Combining passionate songwriting and storytelling with soulful guitar licks and sensible grooves, ‘Rustbelt Renaissance’ is the newest album slated for release by Minster, Ohio natives, The Typical Johnsons, and this one should definitely be on your summer playlist of cool, new music!
As ‘Rustbelt Renaissance’ unfolds in your mind and really starts to sink in, you’ll be intrigued and inspired by the journey it takes you on! Ranging from rowdy, roadtrip-worthy, heavy hitters like “Genesis”, “Bear”, and “Have Heart” to melodic, softer tunes like “Saint Jennifer” and the acoustic track “Another Night Without You & Me”, there’s a cool mix of Folk, Americana and Rock vibes on this album, layered with loads of attitude, harmony, relatable experiences, and emotional depth.
Jeremy Siegrest. Photo by Cathie Dempsey.
Songwriters, Jeremy and Lynne Siegrest, are the foundation of The Typical Johnsons, and this writing powerhouse duo create a very special melodic and harmonic combination. Jeremy
Lynne Siegrest. Photo by Wade Hawk
takes the lead on most vocals on ‘Rustbelt Renaissance’ and has a passionate, clear tone that cuts right through while Lynne’s backing harmonies are spot on throughout the album and the perfect complement tonally to Jeremy’s voice. When Lynne takes the vocal lead in the song, “Liar”, she shines bright with a certain amount of forcefulness and directness in her voice not usually heard in her backing vocals, and it’s wonderfully refreshing to have this track included on the album. Together, they are a force to be reckoned with!
Since Jeremy and Lynne began writing together in 2012, they’ve been on a tear and have released multiple albums and played countless performances over the last couple of years. Their first release, under the name Jeremy & 
Lynne, was the full length album, ‘Drawing Blood’, which was released in March of 2015 and shows the heart and roots of the band’s sound. In early 2016, the group reformed under the name J&L and The Typical Johnsons in combination with talented brothers, Jeff and Andy Brogan. J&L and The Typical Johnsons then released a 6 song EP in 2016 called, ‘The Sailor & The Siren’ which highlighted some of the dramatic changes taking place in the development of the band’s overall sound.
Andy Brogan. Photo by Cathie Dempsey.
Jeff Brogan. Photo by Cathie Dempsey.
The Typical Johnsons have really started to come into their own on ‘Rustbelt Renaissance’, and after following their heartaches and triumphs and listening to their music over the last couple of years, I can confidently tell you that ‘Rustbelt Renaissance’ is their best release to date!
David Gregory. Photo by Cathie Dempsey.
Jeremy and Lynne have risen to all the challenges they’ve faced, and the addition of Andy Brogan on lead guitar and Jeff Brogan on bass in 2016 has created a whole new musical dynamic that showcases all the different layers and facets of the sound that Jeremy and Lynne have been developing over the last few years. There’s always been a lot of rebellion and passion and fight in the band’s sound, but on this album, Andy’s leads on the electric guitar are like mini explosions of soul and attitude that exemplify those attitudes while Jeff holds down the low end like a beast and gives the songs the strength and backbone needed to hit hard. Now that the band has made the addition of David Gregory on drums, we’re expecting even more great things in the near future!
Music Connection Dayton 