Music

The Rhythm of the Earth (Jan, 2022)

Credits

-Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Jonathan Anderson
-Cover Art by Rebecca M. Jantzen | rebeccamjantzen.com
-Graphic Design by Daniel Giesbrecht

All songs written by Michael Jantzen (© Socan)
Except: On Miracle Beach co-written with Eric Macdonald,
Higher Ground co-written with Ivan Boudreau.

Lyrics

Thank-Yous

Being a labour of love and life-juggling for over four years, I could not have recorded and released this album without the support of my family and the incredibly nurturing arts community of Mission, British Columbia.

Thank you especially, to my wife, Stephanie, who has encouraged me to pursue this dream and has displayed such grace and patience with all the noise I create around the house! The amazing arts community of Mission have cheered me on for nearly a decade and I would not be creating and recording music without their inspiration and encouragement. Thank you!

I want to give special thanks to my Roads Unknown bandmates, Tony Ivan O’Hara and Jennie Bice, for graciously bringing their talents to this project. Tony, your harmonies are supreme and your friendship priceless, and Jennie, your fiddle playing is so beautiful and passionate – always the perfect accompaniment to the mood and message of the songs.

I also want to especially thank Mara Hatklin for her phenomenal harmonies on five of the songs. You added so much to this project!

And much deserving of thanks are my two co-writers who made two songs better than I ever could have alone. Eric Macdonald. Thanks for helping to bring “On Miracle Beach” to life! And Ivan Boudreau, your co-writing partnership on “Higher Ground” and your bass playing and harmonies, helped to make it my favourite track on the album. Thank you!

Much of the roots instrumentation and soundscape you hear on this album is thanks to my multi-talented producer, engineer and mixer, Jonathan Anderson. You helped me discover the roots, country-folk sound I didn’t even know existed, but was the perfect vessel for my voice and songs. Thank you!

Special thanks also to my talented sister, Rebecca M. Jantzen, for allowing me to adapt her painting as the cover art (see more or her exceptional art) and to Daniel Giesbrecht for putting it all together in a wonderful graphic design, complete with his original CD label artwork.

And most of all, I want to thank God for the gift of music and for the opportunities to share it and the people I get to create it with.

And thank you for listening!

The Road Unknown (Sept, 2015)

Lyrics

Credits

All songs written by Michael Jantzen (acoustic guitar & lead vocals)
Solomon Janzen: bass on 2-5 & 8, slide guitar on 2-4, backing vocals on 2
Tony O’Hara: electric guitar on 3, 5, 8, backing vocals on 1-6, 8
Jennie Bice: violin on 2, 4, 5, 7, backing vocals on 2
Steve Grosvenor: electric guitar on 1 & 6
Larry Vollans: acoustic guitar on 1 & 7
Jonathan Velasquez: bass on 1, 6, 7
Shelby Velasquez: backing vocals on 5
Michelle Scott: backing vocals on 7
Stefan Tavares: drums on 1, 6, 7
Jon Saldanha: drums on 2-5, 8
Leonard Janzen: banjo on 4
Brian Chan: cello on 5 & 8

Produced by Jonathan Velasquez & Michael Jantzen
Recorded at The Creative Shop Studios, Langley, BC.
Engineered and mastered by Jonathan Velasquez
Graphic Design by Grant Bielefeld
Photography by Stephanie Jantzen

Thank-Yous

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who pre-bought the album to help make this dream possible:  

Rick & Lisa Butler, Barbara Lynn Edwards, David Goertz, Emma Blinch, Ernie Doerksen, John Lablanc, Warren Heinrichs, Christine Grimard, Jake Bergen, Valerie Lowe, Vickie, Peter Koteles, Angie Karmason, Kevin Bice, Jason Brink, Grace Cheng, Paul Brooks, Marc Howatson, Rainer Cassido, Rob Whieldon, Bergen, Natalie Chung, Peter Collins, Sharol Josephson, Lorrie Parent, Mike Feenstra, Ed & Irene Lepp, Tony White, Jean Hall, Dorrie Manu, Neal Black, Peter Koteles, Shelly Szmadyla, Mark & Danielle Redekop, Hayden Vansanten, John Welsh, Karen Howat, Mike Woodard, Henry & Barb Lau, Ziggy & Joanne Kusiac, and Marlene Jantzen.

Special Thanks

God, for creating music in the first place as a gift to be shared. All of you amazing musicians who gave of your time and talent. Thank you! I’m proud of this album, in large part, because of your exceptional musicality.

Tony O’Hara (for the friendship and all the ways you make me a better musician), Jeff Lord (for the 12-string we raffled off), Bryan O’Ruanaidh (for emceeing the fundraiser), Jim Zerkee (for graciously hosting the fundraiser), Larry Vollans (for your handcrafted cahone we auctioned off), Bud Webb (for manning the 50/50 and making me promise to never put the word “baby” in a song), Dawn & Don Shap and Buddy & Louise Pereira (for inviting the band to host the Concert by the Creek), Shelly Szmadyla (for shopping so enthusiastically at the silent auction), Karen Mortensen & Mark Humpage (for inspiring me not to take myself so seriously), Kathy and Lando Klassen (for investing in the project), Edward & Maryann Jantzen (for being terrific parents who saw and nurtured my gift for music), Stephanie Jantzen (the love of my life, “You’re my favourite co-writer. I couldn’t have done this without you!”