Joy of Music
The
Local singer/songwriter Janelle Loes shares her life through song By Laura Latzko For North Phoenix-based singer/songwriter Janelle Loes, the joy of music starts with crafting a song, lyric by lyric and note by note. Being able to speak with audiences about her experiences and connect with them on a more personal level drives her to keep writing and performing. She will return to Anthem to perform on Saturday, March 14, at the Anthem Community Council’s Java and Jammin’, a Second Saturday music series, and on Saturday, March 28, at Amped Coffee Company. Loes won the 2010 Chicks with Picks female songwriter competition and the 2016 Tucson Folk Festival songwriting competition; was a finalist in Alice Cooper’s Proof is in the Pudding competition; and was in the top 10 in the 2017 Rocky Mountain Music Festival’s songwriting competition. She was featured at the 2010 Anthem Christmas tree-lighting ceremony. Loes performs at venues throughout the Valley, including the Queen Creek Olive Mill, Garage-East, Fuego Bistro, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, the Desert Botanical Garden, Orpheum Theatre, Crescent Ballroom, Grapeables Wine Bar and Last Exit Live. Playing in different spaces has allowed her to build a following in and get her music out to different crowds. She started playing open mic nights at age 12 and formal shows at age 16. A Scottsdale native, the local musician spans different genres, performing jazz, pop and adult contemporary music. She was interested in music from the time she was a child, starting with the piano and
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Janelle Loes started performing for the public at age 12. (Photo by Kaelyn Loes)
then guitar and violin in elementary school. She says the guitar has always been her favorite instrument because of her passion for songwriting. “I love guitar because it is such a great vessel for songwriting,” Loes says. She comes from a musical family. Her two sisters, Jaspar Lepak and Gina Loes, are also musicians. She is self-taught, but she was inspired by and learned from her sisters. “It was amazing having sisters that played, too, and could help,” Loes says. Growing up, she listened to ’70s artists such as Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell, as well as contemporary artists such as Anna Nalick, Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple. Ani DiFranco and Rachael Yamagata inspired her to play guitar and write, respectively. “That kind of songwriting that’s really just super vulnerable, I love songwriters like that. It just made me want to write music,” Loes says. During live performances, she often plays a mixture of covers and original music. She performs cover songs from a range of bands and artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Al-
len Stone, James Bay, The Beatles, The Outfield, The Beach Boys and Adele. “It’s fun to play songs t hat pe ople recognize and surprise people by playing songs from d i f ferent decades. There are so many great songwriters out there. It’s fun to play a little bit of everything,” Loes says. Through her own music, she is able to express herself in a more personal way. “I love getting to be vulnerable, and I think the special thing about songwriting is you get to say exactly what you want to say, even if you don’t get to say it in the moment. With songwriting, it’s really amazing to be able to share really personal experiences and then have somebody hear that song and connect it to their own life,” Loes says.
Janelle Loes When: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 14 Where: Anthem Civil Building Terrace, 3701 W. Anthem Way, Anthem Info: 623-742-6050, onlineatanthem.com/events When: 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 28 Where: Amped Coffee Company, 3434 W. Anthem Way, Anthem Info: 480-462-6733, ampedcoffeeco.com
