Penn Johnson

Penn Johnson finds songs everywhere he looks and has a gift for capturing essences and vibrations, delivering them as poetic prose with a soothing but powerful resonance. His debut single, “Burn a Little Sage” was a semi-finalist in the worldwide 2018 Music City Star Song Competition and his healing words and experiences have touched the souls of people in all corners of the world. Penn sees his music as mantras to himself — reminders to stay connected to the earth and to walk with spirit through life. He hopes his songs can be heard by the people who’ve helped him write them, (whether they know it consciously or not).

Ever since he hit the road in 2015, Penn has rarely stopped moving for longer than a few months – the road is his home, his first love, and the place he feels most free. Penn views traveling not as a chore, but as a privilege and opportunity to learn and experience. Many of his songs are inspired by people he meets only once who have lifelong impacts on his perception.

Penn feels just as comfortable strumming around a campfire for a few people as he does playing on stage to several thousand. For him, it’s not the amount of people who are present – it’s about sharing a story and hoping it inspires someone else to make a change, follow a passion, and live with a little more ‘calculated recklessness,’ to quote a friend.

“The highlights of my career aren’t accolades or attention or playing for big crowds. It’s the guy who comes up to me at a festival campfire and says, ‘dude you inspired me to pick up my guitar and write a song for the first time in 10 years.’ That shit means everything to me because I know how healing music is for me personally and for others to experience that…it’s just the most beautiful thing I can think of, really.”

A Massachusetts native, Penn has traveled many miles and performed at festivals alongside artists of nearly every genre. Trevor Hall, Mike Love, Bumpin’ Uglies, Joey Harkum, Christina Holmes, Feral the Earthwurm, The Elovaters, Nathan Feinstein (Iya Terra), Sessions Americana, Justin Biltonen (3 Doors Down), and Daniel Waples, to name a few.

Creation is a way of life for Penn, who published his first memoir about his time studying environmental action and sustainability in Australia, “Trail Mix & Goon: Adventures Abroad in Oz,” at age 26. He looks forward to publishing two subsequently written novels and several series of short stories and poems.

Penn is partly supported by a community called The Barbaloots, which was created with the intention and purpose of being an accessible monthly membership for those who support his medicine music.

Penn offers intimate Campfire Concerts in addition to playing venues, yoga studios, and festivals of all sizes.