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
When the Red Red Robin Folk Oct 3, 2009 1785
The Ballad of Billy and Lily Childrens Mar 11, 2006 1132
I Love My Ukulele Folk Sep 5, 2009 1135
I Cut My Flocking Finger With a Knife Comedy Jul 9, 2006 2308
Old Lady Rap Comedy Sep 20, 2010 1757
The Silly Things I Didn't Do Today Childrens Sep 9, 2007 842
Nellie G. Jazz Apr 28, 2007 707
Smooth As Silk Jazz Mar 13, 2006 2399
Tyler O'Toole (remix of One Bad Dude) Collab Other Mar 20, 2006 1248
A Penny For Your Thoughts Jazz Mar 6, 2006 2994
Lament A Cappella Mar 5, 2006 1395
It Ain't Fair 45 RPM Collab Blues Mar 10, 2006 1489
I Can't Play the Ukulele Folk May 5, 2006 872
These Tears Folk May 15, 2006 1026
Hardest Stone Other Dec 16, 2007 1001
I've Been Working on the Railroad Folk Apr 2, 2008 2421
Breath Folk Mar 4, 2006 984
Aliens Are Dancing on the Milky Way Jazz Mar 1, 2006 3599
Lullaby For Grown-Ups Comedy Mar 17, 2006 1644
Being Poor Explicit Rock Jul 7, 2006 964
When Monsters Want to Dance Childrens Nov 13, 2006 1766
Seven Men Folk Feb 4, 2007 1052
Damsel In Distress Folk Feb 3, 2007 686
Over the Rainbow A Cappella Mar 11, 2007 954
Kumbayana A Cappella Jan 7, 2008 930
The Tin Box Folk May 31, 2010 355
Who Got Jazz Infomercial Comedy Feb 15, 2009 674
Feeling Moody Jazz Nov 29, 2008 583
Dream A Little Dream Jazz Oct 13, 2009 791
Never Feel Alone Folk Mar 12, 2006 898
I Have a Voice Inspirational Mar 30, 2006 957
The Captain Folk Apr 29, 2006 857
At First Sight Pop May 6, 2006 798
Concerto for Kazoo in A Flat Miinor Comedy May 18, 2006 922
Never Satisfied Jazz Jul 23, 2006 1215
The Nightingale Folk Sep 10, 2006 1059
Time Folk Sep 9, 2006 1018
The Mayfly Folk Sep 12, 2006 690
Sleep, My Baby Childrens Dec 9, 2007 672
Isolation Other Jan 8, 2008 504
I've Been Working on the Railroad with Dadai! Collab Folk Apr 2, 2008 1531
24/7 A Cappella Apr 20, 2008 636
Join the Club Childrens Nov 15, 2008 512
Trouble w/Andy Jazz Jun 22, 2010 364
Eviction Folk Feb 2, 2009 426
Sailor Boy Folk Feb 22, 2010 329
Joanna Sampler Other Jul 1, 2010 314
20 Years Folk Jul 30, 2011 242
Love In a Petrie Dish Jazz Mar 2, 2006 993
When He Met She Jazz Mar 3, 2006 1585
The Raven Other Mar 7, 2006 891
The Fool Who Sails Folk Mar 8, 2006 1389
Banana Man Blues Mar 9, 2006 956
I Got a Water Pistol Named Betsy Blues Mar 16, 2006 1087
Hot Jazz Mar 23, 2006 902
Aliens Are Dancing on the Milky Way (the music video) Music Videos Apr 13, 2006 1339
Bird Jazz May 4, 2006 1672
Rosin the Bow Folk Jun 8, 2006 1096
The Gopher's Lament Folk Sep 10, 2006 747
Stand Up Jazz Sep 5, 2006 961
The Greatest Show Folk Sep 14, 2006 690
Beat the Devil Blues Sep 10, 2007 667
Free of Pain Folk Apr 10, 2008 680
Condemning Me Just to See Folk Mar 15, 2008 542
Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey Folk Mar 31, 2008 1009
Home on the Range Collab Folk Apr 23, 2008 810
It Sucks Punk Oct 14, 2008 543
By the Sea Jazz May 27, 2010 277
Trouble Jazz Jun 10, 2010 270

Collaborations

Title Genre Released Plays
Whiskey Neat, Water Back Rock Apr 22, 2006 10126
These Tears (Remix) World Jun 18, 2006 2585
Baby It's Cold Outside Jazz Feb 25, 2007 4907
Rainy Day Jazz Apr 22, 2007 2649
Invisible Dyad #1 Other Jan 28, 2007 1936
When Tears Rain Down (a collaboration) Alternative Feb 8, 2005 991
Bees and Birds Jazz Dec 6, 2005 1999
Another Gin & Tonic Folk Apr 7, 2006 3028
Wine Into Water Folk Nov 5, 2006 2480
Ain't No Way Other Dec 15, 2005 1157
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Holiday Dec 20, 2007 1535

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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