Janet Batch is a singer songwriter who resides in the Finger Lakes Region of central New York State.  Her first album, “A Good Woman is Hard to Find” has garnered her praise from country/folk fans and connoisseurs alike.  Janet's musical style has been referred to as "country with an art degree" and she has been endeared as "the voice of the hills".  Her lyrics and vocals remind listeners of Stevie Nicks, Patty Griffin, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Neil Young.  She sings, unabashed, of death, romance, and the wondering of what went wrong.  Her lyrics and harmonies are an illustration of the pendulum that swings between joy and heartache.     Janet hit the ground running in 2018, most notably opening for Grammy Award-winning Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives.  She was also invited to perform at The Great Blue Heron Music Festival, collaborating with guitarist/vocalist, Anna Coogan, lovingly calling themselves, “Cootch”.  She was selected to perform at Ithaca Fest with her full band.  She has also been occasionally playing with a local singer songwriter troupe dubbed “The JAJA Collective” which includes Jen Cork, Austin MacCrae, and Andrew Alling.   Janet has also been writing ever since “Good Woman” and has received strong support for “Too Much for Me”, “Side by Side” and “Waiting on Horses” and more.  Eager to record, she is cooking up plans.     “A Good Woman is Hard to Find” was released locally in early 2017 and earned Janet Batch several mentions in “The Jimmies”, a local newspaper awards column created by Jim Catalano.  Most notably, “Nobody Loves Me” was named one of the Best Songs of 2017.  The bulk of the album was recorded one winter weekend while holed up in a cabin with her band, everyone brainstorming with sounds and production, then fine- tuning over the summer of 2016 in her bassist, Trevor’s, bedroom.  She describes it as “truly an organic thing”.  Janet began playing in 2014 with a band initially dubbed “Eleven Maples” and soon transitioned to simply “Janet Batch”.  Original members included Jen Cork on acoustic guitar and Trevor Thorpe on bass.  In 2015 or so, Matt Cowan was added on drums.  Trevor later moved away and was replaced by bassist Mike Brando in late 2016. Janet is originally from a small town in Herkimer County, further upstate in NY.  The first daughter born to high school dropouts, Janet is the second of eight children.    Her family owned and operated a dairy farm.  A series of events, including the loss of the family farm, catapulted Janet out of her home and out of her hometown.   Though Janet was discouraged from pursuing music and art, she wrote and sang in secret while working throughout her childhood, teens and twenties.  Eventually in her mid-30’s, something opened and the songs and stories arrived.  She soon began writing and playing with more intention.  Janet's early life and working class adulthood have given her a rare point of view in song writing.  Country music originating from upstate New York is almost unheard of. 

Bio: Ella is a 18 year old singer/songwriter from Syracuse, NY. Ella enjoys writing music from the heart that emphasizes her passion for helping others. She enjoys writing lyrics that allow listeners to experience their own emotions. She continues to broaden her knowledge and expand her music repetior.