Jan Peters, Naked Hearts, Monday Night Project: Press & Reviews

"Listen to the Naked Hearts! If you love their music as my husband and I do, I cannot recommend anyone better for your wedding day. The band played superbly at our wedding reception, rousing our guests to joyful dancing and infusing the event with a musical backdrop of soulful celebration. Two of the band members, Jan and Majnun, also played for our wedding ceremony. Their music was sensitive and nuanced.  They helped us with the transitions as we encouraged guests to seat themselves, conducted a more somber and beautiful processional, and then walked wedded down the aisle at the end to join our guests for liveliness and fun! Jan Peters communicated with us extensively in the months prior to the wedding, and gave extra of his time, as did other band members, to be sure our song selection was perfect. To my knowledge, the playing went without a hitch that day, and I still have guests telling us how much they enjoyed the band. "

Nora Comeau, now happily married to James Policar

 

 

 

"Jan Peters and The Naked Hearts played our wedding, the ceremony AND the reception--their music and energy transformed the whole experience into a truly memorable celebration.  Our family and friends all remarked about how much they enjoyed the music.  The band members went out of their way to accommodate our requests, which included a drive to Coupeville, Washington and a quarter-mile walk up and down a hill while playing their instruments.  They made themselves available to discuss the event ahead of time, and they were punctual and very professional.  But above all, they played excellent music.  The band's obvious talent provided for a truly magical experience that was more than we could have hoped for.  We highly recommend Jan Peters and The Naked Hearts to any and all."  Hilary and Tom of Bellingham, WA

 

Dear Jan and The Naked Hearts,

A note of thanks for the enjoyable music you provided at Jacob and Caitlin's wedding ceremony and reception.  You learned and performed 'The Empty Chair' and that meant so much to many of us, and took us by surprise.  The memory is a treasure.  Thanks again for helping to create such a special time.

The Thomson Family 
 

Hi Jan,

I wanted to let you know that I listened to 'These Water', and I loved it. It is much more than the little teaser clips could promise. The lyrics are moving, the melodies add the perfect completion. The more I listen to it, the more it grows on me, ever evolving. My favorite tracks depend on my mood at the moment. Thank you again, I can't wait to spin this disk on the air, and share it with my fellow hosts at KSER.
Diana Ewins

JOE CRAVEN:
"Theses Waters" comes across with an upbeat, appealing vibe. Though eclectic, the variety of styles employed also have a project cohesiveness at the same time. Jan Peters has assembled a crackerjack band for his recording. The strong rhythm section - the drummer, bassist, guitarist - all put in fine efforts. Sister Maggie registers a very impressive job on backup vocals; nice to hear her solo as well. Some notables from the disc:

“Behind This Train” is well arranged, played, sung well and relaxed. The song writing has some nice hooks, too.

“Drumming In The Night” has a jazzy/pop vibe which a guy like me enjoys. Jan plays some nice clean, simple and sexy mandolin lines.

“Primera Visita” is wonderfully unexpected in the mix and a nice showcase for Jan's harmonica chops.

“These Waters” has some really nice moments in its drama….and it’s space.
Another nice showcase of soulful harp playing by Jan.

Conceptually, “Market Girl” has this charming Peggy Seeger meets the Grateful Dead salute to old folk ideas in the modern day mix of things.

All in all, a fine self produced recording debut for Jan's writing, arranging, instrumental work and his inimitable wonderful, unmistakable voice that I've known for over 20 years." - Joe Craven

Got your CD in the mail from CD Baby and love it! Behind This Train is AMAZING. I can't stop listening to it (and the Cold Seattle Morning). So many good songs, especially the last song 'These Waters' !

Thank you for your truly spiritually uplifting music :).

Yes, Patience IS a Virtue
by S. Vadinska
There is something to be said for practicing patience
when it comes to presenting your art to the world.
Whether it’s the art that needs to ferment or the artist
who needs to marinate, when one's work is unveiled in
its right time it seems to take on a life of its own. “These
Waters,” the new release by Jan Peters and the Monday
Night Project is one fine example of this.
Jan, a local singer-songwriter and instrumentalist, has
carried around some of the ideas, lyrics, and melodies for
this independent CD for 20 or more years. Perhaps he was waiting for the Monday
Night Project (a gathering of musicians who performed at Boundary Bay, you guessed
it, every Monday night) to polish this energetic mix of world sounds and celebration.
There are so many good things to say about “These Waters.” At first listen, what
stood out for me was Jan’s smooth vocals, the clean production, precise sibling
harmonies (from Jan’s sister, Maggie Kavanagh), interesting and varied rhythms, and
mostly, the way it made my body move. Jan delivers his stories of life and love as if he
were fully conscious of every note and breath, deliberately choosing when and where to
place them within the syncopated mix surrounding him. And, like the messages he
conveys with his lyrics, you can hear his enthusiasm for life, his love for people, and a
solid strength at his core.
Another stand-out was drummer, Julian MacDonough. Though the songs were no
doubt written with their various Celtic, bluegrass, calypso, jazz and eastern European
flavors, Julian’s mastery surely brought the cream to the top.
As far as the songs themselves, I really enjoyed the bluegrass-train-chugging “Call to
All” in which Jan’s voice IS the train whistle calling out in the night. I also liked the
playful, bouncy blues of “Little Lost One” as well as the peppy Klezmer instrumental
piece, “Primera Visita.”
My favorite songs, however, were those that made me sway to a slower, sensual
groove, allowing more space for tasty guitar leads by Brian Cunningham and rich bass
sounds from Jimmy Lindquist and Tom Anastasio. In my opinion, the best of these is
the last song and title track, “These Waters.” It is jazzy and soulful as well as a
comforting reminder that… "Every shade of blue is a place to heal / Every shade of blue
is a region of your heart and an entrance for your soul...."
I would highly recommend this CD to anyone who appreciates artists who rise to the
call of their work.
Help Jan and the Monday Night Project musicians celebrate the release of their new
CD at the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center on Friday, February 20 at 8pm.
Admission is $8 (children under 12 are free). To hear a sample from the CD go to
www.janpetersmusic.org.
S. Vadinska is a local singer-songwriter who teaches guitar and writes for the joy of it.

Jan Peters & The Monday Night Project – ‘These Waters’

Well now, it’s time for some life-affirming sounds all the way from the US of A, Bellingham, WA to be precise. Jan Peters has been playing music and cheering audiences for over 25 years with some pretty lovely creations. So go get your rocking chair, put it on your decked veranda – or maybe you’d prefer a hammock, gently swinging between the trees in this lovely spring sunshine, with the butterflies fluttering by. Take your pick, tune in to this channel when you’re ready.

‘Cold Seattle Morning’ is as sweet as a honey-covered crumpet, with a cinnamon toast aftertaste. It’s got some really pretty guitar picking too, it’s toe-tapping bliss, really… “I didn’t sleep last night” – well it’s worth staying up to listen to this in the early hours, it’s mellow and has a golden ambiance. ‘Call to All’ pushes away like a steam train, with a definite eco-awareness attached – so that would make that a bio-ethanol train then. It’s got that feel-good factor, like you’re doing something good for the planet just by playing the CD, so you can stop feeling guilty about those carbon emissions. Phew. Ohoooh, and I do like ‘Shaking Away’ – featuring such truisms as: “Now is the time for everyone to see/that everyone is related to a refugee. Anything that happens to one of us, happens to us all.” Yes! Get that Jim Davidson, and any NF types – go figure, that includes you. It’s all down to karma at the end of the day. Such a strong statement sung so sweetly, but would be equally good blown up on a poster, somewhere near Parliament.

Everything swings most pleasantly through ‘Drumming In The Night’ and ‘Little Lost One’, then BAM! It’s “Hasta La Vista baby” to numb sculls with ‘Primera Vista’ (the vista concerned could well be the U.S. government program established in 1964 to provide volunteers to work at improving the living conditions of persons in impoverished areas of the U.S., its possessions, and Puerto Rico.) But then again I could be wrong. ‘These Waters’, the title track, polishes things off to a buffed shining finish. What more can I say – for music that touches the soul, for any life moment that requires a certain amount of soul-searching or Deep Thought, this would be the perfect accompaniment.

Cos we’re all on the same side when the mushroom hits the sky, aren’t we?

Score: Nine out of Ten. Music for the soul, for those that haven’t sold theirs just yet.

Anya Victoria Hastwell for Hard Wired, UK

Soulful, heartfelt, beautifully executed!
author: CC

A mix of jazzy, folky, bluesy, original songs about life, love, and the energy beyond. Beautiful vocal tone and phrasing, soulful guitar solos, this is a harmonious blend with intention in every note. Clean recording, good sound, great mixes and mastering. Highly recommended!

Bear Dyken wrote:dearest jansworthy...i have been listening to your cd...it's on the top of my playlist...i like the groovy one with the big electric sound, 'behind this train....' i am impressed with your song writing...i can see you outside that laundro mat in the morning "even though your voice is shot"...this cd is a victory!....love to you my brother
yes! and the harmonicas!!!....really loved the harmonica stuff especially that eastern european sounding one i mentioned before...at first i thought it was an accordian....so who is on guit?

Jan -- your new CD is great. What an energizing piece of work. Love it. I hope lots of folks download it too. A worthy addition to any music library.

I bought the CD off of Digstation! It is awesome. All the different sounds of all the songs. I will be listening to it over and over again. Beautiful voices... fascinating melodies and lyrics that tell stories! I LOVE IT! I Love you, Jan. Jessica Brown