iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 2h

Many of you already know that I wrote "When I Needed Someone" with a dear friend, Sandra McIntosh, based on a poem she had written given to me following her death. We lost a beautiful, gentle spirit when she passed. open.spotify.com/track/1r6roO...

open.spotify.com

When I Needed Someone

Johnny Z · String Theory · Song · 2022

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 21h

"Before the End" has been added to this very expansive hard rock Spotify playlist. It's at the 248 slot, so there's a lot to listen to before you get to my song! open.spotify.com/playlist/4Fu...

open.spotify.com

DOUG ROCKS HARD ROCK, PROG ROCK, METAL, & ALT ROCK PLAYLIST

From 60's, 70's Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Rush, to 80's, 90's , AC/DC, Metallica, Iron Maiden, The Cult, Soundgarden, Tool to 2000's curren...

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

When Terry Kirby & I performed together, we wrote one song together. Also, for "Once We Were There", words were jotted down, but nothing materialized. I revisited them, refining and adding to them lyrically, then put it to music. open.spotify.com/track/3wvx8O...

open.spotify.com

Once We Were There

Johnny Z · String Theory · Song · 2022

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

"That's What I'm Talking About" reveals a little of Paul McCartney's influence in my writing. Somewhat tongue in cheek, the entire scenario is a fabrication. open.spotify.com/track/7GkeSJ...

open.spotify.com

That's What I'm Talking About

Johnny Z · String Theory · Song · 2022

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The countdown has reached #57 and those songs that have reached the Spotify royalty threshold. "Danger Zone" is a bit bluesy and built around diminished chords. Liked the tonal blend and felt it lent itself well to the genre. open.spotify.com/track/3apBhf...

open.spotify.com

Danger Zone

Johnny Z · String Theory · Song · 2022

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The curator of the New Noise From The Shadows playlist said, "We absolutely loved the intricate and distinctive sound of 'Before the End' — its personal character makes it a great fit for our playlist". I much appreciate the kind words! open.spotify.com/playlist/6hi...

open.spotify.com

New Noise from the Shadows – Alternative & Dark Rock

Some have already stepped into the light. Others are still waiting in the shadows. Young blood, strange sounds, and a shared vein of dark, weird energy.

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"Evening Song" is a tune I wrote with Terry Kirby and promptly gave to Ron Patterson to sing, in Johnny Z and the Spotlights. I never thought about me trying the lead vocals until the recording of Toaster. open.spotify.com/track/1YTVZg...

open.spotify.com

Evening Song

Johnny Z · Toaster · Song · 2023

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"Southern Seas" was initially written with a much livelier island feel. When I sat down to record this version, I was looking for a softer, more wistful and contemplative piece. I'll include the original version in the comments. open.spotify.com/track/4Tbuvd...

open.spotify.com

Southern Seas

Johnny Z · Toaster · Song · 2023

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"The River Bends to the Sea" is a more traditional folk-styled sea shanty, laced with nautical references. open.spotify.com/track/27VIQH...

open.spotify.com

The River Bends to the Sea

Johnny Z · Toaster · Song · 2023

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"Seems I'm On That Road Again" was only the third song I had written, but I felt I was finally getting a handle on the singer-songwriter thing. It was roughly emulating Willie Nelson, which is not too bad of a model to follow, and listeners even seemed to like it! open.spotify.com/track/0UOSyk...

open.spotify.com

Seems I'm on That Road Again

Johnny Z · Toaster · Song · 2023

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Moving up my list, "Goodbye Lorrine, Goodbye" is a bluesy tune that Tom Loewe and I wrote, face-to-face, sitting on the floor, in his apartment at Knob Hill, in Ann Arbor. open.spotify.com/track/2FyWnG...

open.spotify.com

Goodbye Lorrine, Goodbye

Johnny Z · Toaster · Song · 2023

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I wrote "A Little Confused" while I was a school bus driver, for Ann Arbor Public Schools. It came to me while driving and I jotted notes between stops and finished at home that very day! It's very quirky, fun tune. open.spotify.com/track/4bbLgF...

open.spotify.com

A Little Confused

Johnny Z · Toaster · Song · 2023

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

"Before the End" was just added to the SUGAR & GASOLINE (ELECTRONIC + HEAVY) Spotify playlist. Looking for a place that has a heavier hitting edge to it? Check this one out! open.spotify.com/playlist/6iB...

open.spotify.com

SUGAR & GASOLINE (ELECTRONIC + HEAVY)

A dash of dance, a dash of heavy, and a dash of who the hell knows. Artists, message iamneuroboy@gmail.com to be considered. No AI music. Seriously.

