Said to embody the “tradition of the well-traveled singer-songwriter while cultivating a modern style that’s uniquely their own”, Johnnyswim made waves at Lightning 100’s Nashville Sunday Night, Live from 3rd & Lindsley.
Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano, the now Los Angeles-based husband-and-wife duo, initially met at a church service in Nashville, but did not begin songwriting together until four years later. After three different EPs, 2014 saw the release of Johnnyswim’s first ever full-length album, Diamonds. This week’s video episode of the pair’s June performance at Nashville Sunday Night features “Home” and “Diamonds” from their new album, two songs that you may have heard on Lightning 100.
“I remember when I went to college the first concert I went to in Nashville was at 3rd & Lindsley…you just see all of the awesome shows there, you don’t really get to play there,” remarks Ramirez with regards to their sold out show, “It’s like touching the untouchable, and to pack it out 3rd & Lindsley, you might as well sell out Madison Square Garden for me, really, it’s that special.” In this week’s episode, seated at East Nashville’s own “crown jewel”, Barista Parlor, the couple shares stories about the motto that inspired their latest album, the true meaning behind “Johnnyswim”, how they met, and what they think makes Nashville so special. “If you go to a show in Nashville and the person is singing something they clearly don’t mean, throughout the crowd, you can feel it,” says Abner of Music City, “You can’t get away with it in Nashville and that encourages you to only write about stuff you mean… I love that about this city, you have to mean it.”
