NEWS
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AUGUST 2018
surprise press coverage...
The Pioneer Press newspaper here in the Twin Cities felt like my career evolution was newsworthy... and I had no idea they were going to write about it!
One of the highlights of this past year has been touring with brilliant songwriter Walter Salas-Humara as he's been road-testing and recording his new songs. His new album WALTERIO was released on August 10th, 2018, and I was thrilled to be invited to sing and play on it. Below are some previews of the album, found on YouTube.
One of my favorites on Walter’s new album is “She’s A Caveman.” Here we are, back in May, performing it at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.
Check out Walter’s new song “Will You Be Ready.” I co-wrote this one, and that’s me contributing acoustic guitar, harmonica, and harmony vocals.
Dawn's new book!
My wife Dr. Dawn Rundman will release a book in October. It would be a HUGE help if you could pre-order it now from Amazon HERE. Thanks!
JULY 2018
MN library tour!
I'll performing across Carver County on tour of the Public Libraries! Shows are free and all ages.
TUE, JULY 31, 11AM: Chanhassen
TUE, JULY 31, 1PM: Chanhassen
TUE, JULY 31, 6:30PM: Victoria
WED, AUG 1, 11AM: Chaska
WED, AUG 1, 12:30PM: Chaska
THU, AUG 2, 11AM: Waconia
THU, AUG 2, 1PM: Waconia
FRI, AUG 3, 10:30AM: Norwood Young America
FRI, AUG 3, 1PM: Watertown
JUNE 2018
I’m excited to announce the surprise release of this new 16-song digital album LIVE MUSIC, a collection of concert performances from 1999-2018. On my most recent tour I received multiple requests for live recordings. When I returned, I looked through my archives and found some interesting audio files from concerts, many of which have never been previously released to the public.
LIVE MUSIC features some of my most well-known compositions (“Librarian,” “Forgiveness Waltz,” and “Norman Borlaug Polka”); performances from notable venues like The Old Town School Of Folk Music, the Iowa State Capitol Building, and the Cornerstone Festival; and selections from my tours with Beki Hemingway, Arto Järvelä, and Walter Salas-Humara.
The album is available for FREE at my BandCamp page, or you could pay what you want. Thanks to everyone who requested these recordings!
I'll be performing at the ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston!
I'm looking forward to making music with thousands of Lutherans in June 2018! Follow me on social media to see how this adventure unfolds...
MAY 2018
I'm excited to hit the road with WALTER SALAS-HUMARA on a Midwest Tour this month! Details at my DATES page....
you can remix "Prometheus!"
May 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of The Muckrakers album release... a trio project I recorded with fellow Ishpeming natives David Casimir and Todd Berg back in 1998. To commemorate the anniversary, I have posted the original six instrumental tracks for our song "Prometheus" and I'm making them available to the public for remixing. Just visit my Soundcloud page, download the six WAV files, import them into your audio editing program at 163 bpm, and remix away! Then, when you're done, send me a WAV of your remix and I'll post it for free download at The Muckrakers Bandcamp page https://jonathanrundman.bandcamp.com/album/the-muckrakers and I'll promote you across social media!
The first remix of "Prometheus" has been submitted! Big thanks to Richard Bruxvoort Colligan for this Relentless Strawberry Remix, now downloadable for FREE (or pay what you want) at this BandCamp link!
APRIL 2018
This Spring I'm looking forward to a lot of cool gigs across the Midwest! In April I'll be touring solo, and in May I'll be accompanying the brilliant Walter Salas-Humara of The Silos. Visit my dates page for specific venue info, and I'll see you on the road!
FEBRUARY 2018
I have two more concerts in the Winter of 2018:
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 7PM
St. Paul Lutheran Church
Villa Park, IL
https://www.facebook.com/events/463215654074436
SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 7PM
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
Lancaster, PA
https://www.facebook.com/events/343210709443562
There are a whole series of cool gigs already on the calendar for Spring and Summer. Check them out at my DATES page....
15 years of "The Serious Kind"
Back in 2003 I released a new song "The Serious Kind." Since then the song has developed a life of its own, and I've continued to perform it at nearly every concert.
In celebration of the song's anniversary I'm making the sheet music available as a free downloadable PDF.
I encourage you to play the song yourself, with your band, or for your community!
ALSO: In commemoration of the song's debut, I'm putting my 2003 compilation album EXTRA CREDIT on sale for only $5, featuring the original studio recording of "The Serious Kind." Order the CD from my BandCamp page.
As "The Serious Kind" has its 15th anniversary, here's a video of the song, performed only a few days ago at my concert in Edina, MN.
JANUARY 2018
A few weeks ago I had a chance to perform with songwriter Bob Walkenhorst of The Rainmakers, one of my all-time favorite bands! Here's a video from a house concert here in Minnesota where I joined Bob on the song "Downstream." I'll be playing a show with Bob in May 2018 in Kansas City... details to come!
I'll be artist-in-residence at Heikinpäivä!
Later this month I'll be performing at the annual Winter Festival on the campus of Finlandia University in my birthplace, Hancock, MI! My schedule:
WED, JAN 24, 6PM, $15: songwriting workshop
THU, JAN 25, 6PM, $15: Finnish folk music workshop: harmonium /keyboards
NOVEMBER 2017
Finland turns 100!
December 6th, 2017, is the 100th Anniversary of Finnish Independence. My song "Home Unknown," written from the perspective of a Finnish-American, will be sung at the Anniversary Commemoration ceremony in Upper Michigan. CLICK HERE for the sheet music and learn to play the song! Audio downloadable here from the RESERVOIR album.
NEW SONG! In commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, I'm pleased to release a new studio recording of my song "For Such A Time As This." Written in 2015, based on a text from the Book of Esther, this song of mine has only existed in sheet-music form... until now! Download for FREE (or pay what you want... which I would appreciate!) from my BandCamp page. Sheet music downloadable here. CCLI number: 7056481
My first album is 25!
Yes, exactly a quarter century ago I recorded and released my debut album 28 DAYS IN THE YELLOW ROOM. In celebration I'm providing the last few copies of the original CASSETTE TAPE pressing for $5, as well as the 2003 limited-edition CD reissue for $5. ORDER HERE at my BandCamp page.
OCTOBER 2017
Such a pleasure to tour the Midwest this month with Walter Salas-Humara of The Silos!
NEW ENGLAND!
FRIDAY, OCT 6, 7PM
First Lutheran Church
West Barnstable, MA (Cape Cod)
SATURDAY, OCT 7, 7PM
The Loring Center
Plymouth, MA
SUNDAY, OCT 8
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Westborough, MA
MONDAY, OCT 9, 7PM
St. Paul Lutheran Church
Gloucester, MA
WEDNESDAY, OCT 11, 7PM
Payson Park UCC Church
Belmont, MA (Boston Metro)
SEPTEMBER 2017
Big thanks to ELCA 500 for featuring me in the Our Lutheran Life video series! I share a bit about my family story, and some theological / musical connections. Plus there' a special guest appearance, and some historic locations...
I'm on the CREATE! EXPLODE! REPEAT! podcast:
Big thanks to MR. GEE for a very thoughtful and well informed interview. Check out our podcast discussion HERE or eventually when the episode posts on iTunes.
AUGUST 2017
This Summer I was commissioned by Bear Creek Lutheran Camp in Pennsylvania to write a theme song for their Summer program, based on the Bible verse Romans 12:1-2. The result is "Body And Mind," which I have posted at my Bandcamp page:
JULY 2017
Whoa, I had a BLAST playing in Germany at the Luther500 Festival in June! Danke Schön to all!
The RESERVOIR album has been getting some international coverage in the blogosphere. Check out these reviews:
I'm playing a gig with Justin Roberts!
On Wednesday, July 12th, at 6PM, I'll be accompanying Grammy-nominated songwriter Justin Roberts for a free show in Wayzata, MN! CLICK HERE for details...
JUNE 2017
I'm pleased to release a new 22-song retrospective album called Reservoir, in celebration of my 25th anniversary as a recording artist!
You may download the album NOW and/or order the CD from My BandCamp page:
This Winter/Spring I've had a lot of fun producing and engineering an intellectual property podcast called Better Patents Now. I also wrote and produced the show's theme song. Check it out at my SoundCloud page:
MAY 2017
These past couple months I've had a lot of fun making a horror movie with my family. It's a nine-minute short film called Beware Barstempii and you can watch it below:
The kids composed and performed original music for the movie's soundtrack. The official soundtrack EP is downloadable for free (or pay what you want) at my BandCamp page:
MARCH 2017
I'm very excited to have contributed to the new acoustic album Work: Part Two by songwriter extraordinaire Walter Salas-Humara! Hear me sing harmony and play piano, accordion, and harmonium throughout the album, DOWNLOADABLE HERE.
I've added a series of new videos at my YouTube channel, featuring performances recorded on tour with Beki Hemingway last year!
JANUARY 2017
Back in 2011 I wrote a fiddle tune in Borlaug's honor, and in 2013 was invited to perform it at the Iowa State Capital Building, broadcast live on Iowa Public Television. Now, for the first time, there is sheet music available for the tune. CLICK on the image of the sheet music for a free PDF. And, you may download the studio version of the song HERE for free at BandCamp, or pay what you want.
Come see me on tour this Winter!
I was very pleased to contribute some keyboard tracks to the new recording by the Minnesota Americana band Pleasure Horse. Check out this cool song "Charley" featuring me on Hammond Organ. I love to do recording sessions, in the studio, or remotely by sharing audio files online. You can hire me to play on your next recording project...CLICK HERE for some information on my work as a session musician. Congrats to Pleasure Horse on the release of their EP!
OCTOBER 2016
Big thanks to everybody in Finland for welcoming me during my #JonathanSuomeen tour! Here's a video of my performance at the Loimaa Art Museum, featuring Arto Järvelä!
SEPTEMBER 2016
BIG NEWS: In October I'll be performing at the LOST IN MUSIC festival in Tampere, Finland! There are other Finnish dates developing, too ...visit my DATES page to check out my plans for touring in my ancestral homeland!
More new videos have been posted on my YouTube Channel! Here's "Diner By The Train" recorded live a few weeks ago:
AUGUST 2016
There are new videos at my YouTube channel! Here's one:
JULY 2016
Psyched to be heading out on tour with Walter Salas-Humara.
JUNE 2016
I'm very excited to announce this show: On THURSDAY, JUNE 9th, 2016 I'll be performing with my band at The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis! It's my first hometown concert in a year, and my first time since 2013 to play at The Cedar, one of the best venues in the country. CLICK HERE for advance tickets and show details. My band and I will play at 8PM. It's ALL AGES, so please bring the family!
MAY 2016
In the year 2008 I released the album INSOMNIACCOMPLISHMENTS. I was home with a baby and a preschooler at the time, and so I did not promote or tour in support of the record. Eventually it fell out of print and became my "lost album." Now, eight years later, I thought I should give it another chance at life. The album has been reissued as a special hand-numbered limited edition CD, with a brand new design and photographs from the original album sessions. Order now for $15!
One of my all-time favorite songwriters WALTER SALAS-HUMARA of THE SILOS has released a new solo album, Explodes & Disappears. I'm thrilled to have co-written the first song on the album "Diner By The Train," and I sing harmony and play keyboards throughout the album as well!
I've had other fun adventures as a studio musician this Spring, too! Here's a song "New Cliche" from the new album by Minneapolis folk trio THE LOWLAND LAKERS. I play accordion on the album:
MARCH 2016
It's been a dream of mine to have my solo albums released in my ancestral homeland of Finland. Therefore, I'm THRILLED to announce that my new album LOOK UP is now available there! Check out the hashtag #JonathanSuomeen to follow the album's Finnish campaign across social media platforms.
