This will be the basis of the tray art, for my Making Contact album. It will be released on my birthday, 11/15/2025. Although we musical artists appreciate streaming, real support comes from the physical sale of our songs.https://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwvmnusqrs2w"That's What I'm Talking About" reveals a little of Paul McCartney's influence in my writing. Somewhat tongue in cheek, the entire scenario is a fabrication. https://open.spotify.com/track/7GkeSJcnJ2Wfsd6XMhPeGO?si=02e4c30a65d84de802 Oct 2026 14:50 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvmnusqrs2whttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwt3iclnj22iThe countdown has reached #57 and those songs that have reached the Spotify royalty threshold. "Danger Zone" is a bit bluesy and built around diminished chords. Liked the tonal blend and felt it lent itself well to the genre. https://open.spotify.com/track/3apBhffZQttDXZIDAWMGtS?si=c6488d7a9bdd490f01 Oct 2026 14:37 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwt3iclnj22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwszzkntjk2i"Questions Remain" has been added to this Spotify playlist! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1LIDDhl6smxHh5BI3f6yU601 Oct 2026 14:11 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwszzkntjk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwr2cx2yec2sThe curator of the New Noise From The Shadows playlist said, "We absolutely loved the intricate and distinctive sound of 'Before the End' — its personal character makes it a great fit for our playlist". I much appreciate the kind words! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6hi91JNgJMC5FzAougJVTc?si=8kvpuP_LReK60GkEPsmSkg&utm_source=copy-link&nd=1&dlsi=f11e22bc1bc14b6330 Sep 2026 19:11 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwr2cx2yec2shttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwqr57k54s2p"Evening Song" is a tune I wrote with Terry Kirby and promptly gave to Ron Patterson to sing, in Johnny Z and the Spotlights. I never thought about me trying the lead vocals until the recording of Toaster. https://open.spotify.com/track/1YTVZgBm1rPOPtr35b5XOf?si=8402e975f3b042ad30 Sep 2026 16:27 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwqr57k54s2phttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwocvnc2yc2g"Southern Seas" was initially written with a much livelier island feel. When I sat down to record this version, I was looking for a softer, more wistful and contemplative piece. I'll include the original version in the comments. https://open.spotify.com/track/4TbuvdNd8FG4hervJcCOTG?si=b65a04dcc29b49d929 Sep 2026 17:07 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwocvnc2yc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwlmicusg22a"The River Bends to the Sea" is a more traditional folk-styled sea shanty, laced with nautical references. https://open.spotify.com/track/27VIQH1UDbthb04x05a1hs?si=2fe9173184594b0228 Sep 2026 15:20 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwlmicusg22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwj357su5222"Seems I'm On That Road Again" was only the third song I had written, but I felt I was finally getting a handle on the singer-songwriter thing. It was roughly emulating Willie Nelson, which is not too bad of a model to follow, and listeners even seemed to like it! https://open.spotify.com/track/0UOSykdY4A4K4f2J4CrDuk?si=4e95594a29ee4bcc27 Sep 2026 15:05 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwj357su5222https://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwgmmxyohc2tMoving up my list, "Goodbye Lorrine, Goodbye" is a bluesy tune that Tom Loewe and I wrote, face-to-face, sitting on the floor, in his apartment at Knob Hill, in Ann Arbor. https://open.spotify.com/track/2FyWnG7uLUNPCPQnj4Q850?si=461f68ee69394bd426 Sep 2026 15:40 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwgmmxyohc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mweszfanhc2wI wrote "A Little Confused" while I was a school bus driver, for Ann Arbor Public Schools. It came to me while driving and I jotted notes between stops and finished at home that very day! It's very quirky, fun tune. https://open.spotify.com/track/4bbLgFlSI1LB0vF1tQHrHW?si=3a04b853ba644e9625 Sep 2026 22:29 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mweszfanhc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwesqgjkw22w"Before the End" was just added to the SUGAR & GASOLINE (ELECTRONIC + HEAVY) Spotify playlist. Looking for a place that has a heavier hitting edge to it? Check this one out! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6iBFl3ljkiBe6ppZsov4fR?si=8mX2D8eMTJaf-pbRdvgDlQ&nd=1&dlsi=5ee4aeb4668c432425 Sep 2026 22:24 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwesqgjkw22whttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwbtqap3g22s"That's Enough" was just added to this Spotify playlist! There are some really cool tunes, along the Kurt Cobain line, who is represented a few times (this one of mine is a bit like that). https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0WStIX7GuaLoKc0QWpgucQ?si=CCAWJ7sySZS2lvKo4CMNYg&nd=1&dlsi=1961e311c1f54d8824 Sep 2026 18:03 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwbtqap3g22shttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mwbg6hfxuk2i"Gotta Get Away 1" or as it was erroneously distributed as "Gotta Get Away, 1" (the comma was some kind of autocorrect that I missed), was very similar in R&B spirit to "J&B Boogie", which is was based on. Maybe someday I'll leak the latter. https://open.spotify.com/track/5aSIF8baRaoqPGbARB2Kvg?si=23563ffa38c4409724 Sep 2026 14:01 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwbg6hfxuk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mw6u6wiqo22iJust one more song, from the purely folk album, Verses, is "Month of May". This is the second reverent homage to Mary, by Emily. https://open.spotify.com/track/1FGFxHEaO711Pbn8vewfJC?si=1808415f7896405e23 Sep 2026 13:34 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw6u6wiqo22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mw4jh2glek25When