GuitarJanson
(Peter Janson)

Bio:
OK, I hate talking about myself... really. Actually, I'm just a guitarist. But I can't say that and get any gigs so here's the "bio". Not that I'm here at MacJams to get gigs... see what happens when I talk about myself! Anyway...
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Peter Janson offers original contemporary acoustic fingerstyle guitar music using a solo six-string guitar and a personal technique that some say sounds like a folk/jazz/Celtic crossover. His music rises from a unique and compelling fusion of stylistic influences - folk, jazz, world music, classical, and Celtic - as well as quintessential guitarist influences as diverse as Martin Simpson, Ralph Towner, Pat Metheny, Leo Kottke, Pierre Bensusan, Tuck Andress, and David Leisner. Peter presents world class guitar music with artistry, detail of classical technique, and attention to melodic line.

According to Wind & Wire magazine, “Peter Janson is one of the best acoustic guitarists recording today…a true artist’s soul.” His Beautiful Day recording was the 2006 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards winner for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. His newest CD, Winter Gifts, is receiving critical acclaim such as: “undeniably beautiful” (Carol Swanson, ChristmasMusic.com), “perfection...beautiful and highly creative” (Anne Williams, NAR magazine), “...filled with an artist’s brushstrokes” (Kirk Albrecht, Minor 7th.com), and RJ Lannan (NAR Reporter 2007 Holiday Reviews) says “the album is subtitled Seven Songs for the Season and I wish it were seventy. This is one you can play all year long.” His discography includes five domestic and two international albums, and he has been on four international compilation albums. Randy Alberts of NAR magazine hails Peter Janson as “perhaps the leading contemporary acoustic fingerstyle guitarist today.”

Janson began playing guitar as a kid in Cambridge, Massachusetts and his earliest musical influence was his father. “My dad played solo guitar that reflected his love of the music of Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Les Paul and Andreas Segovia. From as early as I can remember I would just sit and listen to him for hours at a time.” As he enhanced his musical sensibility through exposure to many styles and techniques Janson further honed his skills through formal training. After receiving an undergraduate degree in music, he studied for two years with David Leisner at the New England Conservatory of Music where he was awarded a Master’s of Music.

Janson performs up to 75 concerts per year. He has shared stages with Alex de Grassi, Ed Gerhard, Chris Proctor, Raymond Gonzalez, Ken Bonfield, Tim Harrison, Aine Minogue, Brooks Williams, and many others. In addition, Janson has an endorsement agreement with Bill Tippin Guitars and is often requested to demonstrate his fine instruments at national and international guitar festivals. Recently he has been asked to demonstrate guitars built by Michael Bashkin, Mario Beauregard, and Bob Laughlin as well.

As an independent artist, Peter owns and operates his own record label – EWM Records – which has helped Peter’s music garner some impressive statistics, including:
* Best Contemporary Instrumental Album;
* Eight months of NAR Top 25 Radio Charts;
* Two unsolicited First-Round Grammy Nominations;
* Over 40,000 BMI verified radio plays across the US and more (unspecified) in Canada and Europe;
* Favorable music and CD reviews in over thirty-five national and regional publications including Acoustic Guitar Magazine, Dirty Linen, and Boston Globe;
* Regular rotation on the nationally syndicated "Echoes" radio in US, and "Galaxie" radio in Canada;
* Beautiful Day was ranked #15 on the NAR National Top Radio play for the whole of 2006 (and it was a Sep. release!);
* National radio rankings as high as #2 on the NAR National Top 100 Radio charts;
* Feature articles in The Boston Globe - South Weekly, as well as regional magazines and local newspapers coast to coast;
* Featured in Toronto weekly television magazine show "York Region Living" with concert hailed as "Tonight's Hot Spot!";
* Numerous live on-air performances and interviews including the syndicated Echoes “Living Room Concerts”, NPR stations KLCC-FM Eugene OR, KZYX-FM Willits CA, as well as folk giant WUMB-FM Boston MA, KRFC-FM Fort Collins CO, WICN-FM Worcester MA, WFIT-FM Melbourne FL, WSAR-AM Fall River MA;
* Radio rankings on individual monthly charts included 15 stations at #1; 151 in the Top 10; 267 in the Top 20;
* National and international distribution for all albums.

