The Go Janes
The Go Janes feature ukulele, guitar, and generous doses of delicious harmony vocals on songs from the long view of life.
We have decades of experience as creative artists, community organizers, educators and inquisitive consumers of life. Arni and Patrice are members of the satirical trio Uncle Bonsai; Kathleen Tracy is an accomplished solo artist and community chorus director. Patrice has produced the Wintergrass Festival almost from its inception. Arni and Patrice are also visual artists. and Arni and Kathleen are both sought after educators and coaches working with children, adults, and the differently-abled.
Our writing ranges from tender and sweet tributes to our shared humanity, to songs exploring how weird it is that magicians used to (pretend to) saw women in half for entertainment. From monkey-infested golf courses in India, and what that teaches us about how to greet life's challenges, to letting go of our independent children, and losing those we love in more lasting ways. Along the way we pay homage to our ancestors and to our own and each others' most idiosyncratic selves. And there are knife-throwers, and howling dogs, and how the pandemic made us fight with each other and ourselves.
We've performed at the Seattle Folklore Society, Dusty Strings (with Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer), Traditions Cafe in Olympia, Black Dog Arts Cafe in Snoqualmie, Seattle Folklife Festival, the Moisture Festival, the Lavender Festival, Kenyon Hall, the Royal Room, Stage3 in Kingston (with True North), and many other venues.
In addition, we've painted over two hundred pounds of rocks in order to raise money for creative endeavors. This was particularly important during the pandemic, when so many concerts were canceled, or not available for booking to begin with. Plus, the best things in life are often the little things. (Even little heavy things.) After rocks, came GoFundMe, which led to the release of our first full-length recording. (Thank you GoFundMe donors!!)
We present well-crafted songs, instrumental interplay, good stories, good friends, humor - things made with our hands and minds, kindness and community. We believe that most people need to create in some form, and we love being a spark that ignites and encourages creativity in others.