I am a singer, songwriter, and bassist living in Santa Fe, NM where I perform in 4 bands in addition to writing and recording my own music in the retro soul genre which is available on my Bandcamp:
https://montanajoanna.bandcamp.com/album/same-stars
and streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music:
https://artists.spotify.com/c/artist/21AHWBJbUzgM1JqumlpRSz/home
The music I love most is from the golden Motown era of live bands, real voices, and old school production. I studied classical and jazz voice in college (on the side from my major in Writing) but did not do anything with music until 2020, when I found myself needing a creative outlet during the pandemic.The bass guitar I had always wanted to learn how to play was still collecting dust in the corner, so I picked it up and started to accompany myself while singing. My first teacher was the incredible Nik West (bassist for Prince) because fortunately for me, she had just launched her online bass academy, and thanks to her support I felt very motivated to pursue what had suddenly become my all-consuming passion.
Shortly after that I joined a funk/soul four piece out of Albuquerque called 64 LoveMachine as the lead singer (and a little bit of synth!), and then the indie rock trio Luminatrix from Santa Fe on bass and backing vocals. I have released music with both bands---64 LoveMachine has had 3 NM Music Awards nominations (2025 and 2026) and Luminatrix's 2024 album "Hide and Seek" charted on College Radio. Luminatrix also started performing as a duo version in 2025 and we play different material than the full band. Because I can never get enough music, I also joined Santa Fe's own B-52's tribute called The Dead BeatClub where I am honored to perform the parts of legendary Kate Pierson.
When I am not rehearsing, performing, or writing music, I am at my "real person" job in the healing arts. I have been a licensed massage therapist for 15 years and worked as the office manager of an alternative health clinic for 12 years. I am grateful to have these careers, especially now that I am a musician, because they support my creative life in many ways. Music has become a daily and spiritual practice for me at this point, and I can't imagine a life without it. As a songwriter, I focus on the themes of self-acceptance and love because those are the very gifts that the pursuit of playing music has empowered me with.
And of course I spend a completely normal amount of time catering to the whims of my 16 year old dachshund Heidi, who is: The Best Dog in The Universe.
You can follow me on Instagram to see and hear what I'm up to on the daily:
