THE RECENT funk-soul revival has puzzled a lot of people, but one person who wasn’t surprised at all was San Jose’s Johnny Johnson, better known by his nickname and singular stage name, Jonah.
“Soul music becomes popular when there’s struggle,” says Jonah. “The last era soul was so popular was the ’70s. Now the economy is bad, there’s the crisis in Japan, you’ve got wars and earthquakes. Our society is willing to listen again to something that’s more in-depth.”
That depth, he says, is the reason that we seek soul in times like these, along with the sheer willfulness of the music and its power to convey a positive message. “That’s why they call it soul, because it’s the deepest thing inside of us. Soul music is the voice of something better. It says, ‘We can do it again.'”
If that’s about the best explanation yet offered for soul’s re-emergence, it’s because Jonah has been studying and learning from what he sees as the genre’s peak songwriting in the ’70s. And he’s been putting his own modern twist on it, as well, first solo and, since 2004, as frontman for the ensemble of players in So Timeless.
Born in San Francisco, and raised in Oakland, Jonah moved to the South Bay in 1997 to go to De Anza, and was considering a football career before the music bug hit him. Initially focused on his songwriting and vocals, he started out doing gigs by himself where he’d sing along to a CD. But he felt something was missing without the camaraderie and thrill of a live band.
“All I knew was that I wanted to do something that was bigger than my own voice,” he says. “The beat machine is great, don’t get me wrong. But there’s something about playing actual chords.”
Featuring up to nine players on stage at once, So Timeless has opened up Jonah’s music in a way he never imagined possible. Their sound incorporates elements of everything from funk and classic soul to hip-hop, reggae and jazz. The band has also brought out a new level of versatility in his voice, as well—while many groups have to tag team singing and rapping, Jonah flips easily between lead vocalist and MC.
Logistics, though, are another matter. Right now, Jonah is trying to put together a So Timeless tour, and practically drowning in a maze of scheduling improbabilities.
“Trying to get everybody on the same page, oh my god. It’s difficult. Life is constantly trying to pull us apart,” he says.
And yet, Jonah has earned a reputation as one of the savviest musicians in the local scene when it comes to handling the business end of a music career. At night, he can be found onstage, but by day he’s often making the rounds at local wireless hotspots in San Jose, because he doesn’t feel like he gets enough work done at home. If he’s not working on songs, he’s firing off emails and talking to venues, promoters, agents and managers, exploring every possible option for the band. As an artist, that role didn’t come easy to him at first, but he asked as many questions as he could of businesspeople he respected until he felt like he had a handle on it.
“It’s a very hard game,” he admits. “You have to have a thick skin.”
It’ so hard, in fact, that once other musicians saw he was having some success, they started hitting him up for advice, especially for the five years he hosted the open-mic night at Iguana’s.
“Artists were coming to me all the time, frustrated,” he says. “‘How did you get that show?’ I would just advise.”
Those mentoring experiences led to his desire to start a label and help as many other local artists out as he can.
“I want to produce great records, and great live shows. I love seeing people do what they love,” he says.
Once he found a pool of other artists that he loved to play with, his own drive to succeed almost got the better of him, but the bonds within the band have gotten stronger as they all wait to see if this new wave of popularity for soul music will carry them to the next level.
“It’s been kind of a roller coaster ride,” he says with a chuckle. “We were doing two to four shows per week, and then there was some burnout. I think now we have our bearings.”
So Timeless
Every Monday, 9pm
Rosie McCann’s, San Jose
Free
