The Hollands!

“We’re community builders. That’s our heart. When you come to our concert, we’re going to invite you to sing along. We’re going to bring out instruments. It’s just about sharing that moment of unity.” ~ Jana Holland - The Bend Bulletin

It's an intriguing mix of lives and sounds, for sure. Midwest girl and her roots/folk sound joins Aussie musician who rocked with one of the better-known Irish/world punk bands around.

Add in a few contributions from two musical children, and the result is the Celtic-tinged folk of The Hollands! - Christopher Clough column; Door County Advocate

"ashes to beauty"
Release Date March 12, 2011

"Ashes to Beauty is a fresh tale of personal challenges and celebrations. It’s full of simple, acoustic folk jams with a variety of instruments sharing the spotlight, falling somewhere in between The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, and Flatfoot 56." ~Josh Hedlund, IndieVisionMusic

- Josh Hedlund, IndieVisionMusic

Holland's recent E.P debut, 'ONE' is a stunningly powerful document of a thoughtful songwriter and hauntingly expressive singer tackling life's biggest issues with pure honesty. Personal in tone, yet universal in reach, Jana's songs are full of depth, character and an underlying sense of peace.

Jana's style is melodic, folk rock. Her deep minor tones and angelic voice offer solace to any who listen.

Click on Video to See Jana perform on Tuesday's NBC26 Later Today.

http://www.nbc26.com/today/15766827.html - Mike Conroy

Jana Holland might be the friendliest person you'll ever meet.
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And not just in a "Can I offer you a cup of tea?" kind of way — though that offer was extended as I sat down with Jana and her husband, Craig, at their Green Bay home last week.

The couple's enthusiasm for the area's ever-expanding artistic community is evident within the first five minutes of meeting them. Yet instead of focusing solely on the new music they're making as The Hollands, Jana isn't comfortable unless she's connecting with people in meaningful ways. It's why when she first moved to the area from Sturgeon Bay, she jumped online and began searching for artistic-types within a 5-mile radius of her home.

"It sounds so silly, but dude, I'm a mom at home. I can't head out and find friends!" Jana said.

The move paid off — again, not in a career-minded way — but rather, with the pure intentions of making a few connecting points and seeing if a scene, however small, could develop.

That, in essence, is what makes The Hollands interesting as not only a band, but as people.

Craig, a native of Melbourne, Australia, began his music career playing punk and hardcore, including a stint in Ballydowse, a Chicago-based Celtic punk band recorded by famed indie producer, Steve Albini. Jana is a spiritual songstress who performed under her own name for eight years and picked up a guitar with no intention of strumming in public.

So while it doesn't feel like a big deal to suddenly be branded "The Hollands," after years of trying to figure out where Craig fit in the folksier end of Jana's singer-songwriter spectrum, the couple is experiencing a musical awakening of sorts.

"I think the natural aggression of my playing style still comes out," Craig said. "And I'm OK with that now. I'm not trying to fit into her scene. This is who we are."

It also helps that Jana doesn't want Craig's guitar to sound like something it's not.

Though she wasn't raised on folk music, Jana said she gets lumped into that category because of her storytelling style. Truth is, she'd incorporate everything from gospel to old Dutch hymns to — believe it or not — techno if she could.

"If I could figure out how to use a 303 machine and not make it sound like just bubblegum …" Jana said wistfully. "Maybe someone will give us phat beats someday. I'd totally do it."

Having a sense of humor about their music is one of the reasons conversation with the Hollands flows so effortlessly.

With their first CD coming out Saturday — Jana pressed 200 copies of a solo EP two years ago — both plan to hit the road with renewed vigor and "good vibes" in the months ahead. It'll be an uncharacteristic path, however — a platform of non-traditional venues like the Green Bay Botanical Garden, Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery in Stangelville and Third Avenue Playhouse in Sturgeon Bay with the occasional smoky bar tossed in.

Craig admits to not knowing any better when it comes to functioning as a part-time musician with a day job — which is why daughter Graciana and son Banjo are likely to join them on stage and on the road, or why in a music world that's so pretentious, Jana feels like they're the real article.

"We do laundry before shows. We walk in with our kids," she said. "We just can't be all that … cool."

Yet there is something cool about how Jana's desire for face-to-face outreach has spurred two important projects that have come to define the couple's uniqueness.

