Holding on -- to troubled loves, old ways of life and belief in yourself -- it's central to the stories John Sonntag tells. A musical traveler who brings back treasures from many American corners and whose songs often follow the tragedies and romance of the road, Sonntag's work is as much about what stays with you as what you leave behind.

Listeners who have kept with him across an accomplished career know how far his music has come, but on this journey there's always room for new arrivals who will feel as if they've known him all along. The latest album Chasing Stars gives everyone a perfect and rewarding chance to catch up.

It's a heartfelt letter from the many landscapes Sonntag's musical imagination roams, ranging from the Latin-tinged "Waiting on Time" to the mournful country ballad "Count to Ten," the ominous swamp-funk of "North," the sophisticated urban rock of "Hey Lou," and beyond. A son of the rust belt with an ear to Nashville and professional roots in bohemian Hoboken, New Jersey, Sonntag is the distinctive voice that can tell our tales and set America to music.

He's taken a great stride from his debut album One More Midnight, which already went a long way into rootsy musical possibilities and simple but elusive truths of the human soul.

It's an odyssey he's always had good company on, as a top indie-folk producer and a sought-after session player on many instruments and multiple albums. Chasing Stars is the long-awaited result of these rich musical conversations in Sonntag's own words and sure, versatile voice (with several covers and collaborations that are as well-chosen as his solo compositions are well-conceived).

Sonntag's sweet, supple tenor joins sublime harmonies contrasting the sketch of the old man counting down the days of his life in "Waiting on Time"; the singer's hushed assurances of romantic rebirth counter a dobro that sounds like its strings are getting plunked by protruding nails in an abandoned cabin in the yearning "Count to Ten"; he gets breathless, sexy and desperate in the desolate "North" while the tune comes apart like a breaking-down getaway car in a tale of stifled escape. "Night After Night" is a lullaby of loss whose starkly lovely piano setting could create a new genre of country classical; and, as a songwriter who can speak for ordinary people, Sonntag's even in a position to put across an unpretentious protest song about politicians who presume to do the talking for us, in "Hey Lou."

These just scratch the surface of a disk that runs deep. There are also up-tempo celebrations of simple pleasures aplenty, in a musical trip across peaks and valleys whose next turn is always unexpected.

Soon Sonntag will be setting off on other journeys, into American towns where he makes a special connection with audiences who either know him now or will find him hard to forget. He's a keen listener you'll want to hear time and again. And though he may be chasing stars, he's at the head of the artistic pack.

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• John Sonntag: The History

Born: New Castle, Pennsylvania.

Studied: Berklee College of Music, Boston.

Talents: Vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, piano, songwriting, production.

Influences: The Beatles, Little Feat, CSN&Y, Bob Dylan, Richard Thompson.

Discography:

Chasing Stars 2006
One More Midnight 1996

Compilations:

Black Potatoe Music Festival Sampler 2006
-Song: Chasing Stars

First Mayday Art and Music Fest. Sampler 2004
-Song: Hey Lou

Fast Folk Magazine(FF701, Vol. 7, No. 1. April 1993)
-Song: Daddy Turned Grey

Artist Covering John

"All I Want to Do Is Dance"
Performed by: Margo Hennebach (Prime CD recording artist), and Kathleen Stieffel (MCA recording artist); Recorded by: Naked Blue in 2000 on their Bluetick release Thursday, October 21.

"One More Midnight"
Performed by: Kathleen Stieffel. Naked Blue.

"Tied to a Tumbleweed"
Recorded by: Esther on her 2001 release Eve's Lament.

Selected Production Credits

2006: John Sonntag, Chasing Stars (Thunder Pumpkin Records).

2004: Ansel Matthews, Raised from the Dust (self-released).

2001: Esther, Eve's Lament (Thunder Pumpkin Records).

1997: Tai Burnette, Not So Small (Ear Movies) [With Mark Godwin, Julian Harris and Steve Gaboury].

1996: John Sonntag, One More Midnight (Thunder Pumpkin Records) [With James Mastro and Bob Harris].

Selected Recording Credits

2002: Electric guitar for Mary Ann Farley's My Life of Crime (Powder Burn Records).

