JoJo Green has a new EP coming out September 26 at Art House Theatre and Gallery. This new EP shows the amazing range of the band both musically and in ethos. Each song is a short story onto itself. And with Part 1 in the title, I’m hoping another one is coming up!
Last time we talked was 2021! Can you catch us up a little on what’s been happening since, your break away from the studio and what brought you to the new EP, Paint the Sky: Part 1?
SHARISSE: I can’t believe it has been five years since we released “The Line”! JoJo Green has been a very busy band with our live performance schedule and music writing and production. Since 2021, we welcomed Zach Miller as our Saxophone player and David Ostrom as our guitar player, released an EP in 2022 called The Summer Tree, and just released Part 1 of our double EP, Paint the Sky! We are constantly writing and arranging to continuously hone our sonic identity and really capture the “jojo” vibe.
SCOTT: A lot has happened since the last time we talked! We have a couple of new members and a whole bunch of new songs. Paint The Sky part 1 is just the first installment of this new project. It feels like we are back to doing what we do best, writing, recording and performing music!
NANCY: Lots of great changes since then. It has really opened up a new creative window for us. This EP is pur best work to date.
ZACH: Since the last time we talked we added two new members, and since making these changes we’ve been working on finding our sound, and as we have gotten closer, a whole slew of songs have turned out! Paint The Sky Part 1 is the 1st collection of tunes we thought to put together, and we’re already at work on the next half.
From the bombastic horns and glorious voice of Get Me Back to tender and vulnerable Couldn’t Do Wrong to an instrumental song (Timothy B. Schmit), this collection captures the many moods of the band. How purposeful was the diversity of sound or did the songs just organically come like offspring – different but clearly connected?
SCOTT: Sometimes, I try and wright songs that fit into certain spots in the set. Like if we need a new opener or closer or a breathing moment in the set. Other times it’s just what the the song itself calls for. We definitely try and continuously move forward while never forgetting our past.
SHARISSE: For me, I believe each song we write and arrange is an extension of songs that came previously. Music is so intwined into our lives – we, most often, write about our lived experiences, and I know our band really strives for genuine authenticity, which can be vulnerable at times. I like your comparison to offspring, they are all different, but are connected by the human element in each member of our band, which is then extended to listeners.
NANCY: During our creative process we just let the ideas flow and Scott is the “traffic” controller to decide when we try them.
I’ve never been on tour but Get Me Back picks up on life in the crossroads of life. Can you tell me about the inspiration for the song?
SCOTT: It absolutely comes across as a song about life on the road being a traveling musician. But, Get Me Back is actually about dealing with the craziness that is happening in the world these days. Mentally escaping the worries and anxiety I feel every day. whether that’s hiding under ground our just hitting the road and escaping. But, also, feeling worried about being “gone” for too long and your world continuing without you. Worrying about losing all you’ve worked towards in your personal and professional life by disappearing.
A Part 1 EP begs the question – what are the plans for a Part 2? Really, I’m wondering a two-part collection was always the plan? Is there a clear vision for Part 2? Or is it a challenge for yourselves?
SHARISSE: Paint the Sky was originally planned as a full-length LP, but during our production process in 2025, we went through somewhat of a band reset period with some personnel changes and pauses in our performance schedule. We looked at what we had accomplished with this recording and we loved what we had created, so we decided to break the original album into two recordings that are intentionally connected for a double EP. We can’t wait to finish and release part 2 in 2027!
ZACH: The vision for part two is much underway and shouldn’t take us long to finish! The band definitely went through some hardship when we hit those bumps, but we always coming back swinging ever harder.
Please tell me about the EP release show.
SHARISSE: The EP release show was such a blast! It truly was a magical night.
We want to thank everyone who came out to the show to support us and celebrate this release — we cant wait to see you at the part 2 release!
DAVID: The EP Release show was the perfect celebration of our new music and the catalyst for the next chapter of JoJo Green. Between tremendous opening acts, Joan of Profile + Socktopus, an outpouring of support from our fan base (old and new), and a fun, fresh Twin Cities venue host, it was undoubtedly a night to remember. Even with the competition surrounding a challenging event weekend in the region, we were able to ring in our new release in style with our friends and fans at Uptown Art House Theater & Gallery in Minneapolis. Overall, the evening consisted of great energy, positive vibes, and an incredibly celebratory atmosphere all-around.
SCOTT: Our CD release party was a blast! Great bands, great fans made this one of the best nights we’ve had in our long history.
NANCY: It was an absolute blast. Great crowd and great vibes and just an awesome feeling to see the people groovin’ to our tunes.
