in this crazy mixed up world, aint nothing sillier than music bios. so off into the deep end we jump: Singer-songwriter J Shogren is celebrating the release of his new CD, Jahamericana (JAHA! Records). This raucous collection comprises many styles from roots to country to blues. His gruff voice and jackalope lyrics join his old Gibson L-48 guitar to charm and shake you off your bar stool. The songs come from a life lived in loud proportions. His adventures have taken him from days as a trapper to an endowed professor. More recently, J splits his time between the mountain town of Centennial (Wyoming) and Norrlander parish of Umea (Sweden). And as wild as it sounds, there he sits as the King of Sweden's Professor. Even more outrageous, he was a party to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize as a member of the IPCC for their work on climate change. Now that is a lot of living packed into the 14 songs on Jahamericana. But hey have a listen yourself. "Great album !!! Where have you been all those years ?? 4 & 1/ 2 stars" Top 25 cds of 2007 -- F Braeken, e-magazine ROOTSTIME. Your cd is just amazing! -- DJ R Pieters, Somewhere Between on Internet Radiostation Golden Flash (www.goldenflash.be) "...Excellent acoustic, sit-down Berryesque rock and roll." -- J Carducci, former SST records dude, infamous rock-and-roll writer and critic "a song writer with many edges, all of them loveable" -- Country Home, Germany (www.iwde.de) "...a lively old school new Americana singer-songwriter, who is unafraid of the polka, both to sing and to dance." -- J Shogren, about his future accordion teacher For more information on J Shogren, his music, performances, reviews, and whole lot more, please visit his website at: www.myspace.com/jshogren, email: jahajunti@hotmail.com For information about booking, and other such related matters, call 307.745.0862 Influences - acoustic jimmy page, electric bob dylan sets us apart - According to Lars Erikson....what sets us apart is a "very honest and driving, in rhythm and attitude, essentially positive. It cheers you up without being silly. I find it cool, at times brilliant, fun and funny, a combination of serious and amusing. The guitarplaying is great, with lots of variation and personal touch, and so is the working on the songs. It is a good mixture between driving rhythm and more calm songs. As with many other artists, you find the same kind of rhythm in the different songs returning, but there is nothing wrong with that, it's only familiar and nice. Makes you wanna dance. The songs are mature, because the man who composed them is mature; he's not a kid who, no matter how brilliant he may be, can't get away from his immaturity. The album is cozy, perfect for a car trip or for being played over and over again, weekend after weekend, on a local pub somewhere in Wyoming. Many lines get stuck in your head (and so do the riffs). He comes some: "Dancing drinking and crying, lonesome lovesick and blue, smoking laughing and lying, to myself, the world and to you" found the keys to life my friend but I dropped them underneath my bar stool, "oh Lord, why did you give so many so few?", "if it's good enough for you, it's good enough for me". At times I think the songs deserve a better recording, but they still come along great. Sometimes the whole thing reminds me - I don't know why - of a great street band, unknown, unrecorded, but oh so great. There is something classical about this album." My story - playing music for 3 decades and yes I am the King of Sweden's professor J Shogren lives in Wyoming. All of Jay's songs were recorded at Thunderground Sound Studios by Dan Tinker. http://thundergroundsound.com/