I am an acoustic troubadour who also sings and plays bass in two San Diego bands. In the past 30 years I have performed over 1,000 gigs as a musician and DJ. I know hundreds of cover songs from the classic rock era—and I am a quick study re: new material. I also write and perform original material and have collaborated with Peter Case, Mike Keneally, and Wondermints. I am a masterful mobile DJ with over 200,000 songs in my library. I am an award-winning author (Encyclopedia Walking: Pop Culture & the Alchemy of Rock 'n' Roll), and Grammy-nominated producer with over 240 syndicated radio programs to my credit. I love music and I love to share my passions. Let's plan your next event...
Jon was wonderful, accommodating and flexible. Music was great and so fun. Very good experience. Can’t wait to have him back!
Response from Jon Kanis:
Thank you Clinton & Kate for a super fun evening! I appreciate your hospitality and your fantastic circle of friends. I'm so glad you enjoyed the experience. I had a great time entertaining your family and friends. All the best. JK
Photos from this event
Price Range: $150 per hour plus expenses
Gig Length: 120 - 240 minutes
Languages: English
Insurance: Yes
About me:
I am a 55-year-old musician, producer, composer, disc jockey, artist and writer…in short, a Renaissance man. Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, I have spent the last 36 years calling San Diego, California my home. I am passionate about all areas of the arts and metaphysics. I love to travel and meet new people and I relish a good creative challenge. Do you need a collaborator or organizer? Someone to assist you in completing a project or to transform an event with music and positive energy? Well, look no further…
Performance bio: I began singing and performing in public at the age of twelve in Arlington, Virginia and fronted my first rock and roll band at sixteen. As a solo acoustic troubadour I have performed over 1,000 gigs in the last 30 years throughout the world. I have traveled the continental United States over thirty times and have taken ten trips to Europe performing in theaters, bars, nightclubs, cafes, pubs, living rooms and terraces throughout the Netherlands, Britain, Wales, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Spain. I sang and played guitar at 18,250 feet elevation on Mount Kailash in Tibet in June of 2000 and I enjoyed performing for the locals in Peru & Bolivia that same year.
I am also well versed as an electric bass guitar player and I perform and sing in a number of San Diego outfits including Sgt. Petty's Lonely Heartbreakers Club Band, ADD/C, and Listening To Rocks.
I have also performed as an actor in a couple of local community productions and in the street theatre comedia d’ellarte improvisational comedy group The Fault Line Players.
For an over-the-top comprehensive experience of EVERY gig that I have performed as a musician, artist, actor or production crew member – or, witnessed as an audience member I suggest perusing The Gig List which can be found under the BIO heading of my blog.
I would like to emphasize that my knowledge and experience of music in general is extensive; I have over 150,000 song titles in my audio library, I have DJ’d hundreds of parties and corporate events over the past 20 years and I am very much a walking encyclopedia when it comes to the popular music of the 20th Century—hence the name of my two-volume anthology of published writings Encyclopedia Walking: Pop Culture & the Alchemy of Rock 'n' Roll.
Industry Qualifications:
Producer & Host of 240 weekly three-hour radio programs [State Controlled Radio].
Producer & Director of The American Folk Blues Festival Volumes 1-3 DVD/CDs.
Producer of Soul To Soul DVD/CD.
Producer & Director of five short films on the history of American Rhythm & Blues that are on permanent exhibition at The Stax Museum Of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tennessee.
As a Musician have performed over 1,000 gigs over the past 30 years.
Musician, Composer & Producer for dozens of commercially released recordings.
Participant in several group exhibitions with multi-media visual artwork.
Industry Awards:
Winner of Best Non-Fiction from the San Diego Book Awards for Encyclopedia Walking [2014]
Winner of the Keeping The Blues Alive Achievement In Film Award from The Blues Foundation for The American Folk Blues Festival (phone number hidden)6 Volumes One & Two [2004].
Grammy nomination from The Recording Academy (R.I.A.A.) for Best Long Form Music Video for The American Folk Blues Festival (phone number hidden)6 Volume One [2004].
Honorable Mention from MOJO Magazine Music Awards for The American Folk Blues Festival (phone number hidden)6 Volume One [2004].
Winner of Best Music Anthology DVD Award from DVD Entertainment Awards for The American Folk Blues Festival (phone number hidden)9 Volume Three [2005].
