song while Johnny focuses on the catchy guitar parts - we meet in the middle and that's where the magic happens" "Some of the first songs we wrote together like 'LAUREL CANYON', 'TRAVELLIN" MOON', and '$91' are still favorites in our live show 5 years down the line. That's the test of a good song, it holds up over time" says Johnny.
Their partnership forms the core of CITY FRITTER supported by some of the finest musicians playing in the Americana scene today.In 2006, Jewels and Johnny received their first big song placement - the track "DON"T YOU KNOW" can be heard in the 20th Century Fox feature film "FLICKA" starring Tim McGraw.The song is included on their latest release, the critically acclaimed
"FROM THE OCEAN TO THE DESERT"
(available on iTunes, CDBaby and Miles of Music)
In addition to the new CD, CITY FRITTER has released 2 EPs both of which sold out their initial runs completely:
the 5 track self titled "CITY FRITTER" (available for download on iTunes and CDbaby) and the 7 track all acoustic "JUST US". Some tracks from these EPs are available for FREE right here on our page.Hope you'll add us as friends and download a song or two, check out our website for more song clips and details about upcoming shows. Come out and see us live sometime, good time guaranteed!!Thanks for listening,
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