We recently connected with Joanie Nerrettig and have shared our conversation below.

Joanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I was in rehab after a bad mushroom trip. At 18, I had to call my mom to make sure I was still on her insurance, which thankfully, I was. I did a thirty day hospital stay, then a halfway house. At the halfway house one of the counselors had a guitar and he taught me, “House of the Rising Sun”. Soon after, I went to a pawn shop in Shreveport, Louisiana and bought my first guitar, a Kent Classical nylon string for $20. Somehow I found an easy chord guitar book, and started singing the songs for anyone who would listen. I ended up going back to using and found myself in the streets of New York City, on the dark side. Part of that was also playing songs for strangers in the street, when I had a guitar. House of the Rising Sun would always fetch $3, because of it’s length. Well, hell, I played it so well, I sometimes got a $5! I eventually got out of the City and away from drugs, and went to school to learn to drive an 18 wheeler. I did that for a while and had so many really wonderful visual experiences! Me and my Kent would sing as much as we could, and write as much as we could and I remember hanging out in San Francisco with an old friend from New York recording a song I wrote on their four track. I still have the little cassette tape of, “Our Day”. I still wasn’t really playing ‘gigs’. I was just playing for myself, the ocean, a few people here and there at parties, and what not. My Mom always loved hearing me sing. She herself had one of the most velvet alto voices on the planet, as she and her two sisters were Salvation Army brats who learned three part harmony early on. My Gramps and Granny were Salvation Army officers and their daughters sang at the services and on the street! In 2008 I was invited to a party in Escondido, California and there met up with a band of sorts that I joined. WE played some of my songs, as well as covers. It was in April 2017 I met up with Steve Benton who played bass on Louisiana Landscape, a song I wrote to accompany an art gallery showing of women painted landscapes of Louisiana. The song was not used in the gallery, but it served to put me together with Steve, who brought guitarist Oggy Martin in to form our group, The Joanitones. My song writing grew as these gentlemen created their own original contributions to my compositions, and our band, after going through six drummers, finally found our forever drummer, Kenneth Brackeen. I would not have done anything to speed up my learning process. It’s organic. It’s authentic. It’s cool.
Most essential skills are being brave. Well, you gotta play the right chords, and you gotta actually write songs that are you. I’ve got so many experiences that the doodle bug in my head always comes up with the next song. Some are crap. Some are good. And, well, some are really great!
Well, obstacles to me learning more? I’m comfortable playing 7 chords, and writing with 7 chords. I move my capo up and down the guitar neck and there are more keys to try out. I like pretending I’m Pink, or Chrissie Hynde, and I guess at this point, I’ve created my own little performance style. One thing I am is an older person on the scene, but I really don’t feel that way. I feel like I’m an 18 year old kid kicking around the streets of the world figuring out how to be relevant, loved, and valued. I’m doing pretty good. The Joanitones is the best project I’ve ever been a part of because those cats seem to really love my tunes. I’ve had Oggy tell me he ‘soars’ playing behind me. And man, you should hear HIM play! Steve always answers the phone when I need to talk, and Kenneth just told me the other night after a casino gig, “I love being in this band, Thank you.”
Oh, I still have my Kent Guitar, if you can believe that! After all this life, she’s hung out in the closet of my childhood home like a welcome beacon, waiting to create more songs. Tada! I’m Lucky!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I grew up being taught how to shoplift. I have photos of proms or homecomings and the dress is one I stole for myself. Mom would sing in the car, in the house, and at restaurants make ‘chicken’ sounds, then when people would come looking, she would look around, too. I listened to my mom sing with her two sisters on summer breaks. My aunt played an Ovation and we always sang, “Country Roads”, by John Denver. (RIP). I got a guitar while in rehab, and started writing songs right away. I always seem to write about what I see visually. A two year stint as a long distance truck driver gave me ample inspiration, as well as years of living on the dark side in New York City. I was able to save my life, or some angels saved it, and kept on with the songwriting my whole life, no matter where I was. Pretty cool, and impressive to me that this happened. I started playing actual ‘gigs’ in California. I played with a cover band, but we covered some of my songs, too, and I created a solo, and duo act that I hawked in SoCal. I had nice gigs and enjoyed it. My career took an upturn when I moved back to Shreveport, Louisiana to inherit my childhood home. I met the musicians who form The Joanitones. These guys, Steve Benton, Oggy Martin, and Kenneth Brackeen, actually LIKE my songs, and create their own original parts to go with my compositions. It’s super cool to write a song, and bring it to rehearsal, and they are so good, they create their parts on the spot! I’ve am a prolific songwriter. No doubt, I write some winners, some losers, but I always come back for more.
I am a songwriter. I am a performer. I am a lover of life. The Joanitones are a relevant, cool, wonderful, melodic, top notch band and I want to be on the Kelly Clarkson Show.
The Joanitones are for people who really like melodic, well thought out music. Some guy came up to me after a recent gig and told me it was like smoking a doobie and listening to Pink Floyd. WE hope to create a vibe that allows people to enjoy our show, enjoy their brain, and help their lives flow.
We are different than others because of all the stuff I wrote above. Just reread it.
The most thing I’m proud of is I never gave up. I never give up. And, I won’t give up. We got too much life to live for all that.
Cheers.
P.S. I rescued a week old kitten I found under my shed. Her name is Lydia and she is super cool and I love her. She’s six months old now.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Oh, my goodness, the APPLAUSE! The people who come up to me and tell me how they love the music, they love me, they give me jewelry, or other goodies, because they love the music! It’s approval I did not receive as a little girl. Being creative also gives me another insight into why I didn’t fit in as a youth. School after 3rd grade was a real hard time. Being an artist means I am on the fray, and being a musician means that’s okay! When we get ‘likes’ on our videos, or comments, or fans return show after show, I KNOW without a doubt, I am doing something that is relevant, and means something to the world. I am part of the solution, the growth, the fun, the wonderment of being a human being! Yes!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes! I want to get more likes, more people to like my work! I want to be meaningful in people’s lives. The mission? Eh, I don’t think I’m that ‘noble’ to have a mission.
I just want to be liked!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thejoanitones.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanitones/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejoanitones
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC97zdcX4MffWKJZsIwm7VoQ  https://www.youtube.thejoanitones.com
• Other: https://culturalyst.com/joanienerrettig

Image Credits
Louis Ramos Ryan Arcamo David Miller Megan Rolfe Dennis Kees Marc Miller Jordan Zaffater