Jillette Johnson – The Pain, My Friend
Today, Jillette Johnson releases her new EP The Pain, My Friend and released the official video for “Good At Lying” featuring Langhorne Slim.
Produced by Johnson’s longtime collaborator Joe Pisapia, the 5-song collection captures the pure, instinctual joy that first drew Johnson to songwriting as a kid.
About “Good At Lying,” Johnson explains: “I wrote ‘Good At Lying’ at a moment when I was hitting a wall sitting at my piano, trying to write a song and not liking anything that was coming out. I just started banging my hands on the keys and saying ‘I don’t know anything, I don’t know anything,’ and eventually that banging turned into something more musical, and the rest of the song flowed out in the subsequent 30 minutes. It’s about imposter syndrome, a feeling I think every artist feels if they’re doing their art right, which is to say living right on the edge of what’s familiar, peering into the big scary unknown, eventually on their way to making something new. Also, I had a weird feeling while I was writing that I was channeling the spirit of my friend Langhorne Slim, so it’s extra special that he agreed to lend his wild and mighty voice to it. ”
About the EP, she adds: “The Pain, My Friend is a collection of songs about embracing and being with the innate discomfort of being alive, in order to make way for joy. I wrote these songs like I always do, alone in my room, and was so fortunate to record them with some of my favorite musicians out there. The experience was easy and light and fun, and reconnected me with the freedom of making music that I felt when I just started making music as a kid. ”
Earlier this month, Johnson released a live performance video of “Joy To Remember” from the new EP.
In support of the release, she will hit the road for a run of tour dates supporting Fantastic Cat that will kick off on April 11 in Woodstock, NY and make stops in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and her hometown of Nashville, TN at Row One on April 23.
Tour Dates supporting Fantastic Cat:
4/11 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helms Barn
4/14 – Boston, MA – Middle East
4/15 – Fairfield, CT – Stage One
4/16 – Philadelphia, PA – Ardmore Music Hall
4/17 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton
4/18 – Baltimore, MD – The 8×10
4/19 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
4/21 – Charlotte, NC – The Evening Muse
4/22 – Atlanta, GA – Vinyl
4/23 – Nashville, TN – Row One
4/24 – Indianapolis, IN – HiFi
4/25 – Chicago, IL – Garcia’s
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