Jana Losey

By Rachel Weight

She’s been creating a lot of buzz on the
East Coast, and now New York musician Jana Losey will be
performing in Santa Barbara as part of her two-month “Cramped Tour”
of the West. She also brings local girl Melanie Peters, co-writer
and the band’s guitarist, back to SB for her first ever hometown
performance. Her debut album, Bittersweet, is a collection
of guitar-based, soulful pop songs that the self-proclaimed “music
school dropout” spent two years creating. Together with Mike
Parker, Charlie Shew and Todd Allen, the band produces music that
Losey says “sounds like Natalie Merchant and Patty Griffin had a
baby, with help from James Taylor.” Voted as a Suggested Artist by
VH1 Song of the Year Awards, Jana Losey also cites Cat Stevens,
Janis Joplin and Ani DiFranco as her musical influences.

Losey hopes to use her music and tour to spread the message
about her passion for the environment and her dreams to one day
establish her own Permaculture community. As part
of that mission, Losey and Peters, who also co-writes many of the
songs, are touring this winter in a gas-hybrid vehicle. She’s not
your typical artist. So check out Jana Losey at Creekside Inn
at 8pm on Thursday, February 1.