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1. We’re happy to be speaking today with acclaimed musical group JoJo Green; greetings and salutations, gang! Before we dive down the proverbial Q&A rabbit hole, could each of you say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-lovin’ readers?
Hello, I’m Scott Yonke and I play bass with JoJo Green. I also write the majority of the songs. I am one of the founding members. I started the band with Sharisse around 2019.
Hi, I’m Sharisse “Jermaine” Germain. I’m the lead singer and keyboard player for JoJo Green. I also do some writing and arrange backing vocals.
Nancy Long (aka Bongos)
Drums/Aux Percussion/Vocals/Arranging
Hey all, my name is Conner Allen and I play guitar, sing, and contribute to arranging music for JoJo Green. I joined the group in late 2019.
I am Zach, and I play Tenor and Alto sax, sing, and play auxiliary percussion. I had subbed with the group before and when they were looking for a new sax player in 2022 it was a no brainer!
2.) Congratulations on the brand-spankin’ and brilliant new album The Summer Tree! Jermaine, how did this treasure of an album come into being? Is there a VH1-Behind the Music story you could share with us on its creation?
Jermaine: Thank you! We had been writing and arranging a lot of this music since, pretty much, the inception of our band back in 2019. These were songs that we purposefully decided not to include on our debut LP, “The Line”(2021) but happened to be some of our fan favorites at our shows after speaking with them early on. We began recording in January 2022 because I was going to take an 8-week planned sabbatical in February 2022. This was going to be a few songs that we were going to make lyrics videos for, just to stay relevant while I was away and keep our social media pages fresh. My sabbatical fell through, and when Scott finished composing “The Summer Tree” song, and we started playing it through regularly, it was a unanimous decision that this was not just a few songs…it was the beginning of an album, and it would revolve around this track and be the namesake. The Summer Tree is an actual, real place where good vibes are bountiful, judgement is non-existent, and people can just be themselves, which, I think, modern society really lacks. The album is an example of true, raw emotions and explores a journey through the human condition. It starts with anxiety but suddenly flips to relief and celebration in “The Summer Tree.” It, then, pivots to a light, blissful jazziness in “Fire Escape”, which turns into longing in “Billie”, and then reflection and wonderment in “Station” finishing off with a big, powerful ode to independence and genuineness in “Tennessee”. We try to stay true to our instruments when we play this music. There is not a lot of synthetic or digital manipulation of our sound, which is very abundant in modern pop music, and we weren’t necessarily keen on traveling down that route for this record. There are a lot of amazing things you can do with a synthesizer, and we’re open to experimenting with electronic sound – we actually do it very often in our weekly rehearsals an writing sessions, but for this album, and our current live show, we are mostly highlighting the beauty in a lot of the traditional sounds that helped originally drive American counterculture and provided the soundtrack to a lot of the same issues we still fight for today.
More behind the scenes? There was one point at the beginning of production where we were in the middle of moving to a new practice studio, then we all came down with COVID, so we had to press pause while we all quarantined. We also transitioned to a new saxophone player toward the end of recording and production. They are, actually, both featured on this record. Our original player was Anna Dolde, who played jazz alto, and our current player is Zach Miller who is a rock/blues tenor player that we met in 2020. We still keep in touch with Anna, but Zach plays with us full-time now, and has been a great addition. Want to hear the most surprising trivia about “The Summer Tree” though? “Station” almost didn’t make the record.
3.) Scott, how is Summer Tree different than anything else on the 2022 music scene?
Scott: What I really like about this song is the different feeling it conveys. The first half is kind of jumpy and is all over the place. Then the second half just settles into a nice groove. I was really going for that “turn on a dime” transition that surprises the listener.
4.) Who was the producer on Summer Tree and what did the collaboration between band and producer look like in the studio?
Jermaine: Scott and I Co-Produced with Kevin Israel at RiverRock Studios in Minneapolis. We love working with Kevin. I think he really understands our sound and what we’re trying to accomplish in our sessions and while mixing, and he is super fun to work with. There were a lot of great creative moments with him in the studio. He is really good at directing what he wants to hear from solos that are usually improvised. He also taught me some tricks with the pull bars on the Hammond B3 that I wasn’t familiar with, and he made the creative decision to use a few different guitars on “Tennessee” to really make the guitar shine in this one. I think my favorite Kevin moment while producing this record, though, was when he pulled a full, chest-voiced F5 out of me for the backing harmonies on “Billie” during the breakdown part. It surprised me, and it surprised everybody… and even though it is brief, it enhances the peak energy of the song to just really pop and shimmer.
