The Panoramic Blue Story...
In October of 2000, 6 fellow musicians and friends joined together and played for the first time as the
band Panoramic Blue. Though each member brought a different musical style and interest, a unique musical
flair was soon to be created. After a few months of playing together Panoramic Blue played their first
show at O’Connell’s Night Club in St. Joseph, MN on February 21st. Little did the 6 members know, but the
band was about to take off faster than they could have ever imagined. Panoramic Blue’s unique style and
energy has taken them from a coffee shop in their first week to winning spots at some of central
Minnesota’s most sought after music venues and festivals, along with their first mainstream radio
appearance only a short time later.
Based out of St. Cloud, MN, Panoramic Blue combines elements of pop, blues, and folk into an all out rock
style. Panoramic Blue is comprised of 6 musicians, all of whom lead the band in their own personal way.
Front-men Matt Johnson and J.J. Towner are responsible for the majority of the singing/songwriting duties.
Towner adds a rhythm acoustic guitar and Johnson plays electric guitar when he's not wailing on his
harmonica. "Lightening" Lee Kelly fills out the rock sound on lead guitar, while Jeremy
Sutton and F. Jason Ayers round out the rhythm section of Panoramic Blue
On March 7th, only two weeks after their first performance, Panoramic Blue made it to the finals of
St. Cloud’s “Battle of the Unsigned Bands” competition. After a 25 minute performance that left
the crowd on their feet, Panoramic Blue was instantly propelled into the Minnesota music scene. By beating
out over 20 other bands, Panoramic Blue won spots at the Red Carpet in St. Cloud, an appearance on KVSC’s
Monday Night Live television program, along with a spot at the Mississippi Music Festival on April 29th
playing with Blessid Union of Souls, Ross William Perry, and more.
Panoramic Blue entered Hammond Eggs
Productions in St. Cloud to record their first official 7 track CD in March of 2001. The self-titled CD
captures Panoramic Blue’s distinct style, while also
capturing what they find most important, their
energy. Let's Drown Our Blues, one of the songs off the EP, has already climbed to Minnesota's
#1 blues song on mp3.com, while Beauty Queen has climbed to Minnesota's #6
Pop/Rock song. Panoramic Blue released the self-titled EP at a CD Release Party at the La Playette
in St. Joseph Minnesota on April 28th.
The band hopes the future will mimic the success they’ve found in their first few months together.
Past and future shows include such venues as the Moondance Jam Music Festival in Walker Minnesota,
the Red Carpet, the University of Wisconsin Stout,
O'Garas, The Boathouse on Lake Waconia,
D.B. Searle's, the Mississippi Music Festival, The La Playette, and the Backyard Bash at St. Cloud State University and North Dakota State University, and The Fine Line,.
In their first 6 months of playing shows, Panoramic Blue will have shared the stage with such regional and national acts
Blessid Union of Souls, Sony recording artist Nine Days,
Jims Big Ego, Ross William Perry, Fade 2 Shade, and Chris Shaffer (The Why Store) .
Panoramic Blue also opened up the 2001 Moondance Jam Music Festival along side such acts as The Wallflowers, Big Head Todd, Blues Traveler, Ted Nugent, and more!
Email: panoramicblue@hotmail.com
