About John Michael Karnatz

You’re not gonna believe this……..

So, I was sitting in my upstairs recording studio a few months ago when this guy calls me up and says, “I hear you record bands.”

“I do,” I responded. “You got a band to record?”

“Yeah….We’re Jhonny Hurricane and the Tremors…...you probably never heard of us.”

“No, I haven’t. What kind of music you guys play?”

“Irradical rock” he said.

“Oh,” I cleverly responded. “So.….what do you guys want to do?”

“We wrote this new song called ‘I Am Not Ur Robot.’ We want to record it today. We’re outside. Can you let us in?”

They came in and loaded out their gear and we set up some mics. I asked them if they wanted to practice. “Nah…we never practice…we just play, man,” Jhonny said.

So that’s what they did. When I had asked them if they wanted me to add anything to the arrangement, they looked at each other amusingly. Finally, Jhonny said, “Uh....Sure. You can play wood block. In fact, you can play lead wood block.”

Amazingly, we did the song in one live take. After that, they packed up their gear and started walking out. “Wait,” I said. “What do you want to do with the recording?”

“I don’t know, man,” Jhonny said. “Do what you want. We gotta go.…got a gig tonight.”

I haven’t heard from them since…...…but I’m sure they’re out there playing somewhere.

They were a mysterious but fun bunch. Maybe they’ll call me back. I hope so……


(BTW...if u want to hear what that recording session sounded like, click on one of the icons for "I Am Not Ur Robot" in the Discography section.)




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JOHN MICHAEL KARNATZ BIO:

John Michael Karnatz is a veteran musician and songwriter who has played in numerous bands in the northern Illinois area. His musical roots lie in classic rock of the 1960’s to 1980’s. John is currently focusing on writing songs to help meet the licensing needs of the film, television, advertising, and recording industries.

If you see John cruising down Main Street with the windows down, you’ll probably hear some Eagles, Bob Seger, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cars, Cheap Trick, Doobie Brothers, Tom Petty or Bon Jovi music blaring away. But you might also hear some Ed Sheeran, Jason Isbell, John Mayer, or Beck filling the air. John sings and plays guitar, bass, harmonica, and some boogie-woogie piano.

One of John's earliest successes occurred while he was serving in the US Army and stationed in West Berlin. After winning the Berlin Brigade Show Band Contest with his band "Haze," he was assigned to Special Services and played in the First Annual Original Magnificent Special Services Showband Contest held in Mannheim, Germany. One of the contest judges was KURT LODER, who wrote for the Overseas Weekly at that time. Haze finished second in the contest.

While John does not turn a deaf ear to changing musical sounds, much of his current writing remains influenced by his musical family background and his classic rock roots. The use of tight vocal harmonies and a fat rhythm guitar continue to be earmarks in many songs written by John. He currently resides in Park Ridge, Illinois.


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