New Orleans, Louisiana band MyNameIsJohnMichael is looking forward to an active 2011, playing The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and French Quarter Fest, all the while wrapping up their sophomore album, produced by Raymond Richards (producer on Local Natives “Gorilla Manor”), to be released later this year. They have debuted their first single, 'Orphan', to critical acclaim from several outlets including Consequence of Sound, Pigeons and Planes, Emilio Sparks, among others. Paste Magazine just selected MyNameIsJohnMichael as one of 18 acts for their “Best of What’s Next 2011” issue of their mPlayer and featured MyNameIsJohnMichael as the main headline on their website for a Live at Paste Session. All signs point to a bright future for this record and this band in the near future.

New Orlean’s influence is clear in the band’s funky approach to crafty singer-songwriter pieces. MyNameIsJohnMichael is a 6 piece indie rock band born and raised in New Orleans, which began as a solo project in 2008 when lead singer John Michael Rouchell accepted a friendly challenge to write, record, and release 52 songs in one year. Only 4 months into the project, a more realized MyNameIsJohnMichael was born, and in March of 2009 the group put out their self-released debut album, "The People That Come and Go." The tracks on the album came from the 52 songs of 2008 and were voted on and selected by fans.

Full of vibrant energy and explosive performance, MyNameIsJohnMichael's live shows go unrivaled, featuring horns, trash cans and chains. The group has an impressive touring resume, playing national festivals like Bonnaroo, New Orleans Heritage & Jazz Festival, Voodoo Fest, Austin City Limits, South by Southwest, B.O.M.B. Fest, French Quarter Fest, Lollapalooza, and CMJ (to name a few.) They have opened for the likes of Phoenix and Surfer Blood, and played an after show with, the super group, Monsters of Folk, to great reviews from publications like SPIN and The Metro.

John Michael Rouchell’s music has been featured in an ad for the retail company Coach for the launch of their newest jewelry line, “Poppy.” Front man, John Michael, was also recently featured in a Black Cab Session when the well-respected Internet taste maker made its way from the UK to the States to discover new up and coming acts, (this video has not yet been released.) His guitar work is top-notch. At the age of 14, John Michael found himself sharing the stage with Parliament Funkadelic when they came through town. He’s only gotten better.

SPIN Magazine featured MyNameIsJohnMichael as one of the Top 25 Bands to See at CMJ 2009, calling the sound, "straight forward, plaintive acoustic balladry infused with a bit of brassy Big Easy bravado. " The review was followed quickly by The Metro's declaration that MyNameIsJohnMichael was one of the 5 top bands you should have seen at CMJ in their article "OMG!CMJ!," stating "a Bayou-flavored version of the Arcade Fire's anthemic indie pop, [this] six-piece band sing dead-on harmonies and rock out ferociously when the occasion calls for it."