Johanna at Hurja Media is helping me introduce my music to 5 million people across the ocean who have never heard of me before!
The LOOK UP album went on sale at Digelius Music in Helsinki on February 19th!
In celebration of the album's release in Finland, I've released a new video for the song "The Ballad of Nikolaus Rungius" which premiered on PasteMagazine.com this month!
JANUARY 2016
A few years ago when I was playing Nordic folk music I wrote some fiddle tunes that were rarely (and sometimes never) performed. Thanks to the magic of Noteflight software, I'm now able to share sheet music and audio references with anyone who might want to play the tunes, experiment with arrangements, etc! Click on the image below to access a PDF file of the sheet music for my previously unheard tune "Stethoscope," AND for the tune "Rynkö" from the Kaivama album. If you learn tune and create a cool arrangement for it, email me rundman@gmail.com and let me know! Have fun!
OCTOBER 2015
This month's Western States tour was amazing. Special thanks to WALTER SALAS-HUMARA for having me in the band for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco! I'm also appearing and co-writing a song on Walter's forthcoming new album...CLICK HERE to support his Pledgemusic.com campaign to fund the record.
SEPTEMBER 2015
I'm just out the door for a two-week tour to Colorado and California! If you want to check out what I've been up to for the past month, visit my YouTube Channel where you can see some brand new videos of recent performances. Below you'll see a rare solo performance of "The Ballad of Nikolaus Rungius" recorded at the Porcupine Mountains Music Festival, AND you can also check out clips from my house concert with Bob Walkenhorst of The Rainmakers.
JULY 2015
I had a blast last month playing shows across Minnesota with Walter Salas-Humara! On the afternoon of our show in Duluth I stopped by KUMD radio to perform on their Live from Studio A series.
The audio is archived at the KUMD website...stream the audio HERE. Host Christine Dean asked some excellent questions and I performed "Helicopters of Love," "Home Unknown," and "The Serious Kind."
ALSO: check out this review of my LOOK UP album in the Duluth News Tribune newspaper!
MAY 2015
I'm really excited to get back on the road in May, after spending the past couple months laying low in Minneapolis. I'll be zipping across Michigan, flying out to the Pacific Northwest and coming back to the Midwest in June to play my official hometown release show for my new LOOK UP album!
Visit my TOUR DATES page for complete venue information.
APRIL 2015
introducing the CREATIVITY DRILL PODCAST!
I'm very exited to announce the launch of my first-ever adventure in podcasting!
CREATIVITY DRILL is hosted by me along with my brilliant wife Dr. Dawn Rundman. Together we visit with an amazing series of artists, musicians, authors, designers, performers, and creative explorers.
You can listen and subscribe to the show via the iTunes store.
Just import the episodes into your smartphone and take us along with you on your morning commute, on the treadmill at the gym, or on your next road trip or plane ride! Podcasts are also very good for listening while washing dishes or raking leaves.
JANUARY 2015
THE LOOK UP ALBUM IS RELEASED!
After a year of recording, crowdfunding, preparing, and road-testing, I'm thrilled to officially release my new record!
Please support me by purchasing the album:
at Amazon
at iTunes
or, even better, direct from my own online store.
If you'd rather mail-order the old fashioned way and pay by check, CLICK HERE and print the order form.
Thanks to so many of you who have been encouraging me along the way. I have poured my heart and soul into these songs, and I want to be part of the soundtrack to your 2015!
Here's a the official music video for "Prioritize Us," the first song from the LOOK UP album!
Check out these interviews in the Chicago Sun-Times and The Mining Journal in anticipation of the new album's release!
Later this month I'll be performing a series of concerts across the North woods...check my DATES page for complete details.