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"That's Enough" was just added to this Spotify playlist! There are some really cool tunes, along the Kurt Cobain line, who is represented a few times (this one of mine is a bit like that). open.spotify.com/playlist/0WS...

open.spotify.com

Feel the Fear and Poison

Playlist · 1167568740 · 40 items · 28 saves

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"Gotta Get Away 1" or as it was erroneously distributed as "Gotta Get Away, 1" (the comma was some kind of autocorrect that I missed), was very similar in R&B spirit to "J&B Boogie", which is was based on. Maybe someday I'll leak the latter. open.spotify.com/track/5aSIF8...

open.spotify.com

Gotta Get Away, 1

Johnny Z · Toaster · Song · 2023

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Just one more song, from the purely folk album, Verses, is "Month of May". This is the second reverent homage to Mary, by Emily. open.spotify.com/track/1FGFxH...

open.spotify.com

Month of May

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

When I wrote the music to "Gretchen", I knew that it was the perfect blend of melody and chord progression. In fact, the chords fully influenced the melody path. open.spotify.com/track/20g3PC...

open.spotify.com

Gretchen

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#67 on the climb to #1, "Abbreviate It!" draws upon the flavor of reggae. It was written in the winter of 1983 and summer of '84 and set aside. I finalized it in 2023 and included it on Toaster. open.spotify.com/track/6ccpMs...

open.spotify.com

Abbreviate It!

Johnny Z · Toaster · Song · 2023

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

"Just Desserts" has been added to 3 SubmitMusic playlists. The most recent is New Artists - Afrobeats, but also to this one, New Artists - World Music. open.spotify.com/playlist/6xL...

open.spotify.com

New Artists - World Music

Independent world music artists — Afrobeat, Celtic, Latin jazz, Caribbean and global sounds. Submit your music at www.submitmusic.ca

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

When I began writing the music to "Cotarita" it came to me fast and very fluidly. Although I don't know the origin of the name it sounded Latin-y to me, hence the music 'feel'. open.spotify.com/track/07NM7E...

open.spotify.com

Cotarita

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Climbing the charts (😉), "Going to the Fair" is next. Fair season is over in many places, but the spirit of traveling there in the methods of old are still alive! open.spotify.com/track/2ZlmST...

open.spotify.com

Going to the Fair

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Although Emily was born in Ireland, in 1862, she exhibited a deeper sense of American patriotism than those of us that are native born. It's in evidence with her words to "American, We Come at Thy Call". open.spotify.com/track/2zCHBt...

open.spotify.com

America We Come at Thy Call

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Continuing the countdown to #1, "A Tramp Through the Woods" is a timeless autumnal song that resides at #73. The words were probably written in the late 19th or early 20th century. open.spotify.com/track/0qRYl7...

open.spotify.com

A Tramp Through the Woods

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Less than a minute long, "The Primrose" is an unabashedly happy song about flowers, highlighting a favorite, of Emily's. open.spotify.com/track/7AQj2C...

open.spotify.com

The Primrose

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

"Stafford" is a poem/song written to Emily's son. Simple, yet beautiful. open.spotify.com/track/5vnVkJ...

open.spotify.com

Stafford

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Whether it be in the city, 'burbs or on the farm, Summer isn't over, yet!!! open.spotify.com/track/1hp0Bw...

open.spotify.com

A Summer's Night on the Farm

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

One of two poems, written by Emily, that are dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. I did my best to preserve the reverence she obviously had with my music. open.spotify.com/track/1hx6i7...

open.spotify.com

Mother of Love

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Emily offers up the second part of the Tam Lad trilogy in a poem, which is now also a song. open.spotify.com/track/0K1lXR...

open.spotify.com

Part of Sequel to Tam Lad

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

"Wing Wing" draws on comparisons of Queen Victoria to a chicken. It clocks in at well under 2 minutes, so you can easily see what this is all about and not invest a huge amount of time! open.spotify.com/track/5odgVp...

open.spotify.com

Wing Wing

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I received a booklet of poems, from the grandson of Emily Wilhelmina Jersey, and proceeded to write music to each in the order presented. The first was "Tam Lad", an homage to her beloved dog, who incidentally is pictured on the cover of the ensuing album of songs. open.spotify.com/track/10vbdI...

open.spotify.com

Tam Lad

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Probably should save this one for a few months, but moving up the list toward #1, I've got to include it here. This one's from winter, long ago. Keep it in mind for when the snow flies! open.spotify.com/track/4WY3Lv...

open.spotify.com

Snow Storm on the Farm

Johnny Z · Verses · Song · 2024

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"How Many More?" was a reaction and condemnation of the current administration's Gestapo. I'm saddened and angered by what this nation has become. open.spotify.com/track/2XTURw...

open.spotify.com

How Many More?

