Ah, my twenties: I don’t miss them! Even though this blog is basically a diary of them! But if there’s one song I’ve heard recently that brings it all rushing back, it’s Russell Jamie Johnson’s quiet desperation in “First and Canal.” The song details regret and anxiety in vivid detail, with a backdrop of gentrification and nostalgia underscoring that there is, indeed, no way to go home again.
A jack of all trades, Russell Jamie Johnson not only has established himself as a skilled songwriter and performer but has found success in the acting and stunt performance world (archery and knife-throwing). Currently residing in New York City, where he performs, records, and writes regularly with his band, he most recently worked with Chase Potter and Rupert Stansall (of the acclaimed Ruen Brothers), who produced Johnson’s up long single “First and Canal.”
Johnson discovered his voice as a child. Soon after, Russell picked up the guitar quickly by watching his brother play. He grew up and has been performing from a young age. Just before Russell turned 16, his father was killed in a plane crash, and it became clear music was not just a hobby. Writing music, Russell transformed pain into a source of healing, freedom, and connection. His passion led him to Boston where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music in 2016. During his time there, he performed and worked with music industry luminaries Chuck Leavell, (Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones), John Oates of Hall & Oates, and jazz-pop singer-songwriter Jamie Cullum.
On this newest track, Johnson explains, “The inspiration for First and Canal came from a phone call I had with a buddy of mine from back home in Indiana. He was married and divorced by the time he was 22. His marriage lasted less than 6 months, but the damage that it left behind still persists. He’s now in his 30’s and remarried to a loving and caring partner (who is also now a good friend of mine too) and they are truly happy together. I’ve never seen him more happy in my life. However, he expressed to me that even through this new found happiness, the scars of his past are still there.
The phone call we had was more or less a conversation of the wounds we incurred in our youth and how, although we may not have these people who caused them in our lives anymore or even really think of them, if something reminds you of them, you can be right back there to where your heart was first broken and experience a tinge of that pain once more. For me, this was caused upon seeing two cross streets in my hometown.
This is a lyric driven song that explores specific places and memories of my home, but expresses universal emotions familiar to many of us; getting your heart broken for the first time, thinking that you will never get over it, and eventually realizing that you’re not only okay – but that you have grown and been shaped by these moments that are now memories. The pain was something necessary to mold you into the person that got through it.
First and Canal is a story and emotion I hope everyone can relate to.”
Russell Jamie Johnson — Official, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify