My Name Is John Michael

photography by nick thomas

Check out the Risky Business Throwback featuring MyNameIsJohnMichael this Friday May 9th at Republic New Orleans. There's a time for playing it safe and a time for Risky Business. This Friday's Throwback is the time for Risky Business with an OPEN BAR 'til 11:00, Risky Business on the big screen, suggested attire of a white dress shirt and black shades, and John Michael (the Tom Cruise of New Orleans) on stage with his killer band, MyNameIsJohnMichael. Plus, the person with the best Risky Business outfit will win a FREE VIP section with a FREE bottle of booze! As always, enjoy $1 High Life and $3 wells, solve a Rubik's Cube for a free tab, and play the free Ms. Pac-Man arcade all night! Dress to be retro, dress to be Risky, or dress to be you. Be one of the best-dressed, and we'll take your Polaroid and put it on the Throwback Wall of Fame. You'll get a $20 bar tab for each Throwback that your picture stays up! Celebrate the end of school and the beginning of a whole new level of Risky Business this Friday at Republic New Orleans.

John Michael Rouchell was born in New Orleans, LA on May 20, 1985. When he was ten, his father suggested that John Michael play a musical instrument instead of furthering his interest in athletics. The reason for this encouragement was due to the fact that John Michael was often if not always the smallest kid on the playground. The instrument that John Michael chose was the guitar. After a few years of practice, John Michael began to study with Brian Stoltz (Bob Dylan, Neville Brothers, Dr. John). When John Michael was fifteen, he played with George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic on numerous occasions in New Orleans at the first annual VoodooFest, Tipitina's, and House of Blues. John Michael ventured on a long journey with Ellipsis, the band that he and his friends started in high school. Ellipsis spent two years on the road and made two independent records. Ultimately, John Michael decided to leave in January of 2007 in order to venture into different musical directions.

This brings us to the present. In the ailing music industry, John Michael wanted to do something different than make an album that would resonate like the tree that falls in the forest. In turn, he has decided to take a different approach. In 2008, John Michael will be writing, recording, and releasing 52 songs in 52 weeks. The listener can download these songs for free; however, if the listener contributes ten dollars or more to the project, he or she will get higher quality downloads, exlcusives throughout the year, and most importantly be able to vote at the end of 2008 on which songs will end up on the album, which is to be released in 2009. The hope for this project is to grant the listener a greater amount of control over the material, to give the listener an inside look at the life of a young songwriter and the process of writing and recording by means of blogs/video blogs, and to watch John Michael develop his craft as an artist throughout the year. Hopefully, John Michael and this project will create the soundtrack to your 2008, which seems to be the year for change.

Throwback
Throwback is a club night for the live music crowd. Like an indie house party, Throwback has 80s 90s and indie music, monthly performances by indie bands, retro decor, original Nintendo games and retro movies on the big screen, a free Ms. Pac-Man arcade, really cheap drinks, and a hanging-with-the-friends atmosphere. Plus, solve a Rubik's cube and get a free tab! Dress to be retro or dress to be you. $1 High Life & $3 wells.