Three years ago, the Hollands started a grassroots movement among local artists who were looking to bypass restrictions put forth by galleries. Going back to Jana's desire to find friends, word of mouth spread about the couple hosting its own art/music show and — voila! — a network of like-minded strangers was born.

In February, the pair hosted 160 people as 12 artists displayed their work and eight singer/songwriters performed at their home — the Hollands' own mini music festival, if you will. Yet for a couple that's largely been content doing its own thing, Jana admitted that her goal has always been to record a full album.

That's when the friend impulse struck again, leading her to the Internet and a Pepin-based group called Patchouli. A simple request to perform together turned into a mutual respect for one another's music, and eventually, an offer to record at a house overlooking the Mississippi River over Valentine's Day weekend.

A finished copy of "To Holland, With Love," on their dining room table, Jana and Craig are amazed at how organic the process has been. Then again, there's a lot to be said about being friendly.

"We're just trying to figure this whole music world out," Jana said. "Really, though, I just want to keep making friends."

CD release gig

The Hollands will play a CD release show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Cup O' Joy, 232 S. Broadway, Green Bay. Other upcoming shows include the Jam For Justice at UWGB (7 p.m. May 8) and gigs at Stumpjack Coffee Co. in Two Rivers (7 p.m. May 15) and the Green Bay Botanical Garden (5:30 p.m. June 5). For more info, visit www.thehollands.org. - Green Bay Press Gazette

By TJ
May 8, 2009
Many years ago I walked in to Ralph's Antiques down on Main St. The nostalgia was the particular draw for me and the sense that every item has a story and a sort of energy, which made for a vibe that was interesting and unsettling at the same time. Between some old trinkets I found a wooden music box, immediately I wound it up and opened it. The eerie resolving melody that hit my ears I could only describe as beautifully enigmatic. That music box still sits on my dresser and probably will remain there for as long as I can imagine. The music that The Hollands make brings me right back to that feeling.

The Hollands are an Art/Folk trio from Green Bay. Tonight they performed at the Cup O Joy downtown on Broadway and celebrated their first album CD release "To Holland With Love." Playing for a large audience, the light in The Cup was real low, the floor was set up with tables and candle light. It was an extremely intimate setting that definitely complemented the atmosphere and music. Jana's vocals are so delicate and beautiful, she sets a spiritual mood and embraces your mind with her poetic yet ground level lyrics. At times Jana's sound can be rustic when she combines the strumming of the banjo or mandolin, but the majority of her strings are shared with her acoustic guitar. I found Jana Holland's performance flawless and entrancing.

Craig Holland is the unsung hero of The Hollands and is the element of the unique sound that pulls this music in a different direction than traditional folk. When Craig is playing the Taylor acoustic, the rhythms are almost Celtic by nature but on the Les Paul electric it is an entirely different story. Craig draws from more subdued elements of the hardcore and slowcore subgenres of punk, while keeping the decibels at bay, distorted, or clean.

Graciana Holland handles the backing vocals and plays the glockenspiel and her notes, tone, and talent is celestial. Who would have thought a little eclectic core edge on the electric guitar, and the seraphic sounds of Graciana's vocals and glockenspiel could blend seamlessly with Jana's folk melodies? The Hollands did, and the sound and experience was ethereal and a little enigmatic.

Tonight they only played songs off their new album "To Holland With Love" and it is available via internet download and in the now old school CD format for a modest cost. While hanging out with Jana and Craig for a bit they talked about some of there latest breakthroughs in their songwriting and their involvement in the local art community.

The Hollands are constantly changing and being influenced by other music/art and while Jana and Craig both pull from opposite ends of the musical spectrum, the final product they brought to the show tonight was original and amazing. "To Holland with Love" is definitely an album you can loose yourself in with its imaginative compositions and entrancing vocals, it will lift you away much like a balloon on a breeze. - GBNightlife.com

I am listening to the first CD by the Hollands, recorded together as Craig and Jana, looking forward to their return to Door County tomorrow evening at Third Avenue Playhouse. Having moved to Green Bay in 2006, Jana’s homecomings are always a special event.

Craig Holland is a native of Melbourne, Australia. He began his music career playing punk and hardcore, including a 7-year stint with Ballydowse, a Chicago-based Celtic punk band. He and Jana spent the first year and a half of their marriage living in Australia before moving to Sturgeon Bay in 2001.

