I’m not a star, not a star,
I’m the whole solar system…
All systems a Go-Go!
It might be hot outside, but let’s talk The Januaries!
In this Reverse Musical Tree we will explore an alt rock band heavily influenced by 60’s pop, with a little bit of punk and psychedelia thrown in – a band that had a tremendous critically-acclaimed debut album but was never heard from again.
Perhaps not surprising, there is very little known about this band. The band remains shrouded in mystery almost as if they were a shooting star that briefly lit up the night sky, only to disappear forever.
The Januaries were comprised of lead singer Debbie Diament, guitarist/producer Rick Boston, bassist Tobias Kroon, keyboard player John Nau, drummer Petur Smith, and trumpet player Mitch Maker.
The album was released in 2020, titled simply The Januaries. It is a mixture of songs that could best be described as a cross between The Doors and Burt Bacharach with some Debbie Harry tossed in. The one underlying factor? Sex and Love. Lead singer Debbie Diament’s sultry and playful style sets this album aside as a true alt-rock gem.
Let’s take a spin through some of the songs, shall we?
The Girl’s Insane is straight out of a smoke-filled lounge in Paris. Singing to someone who’s love has gone unrequited, it’s a sultry song that musically could have easily come from Burt Bacharach, although I don’t think Burt could have sung those lyrics (I know, scary thought).
The album follows with Love Has Flown, because naturally if The Girl’s Insane not to love you, well then Love Has Flown. With its infectious trumpet hook ala Herb Alpert, how this song didn’t become a hit is beyond me. I first heard this song late one night on the radio, looked up the radio station’s playlist the next day to find out the artist, and purchased The Januaries album the next day.
All Systems A Go-Go is a playful, punk rocker, with Debbie once again playing the sensual vixen with lines such as “30 million people died over a weekend vacation. I was the only one to survive thanks to your mouth to mouth resuscitation”.
Summer Of Love is a 60’s influenced rocker, led off by the brilliant trumpet of Mitch Maker. The true Summer of Love might have been in 1967, but this song brings it right into the new millennium.
U & Me is one of my favorites on the album. Starting out with scratches that you hear when playing an old lp on a turntable, it has a vintage 60’s pop feel to it, only this time it’s the woman who is being scorned by the man. “Well it hurts me that you’d rather be a loner, in your castle you are safe from the fortress of love.” Pretty cool lyrics – perhaps the subject of The Girl’s Insane has learned to be a bit more guarded? We will never know.
The final track on the album is listed as Untitled, but known as Stare At The Sun. If this trippy song had ended up on a Doors album with Jim Morrison singing, it would not have surprised me one bit–even the guitar sounds very Robby Krieger-esque.
Other standout tracks include the opener Juliette and the very sexy Chocolate and Strawberries. Debbie stated that the albums songs were “straight out of the bedroom – you can listen to them while making love or driving an Italian convertible sports car.” Didn’t our parents and elders worn us about the evil of rock and roll music? Good thing they never listened to this album because it puts the Sex in Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll.
So, what ever happened to The Januaries? I came across an article from the LA Times in January 2001, just after their album had been released to critical acclaim. Debbie and band co-leader Rick Boston were being interviewed, and the interviewer was struck by how much they bickered. Debbie wanted the album to be more 60’s, Rick wanted it to sound more like Stan Getz – on and on. The interviewer even questions how long they could stay together, because they clearly did not like one another. It turns out that they would not last for long.
Reports of their live shows were very positive – Debbie had a great stage presence, luring in the audience, while the band shifted between 60’s pop, punk, and lounge type standards. Sounds like a fun show!
Debbie has gone on record, stating that it was her and Rick Boston’s strained relationship that killed the band. According to Debbie, he was more interested in making money than entertaining. Throw in the fact that Rick had a girlfriend but kept trying to date Debbie (who had no interest – maybe The Girl Isn’t Insane after all?) and you have a quick recipe for disaster.Whatever the real reasons were, we are left with a jewel of a record. Over twenty years later it still could be The Best Album Nobody’s Heard. All systems may no longer be go-go, but The Januaries brief shooting star continues to light up the night sky!
I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Musical Tree. Feel free to leave suggestions for future articles in the comments. Don’t forget to subscribe to be notified via email when there is a new post.
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Playlists of the songs featured in this blog can be found below:
