Dean Johansen Circus Swing & American Roots Music Originally from Long Island, NY, currently residing in Ellenton, FL. Dean is a songwriter and guitarist inspired by historical fiction, speakeasy era Americana and the sounds of Hot Club Jazz (Django Reinhardt), Western Swing (Bob Wills, Lyle Lovett, etc) and American Roots Music. Johanesen’s 3rd solo record titled “Cautionary Tales” is now available on the website and on all streaming platforms. He toured up to TN in January of 2024 to track a single or two at The Owl Studio in Nashville with Producer and bassist Shawn Byrne of Great Hill Productions. The session included Nashville's: Joe Spivey - Violin ( John Anderson’s Seminole Wind and member of the Time Jumpers,) Pete Finney - Steel Guitar (Mike Nesmith of the Monkees and Patty Loveless,) John McTigue III - Drums - (Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams III, Raul Malo of the Mavericks etc.) After having such a great experience working with the musicians, along with his producer and bassist friend in Nashville, he wanted to record with this group again. The initial single idea turned into an EP that was recorded in January, April and September of 2024. They tracked 2 band sessions and had 2 sessions (in April and September) to track any additional work from the live sessions. The Western swing influence of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys along with one of my songwriter heroes, Lyle Lovett, prompted this Western Swing approach to the tracks on the new EP. Other influences for the songs include - Jerry Redd, Bill Kirchin & Dale Watson. Stay tuned for release information in the coming months or join his Patreon Page for an advanced listen at https://patreon.com/DeanJohanesen