Johnnie Blend

Infobox musical artist
Name = Johnnie Blend


Img_capt = The members of Johnnie Blend (2008)
Img_size = 250
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Background = group_or_band
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Origin = Collegeville, Minnesota, USA
Genre = a cappella
Years_active = 2004–present
URL = [http://www.johnnieblend.com]
Current_members = John Kohlhaas Chris Bergstrom Erik Gamradt Peter Lund Dave Shrake Will White Mike Howard John Lano Brandon Nordhues Joe Thomas
Past_members = Sean Abernathy* Bill Blatzheim
Trevor Chambers
Dana Kinsella
Kevin Krueger*
Andy Leonard*
Matt Proulx*
Mike Rakes*
Jeff Sommerfeld*
Eric Stinson*
Peter Swenson*

*Founding Member

Johnnie Blend is a student-run, male, collegiate a cappella group from St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

History

Johnnie Blend was formed in 2002 when eight underclassmen at St. John’s began rehearsing and performing on campus [The Record [http://www.users.csbsju.edu/record/2007/11/hard-work-talent-mix-to-form-johnnie-blend/ Hard work, talent mix to form Johnnie Blend] 2007] . What started as a few small student performances quickly escalated into a campus wide phenomenon. Soon, Johnnie Blend was performing three to four times a year at the major concert venues on campus and touring around the midwest. The founders of the group vowed to keep Johnnie Blend on campus, therefore, as members leave or graduate they are replaced by other students auditioned by existing members. Today Johnnie Blend is made up of 9 singers and one vocal percusionist [ [http://www.johnnieblend.com/members.php Johnnie blend members] ] and consistently sell out their Fall and Spring concerts.

Repertoire

The group performs a wide variety of music [ [http://www.saintbernards-school.org/news/newsitem.aspx?newsid=159&newsitemid=388 St. Bernards K-12 news] ] from traditional choral pieces such as Loch Lomond and Franz Biebl’s "Ave Maria" to pop songs such as The Fray’s "How to Save a Life" and Elton John’s "Your Song". Other favorites include selections from Disney and The Beatles. The one element linking all these genres together is that Johnnie Blend only performs a cappella music.Much of Johnnie Blend’s repertoire has been arranged by members of the group; however, outside arrangements are also used.

Touring

Over the few years that Johnnie Blend has been around, the group has performed at various venues in Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. On these trips, they have held high school workshops, performed concerts, and charity events. [The Record [http://www.users.csbsju.edu/record/archives/2004-2005/12-09-04/variety/johnnies_blend_music_and_giv.html Johnnies blend music and giving] 2004] Johnnie Blend has performed for thousands of fans across the country, sold thousands of CDs, and has a wide fan base, especially in the Midwest.

Recordings

Johnnie Blend has released five CDs [ [http://www.johnnieblend.com/music.php Johnnie Blend Music] ]

Current members

Current members include: Chris Bergstrom, Peter Lund, Will White, Mike Howard, Aric Braaten, John Lano, Brandon Nordhues, Kyle Green, and Joe Thomas. [ [http://www.johnnieblend.com/members.php Johnnie blend members] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.johnnieblend.com/ The Johnnie Blend Official Website]