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Ghost Towns received a write-up in Denver’s weekly entertainment rag, Westword. Here is a quote:

“The singer-songwriter’s unquenchable wanderlust has taken him from Colorado to Wisconsin to West Virginia to Hungary, and during his travels, he wrote Ghost Towns, a full-length dripping with folk-rock immediacy and the kind of grit that cooled heels never gather.”

For the full review, visit Westword.com.

Also, all physical CD orders from the Bandcamp website will now be signed personally by John because, well, why not? He mails them out himself, anyways 🙂

John will be returning to Wisconsin and the Midwest in November, just in time for Thanksgiving! Here is the complete list of tourdates, for more info visit the calendar page:

Nov. 19th – Cafe Semolino, Hays, KS
Nov. 20th – Californos, Kansas City, MO
Nov. 21st – Common Grounds, Fayetteville, AR
Nov. 22nd – The Gramophone, Saint Louis, MO
Nov. 23rd – The Red Line Tap, Chicago, IL
Nov. 24th – The Art Bar, Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 26th – Kavarna, Green Bay, WI
Nov. 27th – Stumpjack Coffee, Two Rivers, WI
Nov. 28th – High Noon Saloon, Madison, WI

Ghost Towns has been out for nearly a month now, and here is some of the early praise coming in from different review sources:

“…a collection of beautiful songs…”

“…musical fireworks…”

AltCountryForum.nl

“…dense arrangements and ramshackle jalopies like “Disclaimer” make riding through a demilitarized zone in an old junker sound surprisingly comforting.”

The Onion – Madison, WI

“Though yet to be released, Ghost Towns may just be one of my new favorite albums of
the year.”

“I literally cannot say a bad thing about this album.”

“everyone is bound to find a song on Ghost Towns that they will fall in love with.”

The Scene – Appleton, WI

“Statz has built a reputation as one of Madison’s most adventurous touring musicians”

“Ghost Towns makes it clear that Statz takes his art seriously. The album is a collection of rootsy folk-rock that travels through places, time and emotions.”

“The guitar twang on “Wichita Waltz” is halting and subdued, like the despair of lost love the song expresses.”

The Isthmus – Madison, WI

“Statz has really grown into a distinct sound since his last release and I expect he will continue to produce some great music as he keeps touring and taking inspiration from his travels.”

Nomad’s Playlist – UK

“The title is dark, but this release achieves a perfect balance between those upbeat folk-rock gems and the subdued singer-songwriter tracks. It’s great to hear John’s music fleshed out with a full band.”

5 Score Pachyderm – St. Louis, MO

There’s been some changes around here… welcome to the NEW JohnStatz.com! Big props to Justin Self of Jade Raven Design for the slick design.

Lots of new things happening, and this is the best place to keep updated. The biggest piece of news is that the new album, Ghost Towns, has been released for compact disc and digital download over at the bandcamp site. The album was recorded mostly in the Madison, Wisconsin area, though two tracks were recorded while on tour in Budapest, Hungary, and with the exception of those two songs it is a full-band album. Check it out when you get a moment, you can stream every song for free!

Also, a November tour of the Midwest is on the horizon, so stay tuned, dates will be posted soon.

Hope you stick around and check out the new site a bit, it will probably be going through some further changes in the coming weeks, but this is the gist of it. Thanks for your interest and support, I wish you all the best!

John