Biography

Hi, I'm Joanna (not Jo, that's someone else) and I don't have much background in music. I took piano lessons in the second grade and played the saxophone in the school band. Garageband has allowed me to indulge my love for singing beyond concerts in the shower. I love the loops because they let non-musicians like me write songs. I just slap a few loops up and start singing. It's so freeing.

My favorite part of songwriting is writing the lyrics. This makes sense, of course, because writing is what I do for a living. Recently, I've been writing books, and teaching an online class in comedy writing, but in the past I've written for television and even wrote a couple of comic books. I'm a former voice actress (talking, not singing), and even spent a few years as a technical illustrator in aerospace. Go NASA!

Without any real training in music or music theory, I approach songwrititing from an instinctual place. If something sounds good to my ears, I go with it. The kind of music I love to listen to is jazz. I love the old school female torch singers of days gone by -- people like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Carmen McRae, Julie London, Laverne Baker, Peggy Lee, Dinah Washington, Etta James, Billie Holliday, and the Andrews Sisters.

If you want to know more about me, check out my website, .

Music rss

Title Genre Released Plays
I Cut My Flocking Finger With a Knife Comedy Jul 9, 2006 2290
The Silly Things I Didn't Do Today Childrens Sep 9, 2007 831
Old Lady Rap Comedy Sep 20, 2010 1739
Aliens Are Dancing on the Milky Way Jazz Mar 1, 2006 3582
I've Been Working on the Railroad Folk Apr 2, 2008 2396
The Raven Other Mar 7, 2006 889
When Monsters Want to Dance Childrens Nov 13, 2006 1764
A Penny For Your Thoughts Jazz Mar 6, 2006 2990
Tyler O'Toole (remix of One Bad Dude) Collab Other Mar 20, 2006 1243
Seven Men Folk Feb 4, 2007 1050
Beat the Devil Blues Sep 10, 2007 667
Lament A Cappella Mar 5, 2006 1392
Smooth As Silk Jazz Mar 13, 2006 2395
Never Feel Alone Folk Mar 12, 2006 897
The Fool Who Sails Folk Mar 8, 2006 1388
Banana Man Blues Mar 9, 2006 955
I Got a Water Pistol Named Betsy Blues Mar 16, 2006 1084
Lullaby For Grown-Ups Comedy Mar 17, 2006 1643
I Have a Voice Inspirational Mar 30, 2006 955
I Can't Play the Ukulele Folk May 5, 2006 870
These Tears Folk May 15, 2006 1022
The Gopher's Lament Folk Sep 10, 2006 747
The Nightingale Folk Sep 10, 2006 1058
Stand Up Jazz Sep 5, 2006 961
The Mayfly Folk Sep 12, 2006 689
Over the Rainbow A Cappella Mar 11, 2007 950
Sleep, My Baby Childrens Dec 9, 2007 671
Kumbayana A Cappella Jan 7, 2008 928
Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey Folk Mar 31, 2008 1009
Home on the Range Collab Folk Apr 23, 2008 810
24/7 A Cappella Apr 20, 2008 635
The Tin Box Folk May 31, 2010 353
Who Got Jazz Infomercial Comedy Feb 15, 2009 672
Trouble w/Andy Jazz Jun 22, 2010 362
Sailor Boy Folk Feb 22, 2010 328
By the Sea Jazz May 27, 2010 277
Trouble Jazz Jun 10, 2010 269
Breath Folk Mar 4, 2006 982
Love In a Petrie Dish Jazz Mar 2, 2006 992
When He Met She Jazz Mar 3, 2006 1585
It Ain't Fair 45 RPM Collab Blues Mar 10, 2006 1486
The Ballad of Billy and Lily Childrens Mar 11, 2006 1116
Hot Jazz Mar 23, 2006 901
Aliens Are Dancing on the Milky Way (the music video) Music Videos Apr 13, 2006 1338
The Captain Folk Apr 29, 2006 856
At First Sight Pop May 6, 2006 797
Bird Jazz May 4, 2006 1671
Concerto for Kazoo in A Flat Miinor Comedy May 18, 2006 919
Rosin the Bow Folk Jun 8, 2006 1094
Being Poor Explicit Rock Jul 7, 2006 962
Never Satisfied Jazz Jul 23, 2006 1214
Time Folk Sep 9, 2006 1017
The Greatest Show Folk Sep 14, 2006 686
Damsel In Distress Folk Feb 3, 2007 684
Nellie G. Jazz Apr 28, 2007 701
Hardest Stone Other Dec 16, 2007 998
Isolation Other Jan 8, 2008 503
Free of Pain Folk Apr 10, 2008 680
I've Been Working on the Railroad with Dadai! Collab Folk Apr 2, 2008 1529
Condemning Me Just to See Folk Mar 15, 2008 542
It Sucks Punk Oct 14, 2008 542
Join the Club Childrens Nov 15, 2008 511
Feeling Moody Jazz Nov 29, 2008 581
Eviction Folk Feb 2, 2009 425
Dream A Little Dream Jazz Oct 13, 2009 787
I Love My Ukulele Folk Sep 5, 2009 1120
When the Red Red Robin Folk Oct 3, 2009 1768
Joanna Sampler Other Jul 1, 2010 312
20 Years Folk Jul 30, 2011 241

Collaborations

Title Genre Released Plays
These Tears (Remix) World Jun 18, 2006 2573
Baby It's Cold Outside Jazz Feb 25, 2007 4900
Bees and Birds Jazz Dec 6, 2005 1998
Rainy Day Jazz Apr 22, 2007 2643
When Tears Rain Down (a collaboration) Alternative Feb 8, 2005 990
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Holiday Dec 20, 2007 1531
Ain't No Way Other Dec 15, 2005 1157
Another Gin & Tonic Folk Apr 7, 2006 3027
Whiskey Neat, Water Back Rock Apr 22, 2006 10081
Wine Into Water Folk Nov 5, 2006 2479
Invisible Dyad #1 Other Jan 28, 2007 1934

Favorites

Blog rss

Other songs on iComp March 13, 2006
I joined this site late, so a couple of my collaborations are on here. One is Bees and Birds with Daphna and Mcboy, the other is Ain't No Way with Stun_Nutz
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