Front Porch Revival: Michael Johnathon’s Mission To Restore Communities Through Music
Award-Winning Folksinger, Balladeer, and WoodSongs Host Goes Above and Beyond, Repairing Appalachia’s Roots After Multiple Natural Disasters
Michael Johnathon, the multi-talented banjo-playing folksinger, author, screenwriter and host of WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour has a poignant message for today’s musicians: shift your focus from fleeting fame to giving back to your local community.
“Doing good work is equivalent to a hit record,” remarks Johnathon. “Redirect your point of view, music is about more than just fame and money. Music should be based in good works for others.”
As a folk musician, this sentiment is clearly embodied in Michael’s unwavering support for music culture, extending far beyond the folk music spotlight and into the very heart of the Appalachian people and mountains. In response to the devastating Kentucky tornadoes of 2021 and the subsequent Appalachian regional flooding in 2022, he launched the “WoodSongs Flood and Tornado Relief Effort” program. This undertaking aimed to address the urgent needs arising from the natural disasters that disproportionately impact the region.
Through this innovative project, Michael rallied support by collected donations of new and used instruments from across the nation. These contributions became a lifeline for those who had lost everything in the wake of these catastrophic events. While not the conventional avenue for disaster relief, Michael passionately believes in the healing power of music for communal healing, emphasizing the critical role access to music plays in the recovery process.
Michael stands poised to continue the “WoodSongs Flood and Tornado Relief Effort” for years to come, whenever the need for recovery support arises. To date, the program has collected and redistributed 1,300 musical instruments to families in need.
Recently honored for his expansive contributions to arts and culture by his adoptive home state of Kentucky, Michael reflects on his journey in a captivating video (VIEW HERE). Johnathon shares how he began as a folksinger through discovering his neighbor, Pete Seeger, was a renouned folk artist and songwriter. On advice of Seeger, Michael moved to the Appalachian mountains in Kentucky and began his immersive education in the “music of America.” He proceeded to delve into what he affectionately calls the “music of the front porch” – a genre that gathers family and friends for a shared musical experience.
“Never before in the history of the world has the need to revisit the meaning and spirit of the front porch been so needed,” lamented Michael.
A seasoned songwriter with 20 published folk music albums, Johnathon observes the evolving landscape of the music industry. In an era dominated by digital streaming, he believes in preserving the authentic, timeless mentality of the physical art form. This sentiment is echoed by countless songwriters and musicians struggling to make a living in a world streaming pays pennies per listen.
“We are living among the first generation in human history that gets its music and art as a flatscreen, cell phone, digital tsunami of ones and zeros,” he says.
Beyond amplifying access to folk music through the WoodSongs radio hour, Michael spearheads numerous initiatives across the nation, such as the award-winning script for the theatrical play and original film “Walden: The Ballad Of Thoreau,” his 20th studio album “Garden of Silence,” SongFarmers – a national program for artists and songwriters seeking the joy of playing music in good company, and WoodSongs Kids, shows produced to expand the reach of the American front porch
Bob Spear of The Heartland Review encapsulates Michael’s dedication and ingenuity, stating, “Take the inventiveness of Bob Dylan, the melodic voice of John Denver, add the showmanship of Garrison Keillor… and that’s Michael Johnathon.”
Read more about the impact of WoodSongs relief efforts and view additional images at woodsongs.com/flood and woodsongs.com/tornado.
About Michael Johnathon
Michael Johnathon is a banjo playing folksinger. He was Pete Seeger’s neighbor growing up along the Hudson River in his hometown of Beacon, NY. These days, his worldview is shaped from the front porch of his log cabin home outside of Lexington, Kentucky. Among the throngs of artists in the music world, few have elevated “dreaming” to such a high art form.
“Never before in the history of the world has the need to revisit the meaning and spirit of the front porch been so needed,” Johnathon says. “Indeed, war, pandemic and economic uncertainty, civil unrest and gun violence, the shattering of accepted norms and the incessant social media noise have caused many to look back to re-examine where we are heading.”
He has tapped into a global need for friends, community and the genuine comfort that organic art can give in a world of incessant stress.
“We are living among the first generation in human history that gets its music and art as a flatscreen, cell phone, digital tsunami of ones and zeros,” he says. “The real, front porch, organic world of music and art is fading away.”
It is an unlikely career trajectory that hasn’t been seen since folksinger Pete Seeger decided to build the Clearwater sloop to help clean up the Hudson River. While musicians and songwriters reach out for a golden ring that no longer exists in a record industry that has essentially collapsed, Michael Johnathon reaches instead to a global fan base made up of neighbors, families and fellow musicians. He believes in the passion and energy of those artists, the greatest stage in the world is the emotional front porch, the brightest spotlight shines on the figurative living room couch. His belief in the front porch spirit has resulted in powerful partnerships. In fact, the WoodSongs broadcast is described on-air as a multimedia front porch.
The Governor of Kentucky presented him the highest award the Commonwealth can give any artist, the prestigious Milner Award of the Arts, reserved for the likes of Wendell Berry, James Still, Jean Ritchie and others.
For more information visit michaeljohnathon.com.