DECEMBER 2014
Thanks to everybody who came out to hear Walter and me on our Midwest tour! It was great to see you all. Special thanks to our fine hosts, and our collaborating musical friends!
NOVEMBER 2014
MORE VIDEOS AT YOUTUBE! Last month I played a plethora of shows across the Midwest, including a series of gigs with my great friend and long-time collaborator, percussionist Lowell Michelson. Here we are doing an unplugged version of "Rynkô," a tune from the debut Kaivama album. Also, CLICK HERE for a video from the Folk Alliance Region Midwest conference, where I got to sing and play with Trish Bruxvoort Colligan.
VARIOUS ALBUM APPEARANCES
This past year I've had the pleasure of contributing to a variety of recording projects by other artists. This month a few of those albums will get wide releases! Here are three of them...
I was the producer for Chris Steubing's debut album of Lutheran-songwriter rock. I'll also join Chris and band for the album's release show on Saturday, November 15, 2014.
Matt Arthur & The Bratlanders are celebrating the vinyl release of their debut album. I played harmonium and piano on this great recording, and I'm thrilled to appear on vinyl for the first time!
One of my most-influential songwriters Jeff Krebs has released a new album of kids' music as Papa Crow. I contributed harmonium to this excellent album of Yooper-centric nature songs.
OCTOBER 2014
In 2004 Beki Hemingway and I recorded and released our Americana duet album Tennesota! This month we're celebrating the album's 10 year anniversary. We have only 20 copies of the CD left, and we're making them available now in a special $15 bundle: a signed copy of Tennesota, a Salt Lady Records Extra Credit sampler CD featuring rare Beki & Jonathan songs, AND a download card for the out-of-print Beki & Jonathan Christmas EP Present. Click here to order!
So that you can more conveniently find out when I'll be playing in your neighborhood, I'm trying a new online platform for my tour dates. Check out my bandsintown.com page...there you can click the "Track This Artist" box for updates when I'm in your area, share specific shows across social media, RSVP, buy tickets, and more.
Harmonium on wheels...
Some fun behind-the-scenes photos (including this one of my harmonium load-in!) are featured in a recent article in the Wisconsin State Journal. Back in June during Walter Salas-Humara's Midwest tour, our Madison show was covered by a reporter who was profiling the awesome venue Kiki's House of Righteous Music.
JULY 2014
I'm very excited to be traversing the continent in the coming months! Visit my DATES page for specific info...
LISTEN FOR ME ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO THIS MONTH
Last Fall I had the amazing opportunity to perform live on NPR's Mountain Stage radio show. Joining me were the brilliant Jake Armerding on fiddle/mandolin and Matt Patrick on electric guitar. Performing on the same show were favorites of mine songwriter Jill Sobule and Midwestern rock legends the BoDeans, complete with Kenny Aronoff on drums. Incredible!
This month, in the week after July 18th, NPR will be re-broadcasting the episode! Check your local Public Radio listings, and tune in to hear me sing the folk song "Stagger Lee" with fellow Finnish-American Minnesotan guitarist Erik Koskinen, Kurt from the BoDeans, and Kenny playing drums...a highlight of my career!
Last month I spent a very fun week on tour playing keyboards with Walter Salas-Humara! Check out our appearance live on WGN-TV in Chicago! We're playing Walter's new pop gem "Like A Satellite," complete with satellite hats. Other new videos appear at my YouTube channel.
JUNE 2014
I'm super psyched to be the guest keyboardist for Walter Salas-Humara on his solo Midwest tour this week. Walter is one of my all-time favorite songwriters (you may know him from his band The Silos), and he's also the producer of my 2004 album Public Library.
We've had some shows already, and have a few more to go:
TUES, JUNE 3: Aster Cafe, Minneapolis
THURS, JUNE 5: Kiki's House of Righteous Music, Madison, WI with Wooldridge Brothers Email to RSVP
FRI, JUNE 6: Schuba's, Chicago, IL, with Jon Langford