MUSIC Johnie 3 sticks to what works

After touring the U.S., the trio plans to head for Europe in the fall.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Hey, ho, Johnie 3 is ready to go.
Influenced heavily by The Ramones, this Youngstown-based pop-punk trio has recently embarked on a 30-date tour that will take the outfit from Maine to Texas.
What may seem extraordinary for a local band is just business as usual for Johnie 3. "Yeah, we tour all over," said singer/guitarist Jay Dee. "That's the only way to get your name out anymore. The Internet and all of that stuff is around but there's still no better way to get your name out than playing shows."
It's this declaration, which has been the threesome's battle cry for nearly four years, that elevated the outfit from just another Youngstown band with a dream to a road-tested group with a growing fan base all over the country.
For this upcoming jaunt, the trio is touring with Dutch band The Apers. And in the fall, the Holland-based group will return the favor when Johnie 3 heads to Europe for a month or two of dates as its opener. It's a perfect example of the Youngstown band's DIY marketing approach.
Looking at the year
It appears as though 2006 could be a pivotal year for Johnie 3, which is hoping to add two new releases to its catalog that already boasts two full-length albums and a recent split release with The Prozacs.
A live album was recorded earlier this year and is due out this summer, while the band's next studio disc is tentatively slated for a late 2006 or early 2007 release.
As for the new material, Johnie 3 -- Reed, Myke (bass) and K.C. (drums) -- has little need for stylistic digression.
"Yeah, it's going to be the same," Reed said. "I think progression kills musicians sometimes, so we come from those three chords and just pound them out [approach]. And if the people like the last record, they'll like this one. We're a lot more polished than we were on our first record but it's pretty much the same. We're not trying to sound like something we're not."
Reed stresses something they're not is a part of the pop-punk movement that includes the likes of Good Charlotte and every other MTV/FUSE TV-friendly band. In fact, the Cardinal Mooney High School graduate said if it weren't for the opportunity to perform for such large Vans Warped audiences last year, Johnie 3 probably would have avoided the bill altogether.
"We don't like any of the newer stuff that's out," Reed said. "We try to stay away from any of that."
Something else the band apparently stays away from are concerts in Youngstown. It's been a while since it had a Mahoning Valley show, with the closest date on its upcoming tour being June 8 in Pittsburgh at the 31st Street Pub.
"The type of music we play isn't big around here, obviously," Reed said. "And it's for the kids, mostly. Our audience is 15-to-18-year-old range and all of the bars around here are 21 and up."
Most of all, the three 20-something members of Johnie 3 are having fun as working musicians without any sort of expectation other than the opening of a beer bottle on a nightly basis.
"Whatever happens, happens," Reed said. "We're not looking to ... we're just looking to go out and party. We get paid to party, that's pretty much what it's like. Not too many people can say that about their jobs."