Winner of Best Compilation/Collection Of Clips Award from the Home Media Retailing Awards for The American Folk Blues Festival (phone number hidden)9 Volume Three [2005].
| November 09, 2024 • 9:00am - 4:00pm | Convention/Trade Show |
| May 07, 2021 • 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Birthday Party |
| September 16, 2019 • 5:00pm - 6:30pm | Corporate Event |
Songs performed by Jon Kanis [as of Summer 2012]
Anna/Arthur Alexander
Ramblin’ Man/The Allman Brothers Band
Melissa/The Allman Brothers Band
House Of The Rising Sun/The Animals-traditional
No Matter What/Badfinger
Please Please Me/The Beatles
I Saw Her Standing There/The Beatles
She Loves You/The Beatles
Don’t Bother Me/The Beatles
All I Gotta Do/The Beatles
I Want To Hold Your Hand/The Beatles
I Call Your Name/The Beatles
Things We Said Today/The Beatles
Eight Days A Week/The Beatles
No Reply/The Beatles
Ticket To Ride/The Beatles
It’s Only Love/The Beatles
I’ve Just Seen A Face/The Beatles
You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away/The Beatles
You’re Gonna Lose That Girl/The Beatles
You Won’t See Me/The Beatles
We Can Work It Out/The Beatles
She Said She Said/The Beatles
Doctor Robert/The Beatles
Rain/The Beatles
With A Little Help From My Friends/The Beatles
Lovely Rita/The Beatles
A Day In The Life/The Beatles
Don’t Pass Me By/The Beatles
I’m So Tired/The Beatles
Cry Baby Cry/The Beatles
Sexy Sadie/The Beatles
While My Guitar Gently Weeps/The Beatles
Maggie Mae/The Beatles-traditional
Don’t Let Me Down/The Beatles
The Letter/The Box Tops
I’m The Urban Spaceman/The Bonzo Dog Band
Ready-Mades/The Bonzo Dog Band
The Equestrian Statue/The Bonzo Dog Band
Rockaliser Baby/The Bonzo Dog Band
Space Oddity/David Bowie
Ziggy Stardust/David Bowie
My Friend Jack/Brownsville Station
Eternal Life/Jeff Buckley
Song To The Siren/Tim Buckley
For What It’s Worth/Buffalo Springfield
Margaritaville/Jimmy Buffet
Livingston Saturday Night/Jimmy Buffet
Mr. Tambourine Man/The Byrds-Bob Dylan
So You Wanna Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star/The Byrds
Walk In The Woods/Peter Case
Get Rhythm/Johnny Cash
Folsom Prison Blues/Johnny Cash
I Still Miss Someone/Johnny Cash
Hurt/Johnny Cash
Cats In The Cradle/Harry Chapin
Surrender/Cheap Trick
Southern Girls/Cheap Trick
Clampdown/The Clash
Summertime Blues/Eddie Cochran
C’Mon Everybody/Eddie Cochran
Hallelujah/Leonard Cohen
I’m Eighteen/Alice Cooper
Watching The Detectives/Elvis Costello
Alison/Elvis Costello
Welcome To The Working Week/Elvis Costello
No Dancing/Elvis Costello
Mystery Dance/Elvis Costello
Oliver’s Army/Elvis Costello
New Amsterdam/Elvis Costello
Cynical Girl/Marshall Crenshaw
You Don’t Mess Around With Jim/Jim Croce
One Less Set Of Footsteps/Jim Croce
Take Me Home, Country Roads/John Denver
Cherry Cherry/Neil Diamond
I’m A Believer/Neil Diamond
New Orleans/Neil Diamond
Light My Fire/The Doors
The Crystal Ship/The Doors
Strange Days/The Doors
Blowin’ In The Wind/Bob Dylan
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right/Bob Dylan
The Times They Are A-Changin’/Bob Dylan
To Ramona/Bob Dylan
Love Minus Zero/No Limit/Bob Dylan
It’s All Over Now Baby Blue/Bob Dylan
Like A Rolling Stone/Bob Dylan
Visions Of Johanna/Bob Dylan
I Threw It All Away/Bob Dylan
Forever Young/Bob Dylan
Tangled Up In Blue/Bob Dylan
Buckets Of Rain/Bob Dylan
Hurricane/Bob Dylan
I Believe In You/Bob Dylan
Grandma Got Run Over By A Raindeer/Elmo & Patsy
The Way/Fastball
Summertime [from Porgy & Bess]/George Gershwin
Temptation Eyes/The Grass Roots
Sweet Child Of Mine/Guns N Roses
This Land Is Your Land/Woody Gutherie
Deportees/Woody Gutherie
So Long It’s Been Good To Know You/Woody Gutherie
Dark Horse/George Harrison
Hey Joe/Jimi Hendrix
The Wind Cries Mary/Jimi Hendrix
52 Stations/Robyn Hitchcock
Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl/Robyn Hitchcock
This Could Be The Day/Robyn Hitchcock
I Often Dream Of Trains/Robyn Hitchcock
Cynthia Mask/Robyn Hitchcock
So You Think You’re In Love/Robyn Hitchcock
King Midas In Reverse/The Hollies
