It’s time for another blog post! If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been following my musical journey for a while, thanks for sticking around. Whoever you are, I’m glad you’re here. Thanks for your time and attention!
I’ll admit that I’ve been pretty inconsistent with these posts. I was pretty solid at the beginning of 2024, writing updates in January, March, April, and May. But I only wrote one in the whole second half of the year, in September. And now it’s now.
By the way, I send these posts out as “Music Newsletters” to my 500+ email subscribers. I also send out monthly gig announcements to my neighbors in Jefferson, Kitsap, and Clallam Counties. If you’d like to be on either list, scroll down to the bottom of the page and fill out the sign-up form!
Mt. Baker hovers over Whidbey Island, as seen from Fort Worden State Park
I have two simple objectives in this post. One is to reflect on a very full 2024. The other is to fill you in on my plans for 2025. Just for fun, I thought I’d go in reverse chronological order.
Looking Ahead (2025)
Nobody knows the future. Still, it helps to try to imagine it, and make plans accordingly. When it comes to my musical endeavors, I’m primarily planning to stay busy playing local gigs. I'm grateful to have three recurring gigs (one weekly, two monthly) happening all year long:
Piano Bar Fridays @ The Bishop (Port Townsend)
5:00 to 7:00 • 718 Washington St • All ages • No cover
This weekly series started in November and is going strong—last week we hit standing room only! I love this gig because I get to do my thing—playing and singing my favorite songs, taking requests from across genres and eras, taking risks (such as spontaneous mashups, or attempting songs I only half-remember), generally mixing it up and making it up as I go. It’s motivated me to learn new songs and dust off old ones. Last week, I learned songs by Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, and Burt Bacharach. This week, who knows? The best part of Piano Bar Fridays is the community that is forming: the regulars coming back each week, the newcomers becoming regulars, good people meeting good people. And sometimes we even sing together! I hope you can come join the fun one of these Fridays. By the way, the Bishop is a hotel in addition to a wine bar/cafe, so if you're coming from out of town, book yourself a room upstairs!
Second Saturdays • Solo @ Cellar Cat (Kingston)
6:30 to 9:30 • 11253 NE State Highway 104 • 21+ • No cover
A similar format to Fridays at the Bishop—playing, singing, taking requests. Cellar Cat is a cozy place with excellent vibes. They have a baby grand piano, arts and crafts by local makers, a fantastic selection of wine and snacks, even puzzles you can work on while you sip and listen. Hey Seattle-area folks—this one’s pretty easy to get to. Park in Edmonds, walk onto the ferry, enjoy a stunning ride across the Sound, walk one block to Cellar Cat, hang out and enjoy the music and the delicious fare, get back on the ferry and ride home. Makes for a pretty excellent date night, I should think. By the way, Cellar Cat is a small place with limited seating, so reservations are highly encouraged: (360) 979-7925 or meow@cellarcat.com
Third Sundays • Jazz Brunch @ The Old Alcohol Plant Inn (Port Hadlock-Irondale)
11:00 to 1:00 • 310 Hadlock Bay Rd • All ages • No cover
The Sunday Jazz Collective is a rotating trio led by bassist Dirk Anderson and usually consisting of saxophonist Jonathan Doyle and myself on keys. We play for the brunch crowd every third Sunday at this laid-back hotel restaurant overlooking the bay. The first of these in January was great fun, and I'm glad to have many more to look forward to. (FYI, I’ll miss the February date; Connor Forsyth will sub for me on keys. In March, I'll be leading the trio on bass, featuring Connor on keys and Sammy J Watson on drums. And we're skipping April due to Easter.)
Those are just my recurring gigs. I also have plenty of other performances lined up at venues like Finnriver Farm & Cidery in Chimacum, Port Townsend Vineyards, the Quilcene Lantern, Brother Don’s in Bremerton, the Field Hall in Port Angeles, and more! You can always find information about my upcoming gigs on my gig calendar.
The Bicycle Tour, Redux
Yes, I’m planning to embark on another Bicycle Tour this year! As you may know, last April I undertook a solo tour of the PNW by bike and train. That was a four-city, five-show, eleven-day affair. (Click here to read all about it.) This year I want to go bigger. How much bigger remains to be seen. I'm thinking late May/early June. Here’s a very ambitious itinerary:
Kick-off show in Port Townsend
Bike to Port Angeles
Ferry to Victoria
Ferry to Vancouver (BC)
Train to Eugene
Bike to Corvallis
Bike to Salem
Bike to Portland
Bike to Vancouver (WA)
Train to Olympia
Bike to Tacoma
Ferry to Vashon Island
Ferry to Seattle
Bike to Edmonds
Train to Bellingham
Bike to Anacortes
Bike down Whidbey Island
Ferry back to Port Townsend for a homecoming show
Realistically, I’ll have to cut out some of these stops. But I would love to play in any of these places—and I’m open to what that might mean. I could play solo or team up with a local band. I could put on a concert, open for a local act, or host a jam session or an open mic. The only requirement is that there be a decent piano or keyboard for me to play, since I don’t plan to tow one behind the bike. But this piano could be in a coffee shop, or a bar, or a jazz club, or a church, or a small theater, or in someone’s living room. Maybe even your living room! Do you have recommendations or connections in any of these places? Email me if so! I could use your help in making this happen.