2001: Acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, harmonica, backing vocals and keyboards for Esther's Eve's Lament (Thunder Pumpkin Records).

1997: Guitars and harmonica for Tai Burnette's Not So Small (Ear Movies).

1997: Mandolin, harmonica, electric guitar, and backing vocals for Rich Grula on Big Happy Crowd's Folk and Feedback (Zesty Records).

1996: Guitars and harmonica for Mary Ann Farley's Daddy's Little Girl (Deko Records).

Selected Showcase Performances and Other Industry Highlights

2006: NERFA Guerilla Showcase appearence: Arlon's Nashville Connction

2001: NERFA. Esther showcase w/John on mandolin/slide guitar/harmonica

1998: NEMO Music Festival in Boston.

1998: Selected as one of the six winners of the New Jersey Folk Festival's New Folk Artist Showcase.

1997 and 1998: The Philadelphia Music Conference.

1995: The Cutting Edge Music Business Conference in New Orleans.

Other Collaborations

Rich Grula
Don Brody
Esther
Margo Hennebach
Bob Harris

Support for Singer-Songwriters

Princeton Songwriters: www.princetonsongwriters.org.
John is co-coordinator of this northern NJ chapter of NSAI.
Nashville Songwriters Association International: www.nashvillesongwriters.com

Frequent host of open mics in the greater NYC area. Check out this article: Onstage Magazine.

John is producer and engineer of the sought-after Thunder Pumpkin Records.

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• More About Collaborators

Rich Grula

Between 1993 and 1994 John collaborated with Rich Grula, bass player and songwriting partner in Glenn Morrow's band, Rage to Live (Bar None). Together Rich and John formed the popular duo Big Happy Crowd. This collaboration resulted in "Love Forever Reaching," "Hiding Behind Headlights" and "New Paradise," all appearing on John's first CD, One More Midnight (Thunder Pumpkin Records, 1996). "Hiding Behind Headlights" was also recorded on Rich's own release, Big Happy Crowd's Folk and Feedback (Zesty Records, 1997).

Don Brody

Don Brody (1953-1997) was the gifted songwriter, singer and guitarist of the Hoboken-based duo the Marys. He achieved MTV airplay with his earlier ska-influenced rock band Cryin' Out Loud before founding the Marys in 1989 and becoming a favorite of legendary local deejays like Vin Scelsa. "Statue of Liberty" from John's One More Midnight album was written with Don.

Esther

Esther is a Boston-based singer-songwriter who co-produced the well-received compilation CD Respond. Together John and Esther wrote "Little Willy Porter" and "Moon Over the Water," which were recorded for Esther's first solo release, Eve's Lament. (Thunder Pumpkin Records, 2001)

Margo Hennebach

Margo Hennebach is a mainstay in the folk music scene. Once a backup musician for the Fast Folk Shows performing with the talents of Julie Gold, John Gorka and Shawn Colvin, Margo has a number of releases on Prime CD and is co-founder of the trio Mad Agnes. Margo helped pen "Homecoming," which can be found on John's One More Midnight.

Bob Harris

Bob Harris has been named by Guitar Player Magazine as the "greatest acoustic guitar player in the world." He performed for nearly ten years with fiddle legend Vassar Clements and served as Clements' musical director. Bob is a leading session player in Nashville, recording with some of the industry's top acoustic musicians on close to 1,000 CDs. Together, John and Bob have written "Chasing Stars," the title cut for John's forthcoming release.

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Alison Krauss
Lowen & Navarro
Aztec Two-Step
Commander Cody
Richie Havens
Rory Block
Maria Muldaur
Dar Williams
Greg Greenway
Professor & Mary Anne
John Pousette-Dart
Margo Hennebach
The Marys
Naked Blue
Health & Happiness Show
Helen Hook
Point Cross
Dan Hicks
Freedy Johnston

Selected Venues
& Festivals

Hoboken Arts and Music Festival, Hoboken, New Jersey; the Turning Point, Piermont, New York; Outpost in the Burbs, Montclair, New Jersey; CBGB's Gallery, New York City.

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