I wrote the music to "Gretchen", I knew that it was the perfect blend of melody and chord progression. In fact, the chords fully influenced the melody path. https://open.spotify.com/track/20g3PCNiG12ZfEdnZPg0os?si=e4845163a0ff48a822 Sep 2026 15:16 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw4jh2glek25https://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mw26f7jkuc23#67 on the climb to #1, "Abbreviate It!" draws upon the flavor of reggae. It was written in the winter of 1983 and summer of '84 and set aside. I finalized it in 2023 and included it on Toaster. https://open.spotify.com/track/6ccpMsv7gKn7d7WS9KHfwB?si=288aef02a1d64fbf21 Sep 2026 16:53 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mw26f7jkuc23https://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mvxj2avyjs2i"Just Desserts" has been added to 3 SubmitMusic playlists. The most recent is New Artists - Afrobeats, but also to this one, New Artists - World Music. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6xL0rFW8434LwZCAQlRWHX20 Sep 2026 15:26 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvxj2avyjs2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mvxhkqga5s2rWhen I began writing the music to "Cotarita" it came to me fast and very fluidly. Although I don't know the origin of the name it sounded Latin-y to me, hence the music 'feel'. https://open.spotify.com/track/07NM7EfvKHLKY3bttRGqtx?si=ac8d6ac0379246bf20 Sep 2026 14:59 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvxhkqga5s2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mvsjeutkfs2dClimbing the charts (😉), "Going to the Fair" is next. Fair season is over in many places, but the spirit of traveling there in the methods of old are still alive! https://open.spotify.com/track/2ZlmSTqvEHN5W7D2vxLFxm?si=98ee397114124a2a18 Sep 2026 15:48 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvsjeutkfs2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mvnvqaiaf22dAlthough Emily was born in Ireland, in 1862, she exhibited a deeper sense of American patriotism than those of us that are native born. It's in evidence with her words to "American, We Come at Thy Call". https://open.spotify.com/track/2zCHBtveuzzUnqXpEmA5eP?si=87bfbd0fc8784b9416 Sep 2026 19:46 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvnvqaiaf22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mvl2iuhyik2hContinuing the countdown to #1, "A Tramp Through the Woods" is a timeless autumnal song that resides at #73. The words were probably written in the late 19th or early 20th century. https://open.spotify.com/track/0qRYl78UOb4jJfnIH3i0L9?si=61c6c6ea5ff2487c15 Sep 2026 16:33 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvl2iuhyik2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mvi7jha2ms26Less than a minute long, "The Primrose" is an unabashedly happy song about flowers, highlighting a favorite, of Emily's. https://open.spotify.com/track/7AQj2CmvGr4lPs73C3w9Ve?si=ffb3053397b14b1514 Sep 2026 13:25 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvi7jha2ms26https://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mvgfo5kvos2b"Stafford" is a poem/song written to Emily's son. Simple, yet beautiful. https://open.spotify.com/track/5vnVkJWbRstR1ZagnBeSa0?si=9f155285d72f479413 Sep 2026 20:10 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvgfo5kvos2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mvdm3xrcds2wWhether it be in the city, 'burbs or on the farm, Summer isn't over, yet!!! https://open.spotify.com/track/1hp0BwdXOa9waIsi0ZqvOb?si=f942c67301664d0812 Sep 2026 17:27 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvdm3xrcds2whttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mvatydfsis2hOne of two poems, written by Emily, that are dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. I did my best to preserve the reverence she obviously had with my music. https://open.spotify.com/track/1hx6i7gwbxHpqE7C8RcvbY?si=65ac930920b5438011 Sep 2026 15:10 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvatydfsis2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mv6m5tyrus2jEmily offers up the second part of the Tam Lad trilogy in a poem, which is now also a song. https://open.spotify.com/track/0K1lXRetIR74Yzezihyd63?si=63164be07790431410 Sep 2026 17:45 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv6m5tyrus2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mv3ppvv7dc2w"Wing Wing" draws on comparisons of Queen Victoria to a chicken. It clocks in at well under 2 minutes, so you can easily see what this is all about and not invest a huge amount of time! https://open.spotify.com/track/5odgVp3ySvTr0BDqTOhIvL?si=4091cc1192bd428409 Sep 2026 14:11 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv3ppvv7dc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3muzdgg4dlc2bI received a booklet of poems, from the grandson of Emily Wilhelmina Jersey, and proceeded to write music to each in the order presented. The first was "Tam Lad", an homage to her beloved dog, who incidentally is pictured on the cover of the ensuing album of songs. https://open.spotify.com/track/10vbdIujg5xSlhV0obxGZN?si=d812ca9aba32410408 Sep 2026 15:25 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3muzdgg4dlc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3muwyd5g7bs2rProbably should save this one for a few months, but moving up the list toward #1, I've got to include it here. This one's from winter, long ago. Keep it in mind for when the snow flies! https://open.spotify.com/track/4WY3LvAdgqMKYg7LGQD9hM?si=4ea3938ea19948a207 Sep 2026 17:01 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwyd5g7bs2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/johnnyzawacki.bsky.social/post/3mumsbfoyg22a"How Many More?" was a reaction and condemnation of the current administration's Gestapo. I'm saddened and angered by what this nation has become. https://open.spotify.com/track/2XTURwwwvmwOShkcx36uEk?si=1ef27e064fab42cd03 Sep 2026 15:46 +0000at://did:plc:rf76iokucui5ewrhf7nzl4bg/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumsbfoyg22a