CONCERTS
Performances at concert venues throughout the US and Canada including:
A Cuppa Tea Cafe, Berkeley CA
Acoustic Cafe, Nederland CO
Bayside Expo Center, Boston MA
Blackstone River Theatre, Cumberland RI
Blackthorne Tavern, Easton MA
Cozmic Room, Eugene OR
First Universalist, Salem MA
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando FL
INATS West Trade Show, Denver CO
Living Room, New York NY
Mozaic Room Coffeehouse, Avon MA
Old Methodist Meetinghouse, Wareham MA
Orpheum Theatre, Foxboro MA
Rose Garden Coffeehouse, Mansfield MA
The Attic, Santa Cruz CA
University of Massachusetts, Boston MA
and many more including live radio (WUMB, WFIT, WICN, WSAR, KLCC, KRFC, KZYX), cable TV, and international TV

FESTIVALS
Healdsburg Guitar Festival
Newport Guitar Festival
Sirius Rising - Brushwood Folklore Festival
Mansfield MA Music & Arts Festival
Easton MA Annual Harvest Fair

SHARED STAGES WITH
Ed Gerhard
Alex de Grassi
Raymond Gonzalez
Chris Proctor
Brooks Williams
Aine Minogue
and many others

AWARDS
2006 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards: winner - Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
2006 NAR Reviewer Pick: Best of 2006
2004 Grammy Awards, 1st round: Best New Age Album of the Year Nominee
2004 Grammy Awards, 1st round: Best Engineered Album (non-classical) Nominee
2004 KTEP-FM, El Paso TX - Top 20 for the Year
2003 KTEP-FM, El Paso TX - Essential Audiosyncracy Collection
2002 NAV Music Awards, Best New Age Album of the Year Nominee
2001 KTEP-FM, El Paso TX - Top 20 of the Year
2001 KRSC-FM, Tulsa OK - Top 20 for the Year
2000 NAV Music Awards, Best Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year Nominee
2000 KGOU-FM, KROU-FM Norman OK, Best of 2000

FACTOIDS
*Beautiful Day and Firelight Moonlight are currently in rotation on the nationally syndicated "Echoes" radio in US, and "Galaxie" radio in Canada

*Beautiful Day was ranked #15 on the NAR National Top Radio play for the whole of 2006 (and it was a Sep. release!)

*Beautiful Day was ranked #3 on the NAR National Top 100 Radio charts in September,
#4 in Oct, #13 in Nov, #24 in Dec '06, #25 in Jan '07, #28 in Feb '07
as reported to Lazz Promotions (Toronto)

*favorably reviewed on over thirty publications including Acoustic Guitar and Dirty Linen magazines

*feature articles in The Boston Globe - South Weekly, as well as regional magazines and local newspapers coast to coast

*featured in Toronto weekly television magazine show "York Region Living" - concert hailed as "Tonight's Hot Spot!"

*live performances and interviews including NPR stations KLCC-FM Eugene OR, KZYX-FM Willits CA, and folk giant WUMB-FM Boston MA

*verified for airplay by BMI over 40,000 times in US, and more in Canada and Europe as of last accounting

*aired on over 250 stations across the US, Canada and Europe

*radio rankings on individual monthly charts included 15 stations at #1; 151 in the Top 10; 267 in the Top 20

*Sometimes From Here was ranked #2 on National Top 100 Radio charts in June, July and August 2001 as reported to Lazz Promotions (Toronto)

DISCOGRAPHY
2007 - Peter Janson - Winter Gifts
2006 - Peter Janson & Friends - Beautiful Day
2005 - Peter Janson - A Clear Stillness export licensed to THETA Music, Sweden
2005 - Peter Janson - Firelight Moonlight export licensed to Orange Music, Singapore
2004 - Peter Janson - Firelight Moonlight
2004 - wrote and performed on "Waiting For Winter" on Jamie Bonk's NAR Lifestyle Award winning album "My World"
2004 - Various - En Stamningsfull Stund - from THETA Music, Sweden
2004 - Various - Amingsro - from THETA Music, Sweden
2003 - Various - Sounds of New England Vol 1
2001 - Peter Janson - Sometimes From Here
1999 - Peter Janson - Across the Bridge

*as reported to NAR, NAV and LAZZ Promotions (Toronto)

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