Introducing our Musicians of the Month, Stu and Janna Zonder. You can learn more about them by reading their responses to questions below. They are also starting a Ukulele Meetup; here are the details:
Stu and Janna Zonder will be leading the New Bern Ukulele Meetup at Fairfield Harbour every other Tuesday, 7PM, at the Community Center. The next meeting is Tuesday, August 20th. All levels of players are welcome. If you play tenor, concert, soprano, baritone, or bass ukulele, come join us! If you have questions or need more information, contact Stu at 470-219-9935 or stuzonder1@gmail.com
What first drew you to music?
We were living in different parts of the country, but we both had the same reaction to seeing The Beatles perform the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. Their performance brought a level of excitement that we had not experienced before and changed the course of our lives. Many years later when we met as adults, we discovered our shared experience and the inspiration we got from witnessing their performance.
How long have you been musicians?
Stu: I began playing guitar when I was 12. My dad invested 29 dollars in a Stella Harmony guitar from Kresge’s (the pre-curser to K Mart). It was a terrible guitar, but I was determined. When I turned 13, my folks let me upgrade to a better instrument.
Janna: I had a similar experience. After seeing The Beatles, my uncle bought me a little electric guitar. He wouldn’t buy an amplifier, so I could barely hear myself play. In retrospect, I suspect that may have been by design.
What has been your biggest challenge in developing your talent?
Janna: Although I had worked in professional theatre in Atlanta for some years and was used to performing in front of an audience, singing in clubs was a new and frightening experience for me. Over the years, I discovered that fear and excitement have a very similar feeling in the body – butterflies in the stomach, dry mouth, elevated heartbeat. I decided to reframe my physical feelings by calling them excitement instead of fear. That changed everything. Performing became an exciting, joyous thing to do. It was a great life lesson for me. I learned that if I changed my perspective, my experience would also change.
Stu: When I first started performing professionally in Ann Arbor while in college, I had no faith in the quality of my voice. Rather than using my natural singing voice, I would imitate the original recording artist of the song. One song I’d be trying to sound like Neil Young, then Dylan, then Muddy Waters, then Willie Nelson. At some point I realized that my natural singing voice was just fine, and I stopped the imitations. I got pretty good at some of them, and now break into the imitations for a chuckle.
What is your favorite type of music to create?
Janna: I am a writer of fiction, essays, and poetry. Stu has written music specifically for a number of my poems, and I love the spoken word performance pieces we’ve developed together. We’ve also collaborated on musical parodies that we both love doing. We love including humor in our performances.
Stu: We have had a lot of fun collaborating and recording our original music over the years. I also have loved the spoken word pieces very much. I’d also have to say that some of our favorites have been parodies of popular music. Lately the parodies have been about aging (something we know a little bit about, for sure). One is a takeoff of an old Bob Dylan tune. Our title is “Our Bodies They Are-A-Changin.”
What is your favorite song to perform?
Stu: That’s a tough one. There are songs that Janna dances to while we perform them. She’s a fabulous dancer, and the couple of tunes where she shakes it up are probably my favorites.
Janna: That’s very generous. I do like to move around some while on stage, I can’t deny it. If I had to pick one song, I’d say I love singing “Pennies From Heaven.” It’s a song of hope that was written to cheer people up during the Great Depression. Stu plays a lovely accompaniment on the ukulele that highlights the meaning of the words.
What musical influences are the strongest in your life?
(Both laugh) Janna: There’s a lot of overlap for us. For the most part, we have similar tastes. Stu grew up in Detroit and he, of course, loved the music of Motown. He’s been most influenced by soul music, classic rock, blues, and folk. I grew up listening to classic country, then southern rock, classic rock, and folk. We both love the music of the sixties and early seventies, and acoustic music.
What other creative pursuits do you enjoy?
Stu: I find teaching guitar and ukulele to be an extremely creative process. I love it. I have taught guitar for over 40 years, and ukulele for 12 years. I teach live on Zoom all over the country and in Europe, and also teach in-person private lessons here in New Bern (http://stuzonder.com/). Janna and I also have an online Ukulele School with an extensive recorded curriculum that we are excited about (https://www.stringalongwithstu.com/) The online school is great for folks who prefer a more self-directed course, or who don’t have the time or resources for private instruction. You will find numerous student reviews on both of our websites online.
Janna: As I mentioned, I enjoy my life as a writer. I am about to finish my second novel, a coming-of-age story set in Georgia in the late 50’s and early 60’s. I am currently looking for a publisher. I also produce a weekly newsletter called “The Hump Day Gazette.” It comes out on Wednesdays, and while I tackle difficult subjects, it is always with humor and the intention of finding common ground. My mission is to help get us all over the shared obstacles in our lives. https://jannazonder.substack.com/
Is there something within music that you'd love to tackle but haven't yet?
Janna: I have played ukulele, guitar and bass in our act, but now mostly focus on ukulele. Since writing and managing our small business take so much of my time, I often neglect practicing. So, my goal is to practice more and become a more versatile player.
Stu: Not really. I’ve been playing for a long time, and feel fulfilled. There’s always room to grow, but I’m good.
Anything else you'd like to share?
We recently started a Ukulele Meetup here in Fairfield Harbour. We had our first get together last week, and 14 players came to it with very little advertising. It was great fun. We know it will turn into a large group, and are excited to share the ukulele love. We will be meeting every other Tuesday.
We’re both delighted to be profiled in The Beacon. We moved to Fairfield Harbour in early June, and have loved being here. Many thanks to all of the friendly and helpful members of the P.O.A. staff, our new neighbors, and everyone else we’ve met here.
Our dog, Cady Jolene, sometimes sings with us. This video always makes people laugh.
Thank you, Stu and Janna, for sharing your love of music. And welcome to the neighborhood!
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