| Johnsmith Fall 2022 newsletter
Hello everyone, Johnsmith here at home in Wisconsin along the mighty Mississippi. I realize it’s been a lot longer than usual since you’ve received a newsletter update - probably late winter. It’s been one of the most challenging years of my life. I won’t go into long details here but I do want to thank all of you who heard of my health challenge and reached out with emails, texts, and loving cards - all wishing me a speedy recovery.
I still have trouble sharing what I was going through this past spring and summer. I believe it began in April when I was working on all the details of the upcoming season. Six group trips to Ireland, an Idaho rafting group trip, The Kerrville Folk festival, and many other gigs throughout our Midwest Driftless area. The total of the amount of work that was ahead of me after two years of COVID when I rarely performed – the best way I can think of it is that I became seriously overwhelmed and started having trouble sleeping. I first tried Melatonin, then different CBD gummies with little to no luck. So I went to my local doctor and asked for something to help me sleep. That began a long road of trying several different sleep meds and sedatives. I felt there was no way I was going to be able to greet 20 guests each morning in Ireland after a sleepless night. Two or three sleepless nights is enough to create tons of anxiety and affects how a person acts.
I began having trouble playing and singing my songs. Sadly, I had to miss out on joining the Ireland tours and raft trip. Thankfully, Keith Greeninger stepped in on the raft trip and our close Irish friend, Tomas McLoughlin, covered the Irish trips. I saw many different doctors and took several tests hoping to get to the bottom of my state of mind. The last few weeks have finally been a little better. I’m still taking a few meds to help with sleep and my hope is to wean myself off those in the months ahead.
Good news is, I’m going to do my first gig in months on Saturday, Oct 1st 7:30pm at Leo & Leona’s in Newburg Corners off Hwy 33,12 miles east of LaCrosse, WI. I’ll be joined by long-time sidekick and friend, Dan Sebranek, Larry Dalton, and my daughter, Elisi Smith-Waller, on harmonies. I can’t think of a better place to get my feet wet again than the cozy confines of Leo & Leona’s. Please share the news with as many friends as you can. Show is 7:30pm. Tickets at the door. Leo and Leona's
I also wanted to reach out to friends and fans for some help. This past crazy summer, on top of two years of COVID, have left me with very few gigs. I’m hoping some of you might consider hosting a private intimate house concert. These house concerts really are my favorite way to share the stories of how each song was written and chat with the audience more than I can do at larger venues. If it sounds like something you might be interested in trying, it would be most helpful to me. Just reply to this email and we can have a chat about the different ways to host a small house concert.
Ireland Tours
It broke our hearts to miss Ireland this year. We have since made plans to lead four group Ireland trips for 2023. Johnsmith Ireland tours info
Jo is now contacting people on the current waitlist. The sooner you contact Jo, the better chance to get a slot on one of the tours. john@johnsmithmusic.com
June 9-18, 2023 Counties Cork Kerry and Clare
June 22-July 1 2023 Counties Donegal, Mayo, and Clare.
September 8-17, 2023 Counties Cork Kerry and Clare
Sept 19-28, 2023 Counties Donegal, Mayo, and Clare.
Lastly, here's a couple more local gigs on the calendar below:
UPCOMING SHOWS
October 1 7:30pm Leo and Leona's with Dan, Larry, and Elisi Leo and Leona's
January 13 &14, 2023 7:30pm at the Pump House with Dan, Larry, and Elisi
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