Johnny Z · How Many More? · Song · 2026

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The Ponte dei Sospiri connects the Doge's Palace interrogation rooms to the New Prison over the Rio di Palazzo canal. The romanticized name that prisoners would sigh as they caught their final glimpse of Venice through the bridge's small, barred windows. open.spotify.com/track/7xMSD1...

open.spotify.com

The Bridge of Sighs

Johnny Z · Making Contact · Song · 2025

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

"As Darkness Falls (Music Video Version)" has just been added to the Album Oriented Rock is Alive playlist! If you're looking for some deep cuts, this is your spot to visit. open.spotify.com/playlist/69l...

open.spotify.com

Album Oriented Rock is Alive

Playlist · themoderns · 74 items · 285 saves

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Continuing on my least to most streamed songs, "Just Desserts (Instrumental Version)" is the next one on my list! It includes a couple of Turkish instruments not normally found in my tunes, including a Spice Saz and a Calm Riq. open.spotify.com/track/2nH211...

open.spotify.com

Just Desserts (Instrumental Version)

Johnny Z · Making Contact · Song · 2025

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

"Iliki" was a song where the music came first and it was the 'feel' that led me to the Polynesian term, for 'spray of the sea'. I learned of its meaning. within a glossary, from a Michener novel that I happened to have read many years ago. open.spotify.com/track/00fNOV...

open.spotify.com

Iliki

Johnny Z · Making Contact · Song · 2025

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I don't release many cover tunes, but I did a test video which I used as a basis for Graham Nash's "Just a Song Before I Go". open.spotify.com/track/4xf1Xx...

open.spotify.com

Just a Song Before I Go

Johnny Z · Making Contact · Song · 2025

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

When I recorded this version of the Ukraine National Anthem, I had no idea that Putin's unprovoked war would still be waging for over four years and counting. But that's what can happen with unchecked authoritarianism. Perhaps the Iran National Anthem is in order. open.spotify.com/track/4lzzi5...

open.spotify.com

Ukraine National Anthem (English Version)

Johnny Z · Ukraine National Anthem (English Version) · Song · 2025

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

"Sittin' on the Train" are thoughts of riding the Boston Subway Red Line to work and later became a staple of Johnny Z and the Spotlights' live shows. I actually built this new release around the studio recording that was never completed. open.spotify.com/track/3UVEKP...

open.spotify.com

Sittin' on the Train

Johnny Z · Making Contact · Song · 2025

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I once lived on Big Portage Lake, in Jackson County, Michigan. It was there Tom Loewe visited me there and we wrote most of the words to "Fix de Roads". I never got around to finishing the lyrics & adding music until 2024, & releasing it on Making Contact, in 2025. open.spotify.com/track/2ZS6xg...

open.spotify.com

Fix de Roads

Johnny Z · Making Contact · Song · 2025

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

I've 95 songs that I've released as Johnny Z, which doesn't include songs I've written and released with Loggerhead and Johnny Z and the Spotlights. At the bottom of my charts, though not doing too badly, is "You're on Your Own". open.spotify.com/track/3nJWeh...

open.spotify.com

You're on Your Own

Johnny Z · Making Contact · Song · 2025

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

"The Primrose", a song simply about a flower, is only one second longer than my shortest song, "Blue Drink". Here's the video, which packs into it a lot of visuals by the masters. youtu.be/jc8D4xbodzI?...

youtu.be

"The Primrose" by Johnny Z (official music video)

YouTube video by Johnny Zawacki

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I referenced "Blue Drink", in my previous post. It just so happens that it's my shortest song, clocking in at a mere 53 seconds. Coupling it with "Hey Daddy . . .", it would break the minute mark by only one second! open.spotify.com/track/3c7FRO...

open.spotify.com

Blue Drink

Johnny Z · Skiffle · Song · 2001

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Only recently has Spotify been keeping track of this 8 second wonder. 😉 "Hey Daddy . . ." is meant as an intro to "Blue Drink". By the way, that's an exchange between Kimberly and Sarah when they were quite young. I just happened to be rolling tape, at the moment. open.spotify.com/track/7m8bAq...

open.spotify.com

Hey Daddy . . .

Johnny Z · Skiffle · Song · 2001

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

"The Bridge of Sighs" is the second song of mine to be added to this playlist. I'm flattered to have it join "That's Enough" and reach listeners outside my usual sphere! open.spotify.com/playlist/4nN...

open.spotify.com

Ruby's Voices Of Strength Featuring Kat Button

Playlist · rubyross · 104 items · 58 saves

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

"Iliki", a song from my most recent Making Contact album, has been added to the Ambient World Fusion & Healing Électronique playlist. Listen to it here along with some other great tunes! open.spotify.com/playlist/0eA...

open.spotify.com

🕊️Ambient Atmosphérique ⚛️World Fusion ✨Méditatif Électronique

Playlist · 🎵Les Chants du Silence🎵 · 107 items · 82 saves

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

It's been a while since a song of mine, well "Just a Song Before I Go", from Making Contact, is actually a cover, has been added to a playlist. People are listening! open.spotify.com/playlist/7wm...

open.spotify.com

Stories and Emotions in Acoustic

Playlist · Giofly · 101 items · 74 saves

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Johnny Z @johnnyzawacki.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

"Gotta Get Away" is my best performing music video, when not considering those with a political bent, and tops my most streamed songs. youtu.be/KvJUjNoNKGM?...

youtu.be

"Gotta Get Away" by Johnny Z (official music video)

YouTube video by Johnny Zawacki

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