“We lived and participated in the Sturgeon Bay community from 2001 until 2006,” she explains. “While there, our musical career blossomed. It is where we ‘cut our teeth’ so to speak” - Jana Holland first performed on an actual stage at TAP. “I did three of my original songs for a local songwriter night with Ben Larsen and Dean Langby”
The Hollands!

The Hollands! "To Holland, With Love"

They return Saturday to celebrate the release of their new CD, which showcases Jana’s singing a collection of 13 all-original works. Two of my favorite cuts feature her sparse and haunting banjo, resonating in and out of “Winter on the Bay” and “The Shack.” “Shadows” is another beautiful, minimalistic poem, built around Craig’s tasteful guitar accompaniment. One of the last songs, a prayer called “That Fateful Shore” is one that will stick with you. The Hollands have recorded a classic folk-rooted collection that grows on you with each replaying, simple and yet profound.

See and enjoy the music of The Hollands! at Third Avenue Playhouse at 7:30 pm on Saturday, June 20.

Credits:
Jana Holland, Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, & the random banging of the Drum
Craig Holland, mad strumming on the Taylor and the Les Paul
Graciana Holland, on special occasions, Backing Vocals and Glockenspiel

Links:
http://www.thehollands.org
http://www.myspace.com/janaholland - Door County Style Magazine by Stephen Kastner

Local women are doing awesome things in our community.

Jana Holland lives to spread her love of the arts to those around her. Holland reveals her personal experiences through the lyrics in her folk rock style music; she shares her singing and song writing talents to listeners across the country.

Holland and her husband, Craig, are both professional musicians. Holland says, “We love to get involved in the community.”
Likely places to find the musical pair in Green Bay include Beans and Books Coffee House, Kavarna and The Attic Books and Coffee.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/99999999/GPG0101/90217028/0/GPG0902 - Green Bay Press Gazette

Hometown: In true troubadour fashion, Holland was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., but has lived in Indiana, Chicago, Atlanta, Denmark, Australia and Door County. Though her current home base is Green Bay, she considers Sturgeon Bay her true hometown because, “It is the place where my most defined and in-depth relationships were made,” Holland says. “I always feel at home when I go back to Door County. It’s like my favorite pair of jeans. It just fits.”

First a little background: “I have been given a rich heritage of song and spirit,” Holland says. Every Saturday for her first 15 years, she would join her grandmother at a nursing home in Muskegon, Mich., to sing hymns. As a teen, she was introduced to the world of performance and recording by touring with Judy Price, who is not only Holland’s mother but also a mentor and gifted vocalist, she says.

Through those experiences, Holland developed a deep desire to connect with others through song and began to write after having her daughter in 1996. Holland’s first “official” gig was in 2003 at the Third Avenue Playhouse in Sturgeon Bay.

“In my writings I share my life journey, offering an emotional, intellectual and spiritual response to deeply moving issues,” Holland says.

Holland says she promotes a holistic approach to her art form and often collaborates with visual artists. In 2006, her song “Tribute to Grace” was a foundation of a collaborative piece produced by Women Create, which is made up of nine artists based in northeast Wisconsin.

“The thing I enjoy most about my profession is the connection it offers with others,” Holland says. “The creative process can bring peace, unity and help to build good friendships. I hope when people hear my work, they are challenged to think, be moved to some sort of action and most importantly are encouraged and inspired.”

You will like my music if you also like: Holland has been compared to Natalie Merchant, Joni Mitchell, Mazzy Star and Nancy Griffith. Her favorite songwriter is Johnny Cash. “I think his lyrics were clever and honest,” Holland says. “I also appreciate how he incorporated the minor tones into his work. I have never been compared with Johnny but he would be my biggest musical influence.”

If I could play with anyone, it would be: “I would love to open for Bruce Springsteen,” Holland says. “I had a dream once that I opened for him at the Austin City limits. Now, that would be something!”

Decide for yourself: Get more info, including show dates and sound clips, at www.myspace.com/janaholland. Her album “*ONE*” is available by mail or at one of her shows. She’ll perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at Copper Rock Coffee in downtown Appleton.


- The Appleton Post Crescent. Written by Eric Klister