Holy Carp!
Another thing that’s getting me excited for this year is my new band, Holy Carp. We just had our first show, at the Uptown Pub in Port Townsend. This band grooves—see for yourself!
We’re gearing up to be an active local band in time for summer. We’ve already been booked for our first wedding, and we’re in talks about playing one of Port Townsend’s favorite annual festivals. (Stay tuned.) Are you looking for a band that can get you dancing? That plays catchy originals interspersed with exciting new arrangements of familiar old tunes? That covers the Beatles, John Prine, Lucinda Williams, Cyndi Lauper, and Tears for Fears? Look no further than Holy Carp.
Back row: Willem de Koch, me with a fish, Sammy J Watson. Front row: Chris Miller, another fish, Connor Forsyth. Photo by Kristopher Lee Wade.
There’s plenty more I could say about the year ahead… but I’ll keep it there for now. After all, I have to leave myself something to write about next time.
Looking Back (2024)
While I’ve let the whole month of January slide by before getting this post up, nevertheless, I want to take the occasion of the new-ish year to reflect on my 2024.
It was a big one! First and foremost, it was a year of getting established here in my chosen home of Port Townsend. At the beginning of the year, Naomi and I moved into a beautiful and affordable rental, which we feel grateful for every day. Crucially, it's a place where I have the space to teach and rehearse, which has helped tremendously in sustaining myself both professionally and creatively.
Aside from getting settled in our own dwelling, we also found a strong sense of community last year in Port Townsend. To be sure, we started making friends right away when we arrived here in the summer of '23—it's just that kind of place. But the beginning of 2024 was a major inflection point in that regard. And so much of this community, full of inspired and inspiring people, has formed in one way or another around the arts. Artistry is in the marrow of this town.
I can say without hesitation that my professional musical life is richer than ever—something I didn’t expect when I moved to this town of ten thousand people. The common wisdom is that, to make it as a musician, you go to a big city. That’s where the scene is. But Port Townsend has been an incredibly fruitful environment for me, musically. I’ve connected with some of the finest musicians I’ve ever worked with. I’ve joined several exciting bands and branched out stylistically (honky tonk dances are a big deal on the Peninsula). And I’m not just playing a lot of piano; I'm also singing and playing more bass than ever before. In Seattle, I felt like I had to specialize as a jazz pianist. Here, I can be a bassist, a bandleader, a singer, a songwriter, a keyboard player in a cover band (or three), a honky tonk piano pounder, and more.
I’m starting to think it was always my destiny to be a small-town musician. When I decided to pursue a career in music, the reason was simple: I wanted to play music as often as I could. It wasn't to "make it big" or tour the world (not that I would necessarily reject such developments). It was just in order to live a musical life. I've never wanted my professional and personal spheres to be separate. Here, I'm finding integration possible in new ways.
Musical Travels
The year started off right with a January mini-tour down to Oregon. I played a well-attended solo show in Portland at Rose City Book Pub before traveling on to Corvallis where I co-hosted an open mic night, played a house concert, and caught up with grad school friends.
My next regional tour was somewhat more substantial, not least because of a change of vehicle. On April 25th, I set out on my bike-and-train tour, playing shows in Kingston, Seattle, Portland, and Bellingham.
I had a lot of fun with Canva this year
It was a wonderful experiment, and each show was a highlight in its own right. Perhaps the standout moment was at the Royal Room in Seattle with my trio-mates Ryan Donnelly and William Sage. We premiered a new musical work of mine called “The Bicycle Suite”—instrumental compositions about the experience of long-distance bike travel. The premiere went very well—we got a standing ovation after the suite, even though the show wasn't over. Talk about encouragement! That response told me that people were connecting with the Bicycle Suite, and that I had to keep growing it. To perform it again, to add new movements, to hone it. (And we did perform it again, with a fifth movement added, at Egan’s Ballard Jam House in November. Hopefully we'll do it again in 2025!)
The Jonas Myers Trio at the Royal Room. Ryan Donnelly, bass. William Sage, drums. Photo by Rosanne Olson.
One reason the tour was so meaningful to me was, again, because of a feeling of integration. Bicycle travel is a passion of mine, and I've always wondered about combining it with musical touring. Last April's experiment felt like a big step forward in trusting my intuition. I suspect it was just the beginning.
Playing Bass
Another big part of this year was playing a lot more bass, including upright! You might not know that I played upright in middle school jazz band & orchestra before switching to piano in high school (piano was my first instrument, but I hadn't performed on it much at that point). For a long time now I’ve been playing in bands on bass guitar—electric and acoustic—but haven’t had an upright to practice and gig on until recently, when Naomi’s mom long-term-loaned me hers. It’s a gorgeous blonde Kay bass from the 1940s, and it really sings! I’ve gotten to do several gigs this year on that instrument. It's been profound to reconnect with this dormant part of myself.
