Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I’m John Wenger, and this is the official website for my music. I say 'official' to distinguish it from ... you know ... the uncountable hoard of fly-by-night fan sites teeming through the web. Yeah. Narcissistic fantasies aside, let me take a moment show you around. I'll leave some of the nooks and crannies to your own exploration, but let me show you the main links to check out. Across the top, in no particular order, you'll see:
Joining is free. When you join, I’ll give you access to all my new, developing material, as it’s being written. I’ll post my initial piano & voice or guitar & voice tracks for you, and demo versions of the arrangements, and you can listen to them all for free. It may be that a number of these songs won’t ever get released. In fact, you’ll be able to help me choose which songs go on the next album, and help shape the project. I’ll be able to keep you up to date on anything big that’s happening, and you’ll also be able to meet and chat with other fans who’ve joined.
What if you don't want to go through the awful pain of choosing a password and telling me your birthday? Well, then just choose the worry-about-the-details-later option: just give me your name and email, right here, right now. Yes. Right now, sweetheart. (Guys, read 'Yes, right now, man.'). Why should you even bother with that? Because (a), I really, really want to be your friend, and (b) any time I make a special offer to my friends, (for free songs, a local show, a hot date, etc) I want you to know about it. It can't hurt; you can always tell me to leave you alone later, and, brokenheartedly, I will. So do it. Take the plunge!
Keep in mind, joining at either level will not result in your being bombarded with junk mail, from me or anyone else. I won't do more than let you know if something new is happening; a new song, a show near where you live, or anything I think is groundbreaking.
I've installed a nice flash player that runs 1 minute mp3 samples of all the songs that are available in the store. The songs are cut so you can get the better part of a verse and chorus. Give them a listen, as often as you like. Hopefully, what will happen is, you'll start thinking, "man, I like that. I really want to hear what happens in the bridge!" That's what the SHOP link is for ...
I've built a very intuitive, very secure music eCommerce system that gives you instant access to digital downloads and also allows you to order physical merchandise in any combination. Your account center allows you to save all your information, so when you return, you can login and buy a new mp3 with two simple clicks, and download it right there. You can also browse your order history, and keep an eye on the status of any order you've placed. All sensitive information is heavily encrypted through the entire ordering process, and stored in a password-protected database not accessible via the web, so it's safe at every step.
Any artist shots and performance candids I have that are worth posting will show up here, with thumbnails hot-linked to the picture in its original size. If you think I should put more pictures up, be warned that photo-shoots aren't my favorite thing, so you can expect some heavy procrastination here. But, if you're good with a camera, then send me an email, and maybe we can set up a shoot.
This isn't exactly a just-the-facts professional one-sheet bio. It wanders through my childhood music experiences and makes it way through some of the things I've accomplished, but if you're curious about my humble beginnings, this will at least give you a clue.
I've made a separate section for news updates so that you won't have to go fishing through emo-blogs pining for the fiords when you're really just hunting for a quick factoid. New songs, new merch, new shows, and anything else I think deserves a headline will get posted here as it arrives, along with album reviews and other press from the outside.
You find these links along the left sidebar. Currently, they're inactive. I will give the forum & blog section an official launch when my site stats reach a certain, privately determined critical mass. But until then, I'm going to spare you the decidedly depressing spectacle of browsing your way though a one-horse ghost forum, populated only by disjointed, single-message threads started by loving, sympathetic fans, and tumbleweeds.