Dean Johanesen

DEAN JOHANESEN
Circus Swing & American Roots Music
Originally from Long Island, NY, currently residing in Ellenton, FL, Dean is a songwriter and guitarist inspired by historical fiction, speakeasy era Americana and the sounds of Hot Club Jazz (Django Reinhardt), Western Swing (Bob Wills, Lyle Lovett, etc) and American Roots Music.

Johanesen’s 3rd solo record titled “Cautionary Tales” is now available on the website and on all streaming platforms.

FULL Biography

With a sonic palette that dips into speakeasy-era Americana, and swingin' Hot Club jazz doused in circus tent hues, New York-native Dean Johanesen has made his home in many parts of the United States.

Johanesen's mother delivered motor homes when he was young and the family traveled around listening to a wide range of artists. Hearing everything from Led Zeppelin to Simon and Garfunkel, classic country to Broadway Musicals. This eclectic collection provided a soundtrack to Johanesen's youth and has had an effect on Dean's interests musically.

In 2013, Johanesen released his first solo record focused on the storyteller songwriting format. Meanwhile, a recent passion for Hot Club jazz music in the vein of Django Reinhardt put Johanesen on a musical path of telling new stories of old times. Non-fictional characters from the '20s and '30s – circus performers, the sideshow, prohibition, the war of currents (Tesla vs. Edison) all inform Johanesen's writing.

These stories are projected against a backdrop of uptempo jazz in a style Dean has coined "Circus Swing."