5.) Conner, how is The Summer Tree different than JoJo Green’s debut album The Line? How is it similar?
Conner: They are both such great and musically diverse records and I think the quality writing and musicianship is what they share in common. What’s different is that when I first joined the band, on our first record, a large portion of the material was already written by Scott and Jermaine. On our second release which was also largely written between Scott and Jermaine, you start to hear more influences from all members which I think really rounds out our sound.
6.) Nancy, what do you hope listeners take away from copious plays of The Summer Tree?
Nancy: The feeling of connection. Each song has lyrics and melodies that relate to everyday experiences.
7.) We’re big fans of the gem Billie which is prominently featured on The Summer Tree. What’s the story behind this tune, Jermaine?
Jermaine: I wrote “Billie” in, about, April 2020, which, as we all know, was a very tumultuous and uncertain time for the whole world. Billie is my sister closest in age to me, so we grew up side-by-side. She moved 1,100 miles away to adventurously start a new life the previous fall as a newlywed and a newly licensed registered nurse. I was obviously very happy that she was out there doing her thing and succeeding, but my protective instincts kicked in when the world was so disrupted by the pandemic and this is how I expressed that I wanted her to come back.
8.) Scott, on the heels of the release of The Summer Tree what does the touring dance card look like for JoJo Green?
Scott: Trying to fill dates, staying busy for sure. Hopefully hitting new markets!
Jermaine: We have a lot to do, that’s for sure! You can catch us mostly in the Minneapolis/St Paul area this winter and spring.
9.) A question for all of you: Who inspires all of you musically?
Zach: Bob Berg. If you’re a saxophone player, and you want to be badass, you basically just want to be as close to Bob berg as possible. Runner-ups would be Michael Brecker and Kenni Holmen, they also rip hard.
Scott: My favorite bass player of all time is John Paul Jones. First time I heard Led Zeppelin 2 I was hooked on the instrument! The Band was a huge influence on my songwriting. Plus, I’ve always loved Trey Anastasio’s songwriting too. Love his worked out songs that take the listener on a journey.
Nancy- A.J. Hall-drummer for Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen and Gordy Knudtson-drummer for Steve Miller.
Both of these guys play with great dynamics and always add to the song.
Conner: Lots of people but i have to say Jimi, SRV, the 3 kings (Albert, B.B. & Freddie), Atmosphere, Tribe Called Quest, Tom Waits, Guthrie Govan….
Sharisse: I LOVE big voices. I remember as a kid singing and dancing along with Whitney and Mariah, but I would say my current voice has been molded by listening to classic artists like Tina Turner, Ann Wilson, Eva Cassidy, Daryl Hall, Chaka Khan, and Stevie Wonder. I’m also a sucker for classical singing, and I love to listen to the techniques and timbres of Jessye Norman, Leontyne Price, and Kiri Te Kanawa. Modern artists that inspire me include Karen O, Lady Gaga, Jenny Lewis, and Lizzo
10.) Zach, JoJo Green hails from Winter Dance Party territory – St. Paul, MN! How do those roots inform the sound of the band?
Zach: The Twin Cities has such a diverse and widespread taste in music, and each of us come from a pretty strong background in particular genres. Some of us come from bluegrass, some country, some blues, some rock, multiple members being classically trained ect… And all of this is slowly melting together and creating our own musical blend. It’s interesting, when you listen to some of our songs you can say “that’s a country song for sure” or “that one is the blues.” But others like “The Summer Tree ” or “On the Line ” have so many sections with different styles and complex runs that they become hard to label as a specific genre. And as time goes on, I am really excited to have our sound continue to develop into something even more unique, something that you can’t find anywhere else.
11.) Conner, any final thoughts on The Summer Tree that you might like to share?
Conner: It’s a really great and diverse record. I think all members have their moment to shine individually while maintaining the integrity of a cohesive album.
12.) Final – SILLY! – Question (for all of you!) – Favorite movie about the music scene: La Bamba, This Is Spinal Tap or Almost Famous?
Scott: Eddie And The Cruisers was such a big movie for me as a kid. And of course “Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park”!
Conner: Crossroads (Ralph not Britney)
Nancy: Whiplash-My high school band director wasn’t this strict but is the reason I am still honing my craft.
Zach: School of Rock.
Jermaine: Am I the only one picking from the list?? Almost Famous – Penny Lane is fashion goals.