From my 12/5/24 gig at Vintage with Jonathan Doyle on sax. Photo by Joe Englander.
From my 12/5/24 gig at Vintage with Connor Forsyth on keys. Photo by Joe Englander.
My first upright gig in a decade and a half came at the end of June, and it was a night to remember! Here in Port Townsend, we’re lucky to have Centrum, an arts organization that runs camps and workshops at Fort Worden State Park. Two of these camps, which happen back-to-back, are Voice Works and Fiddle Tunes. Singers and string-players from many folk traditions descend on the Fort Worden campus, and it is a hell of a party. At the end of Voice Works, right before the start of Fiddle Tunes, there’s the annual Polka Dot Dance. Everyone gets decked out in their finest dots and dances to a band of Voice Works and Fiddle Tunes faculty. As it happens, the Polka Dot Dance was the first event I went to when I moved to Port Townsend—less than twenty-four hours after arriving in the U-Haul. A year later, I got to play bass in the house band at the dance, rocking out with some absolutely stellar musicians, including four-time Juno Award-winner Pharis Romero!
The Quilcene Lantern
Just a few days later, the Fourth of July weekend brought the TARBOO music festival at the Quilcene Lantern. This venue, half an hour south of Port Townsend, is owned and operated by a family I know from my school days in Seattle, the de Kochs. (Willem & I were in the Garfield Jazz Band together.) They bought the place last January and proceeded with some truly Herculean renovation efforts, turning it into a year-round music and events venue. It’s a stunning property with beautiful historic buildings, the centerpiece of which is a nearly century-old barn that serves as the main performance space. And since Willem, who spent his twenties in New York, is insanely well-connected in the music world, he has programmed some unbelievable shows—local bands, regional up-and-comers, and national touring acts alike. All told, the Lantern has become an exciting locus of a broad musical community here on the Peninsula.
I got to see shows last year by Meg Duffy, Tomo Nakayama, Kate Davis, Damien Jurado, Wayne Horvitz's Electric Circus, and many others. I also got to perform there in September as a solo act, opening for The Faux Paws, one of my favorite bands. Here's a photo from that night:
Photo by Laura Newman
Of the many events I attended at the Quilcene Lantern in 2024, the TARBOO festival was the highlight of them all. Three days camping out among the alders, flinging frisbees, eating wood-fired pizzas, hearing one great band after another, and ending the day jamming around the campfire. They haven’t announced this year’s TARBOO yet but I believe it is happening again on July 4th weekend. I can’t recommend it highly enough. See you there?
A Recording Project
Later that month, on July 31st, I did a solo recording project at Rainshadow Recording here in Port Townsend. Thanks to sound engineer Conor Sisk and videographer Tomoki Sage, I got some really nice videos out of that session. (I got to brush up on my Final Cut Pro chops and do the video editing myself!) I’ve just posted the latest of these, an original song of mine called “It’s Simple.” I hope you'll give it a watch, and subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're at it. YouTube remains the primary way that I share my music online.
There are two other videos from that session that I've already released. One is a solo rendition of my piece "Skagit Valley," which is part of the Bicycle Suite. This is a song that people have started requesting at my gigs, and I know of two people who went so far as to learn it on piano and perform it! Which of course is a wonderful honor. The third video is my cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time." I'm likely to put out at least one more video from that session at some point.
Personal Travels
Fall brought memorable travels: a family getaway to Doe Bay on Orcas Island, where we biked and hiked and foraged chanterelles, followed soon after by a two-week adventure in Taiwan, where Naomi and I visited my brother and sister-in-law. We biked, trained, spa-ed, and ate ate ate ate ate. The food was out of this world! Flavors I've never encountered before. Fish I'd never even heard of. We hiked past betelnut plantations through the thick humidity to a chicken restaurant in the foothills of the coastal mountains. We sat in a teahouse perched practically on a cliff. We drank single origin coffee on the 88th floor of Taipei 101. (There were a lot of heights, come to think of it.) There were great musical moments, too. I got to sit in on a jam session in a dimly lit Taipei jazz club, and the next night, we belted out pop songs at a live piano karaoke bar as Typhoon Kong-rae made landfall.
The locals were remarkably chill about this storm, equivalent to a category 4 hurricane
Oh, and while we were there, we did a photo shoot!
This is the tiniest fraction of what I could talk about from last year. They say "the days are long but the years are short," and while the phrase contains real wisdom, I find that the more closely you look at a year, the longer it seems to get.
Thanks for taking the time to read my reflections! I've enjoyed telling you about some of the highlights of a rich and full 2024. To be sure, the year brought its share of challenges, too, both personal and widely shared. I may write about these at a later date. But I also take life's ongoing difficulties as one more reason to pause and take note of what is hopeful, what is growing.
What's growing where you are?
Thank you, friends, for your ongoing support. It means the world to me. It’s not just that I couldn’t do what I do without you. There would simply be no reason to.
Wishing you many blessings this year!
-Jonas
On the train in eastern Taiwan