Peggy Sue/Buddy Holly
It’s So Easy/Buddy Holly
Oh Boy!/Buddy Holly
Protest Song/Neil Innes
Never Tear Us Apart/INXS
Twist And Shout/The Isley Brothers
White Rabbit/Jefferson Airplane
It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me/Billy Joel
Tiny Dancer/Elton John
Daniel/Elton John
Harmony/Elton John
Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy/Elton John
Me And Bobby McGee/Janis Joplin-Kris Kristofferson
The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)/Greg Kihn
Tired Of Waiting/The Kinks
Days/The Kinks
Hard Luck Woman/Kiss
Imagine/John Lennon
Love/John Lennon
Working Class Hero/John Lennon
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)/John Lennon
The Daily Planet/Love
Bummer In The Summer/Love
Maybe The People Would Be The Times/Love
Younger Generation/The Lovin’ Spoonful
Daydream/The Lovin’ Spoonful
Darlin’ Companion/The Lovin’ Spoonful
Coconut Grove/The Lovin’ Spoonful
Lovin’ You/The Lovin’ Spoonful
Cruel To Be Kind/Nick Lowe
Sweet Home Alabama/Lynyrd Skynyrd
Shape Of Things To Come/Max Frost & The Troopers
American Pie/Don Mclean
King Of The Road/Roger Miller
Dang Me/Roger Miller
The Joker/Steve Miller
I Melt With You/Modern English
Roadrunner/The Modern Lovers
(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone/The Monkees
Blue Moon Of Kentucky/Bill Monroe
The Story In Your Eyes/The Moody Blues
Brown Eyed Girl/Van Morrison
Into The Mystic/Van Morrison
When You Find Out/The Nerves
Hey Ya!/Outkast
Act Naturally/Buck Owens
Blue Suede Shoes/Carl Perkins
Honey Don’t/Carl Perkins
Breakdown/Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
American Girl/Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Magnolia/Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
The Waiting/Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
You Don’t Know How It Feels/Tom Petty
Arnold Layne/Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here/Pink Floyd
Pigs On The Wing/Pink Floyd
A Pair Of Brown Eyes/The Pogues
Chainsmoking In The USA/The Posies
Baby, Let’s Play House/Elvis Presley
Mystery Train/Elvis Presley
Marie’s The Name (His Latest Flame)/Elvis Presley
I Wanna Be Sedated/The Ramones
Come Around And See Me/Raspberries
Starry Eyes/The Records
The One I Love/R.E.M.
As Tears Go By/The Rolling Stones
19th Nervous Breakdown/The Rolling Stones
Sympathy For The Devil/The Rolling Stones
Street Fighting Man/The Rolling Stones
Wild Horses/The Rolling Stones
Lovin’ Cup/The Rolling Stones
What I Like About You/The Romantics
I Must Be In Love/The Rutles
Hold My Hand/The Rutles
Ouch!/The Rutles
With A Girl Like You/The Rutles
Between Us/The Rutles
It’s Looking Good/The Rutles
Calendar Girl/Neil Sedaka
Beautiful Loser/Bob Seger
Night Moves/Bob Seger
Beer Run/Todd Snider
I Only Want To Be With You/Dusty Springfield
Growin’ Up/Bruce Springsteen
Shut Out The Light/Bruce Springsteen
Stuck In The Middle With You/Stealers Wheel
With A Gun/Steely Dan
Wild World/Cat Stevens
Father And Son/Cat Stevens
Hard Headed Woman/Cat Stevens
If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out/Cat Stevens
Maybe You’re Right/Cat Stevens
Miles From Nowhere/Cat Stevens
The First Cut Is The Deepest/Cat Stevens
Maggie May/Rod Stewart
Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love)/Swinging Medallions
Stay Up Late/Talking Heads
Ain’t Too Proud To Beg/The Temptations
The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades/Timbuk 3
Planet Queen/T-Rex
20th Century Boy/T-Rex
Wild Thing/The Troggs
With A Girl Like You/The Troggs
Five O’Clock World/The Vogues
I Can’t Explain/The Who
The Kids Are Alright/The Who
So Sad About Us/The Who
The Seeker/The Who
Bargain/The Who
Won’t Get Fooled Again/The Who
Squeeze Box/The Who
Why Don’t You Love Me/Hank Williams
Hey Good Lookin’/Hank Williams
Settin’ The Woods On Fire/Hank Williams
You’re Gonna Change Or I’m Gonna Leave/Hank Williams
Slow Down/Larry Williams
Sugar Mountain/Neil Young
I Am A Child/Neil Young
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere/Neil Young
Down By The River/Neil Young
Cowgirl In The Sand/Neil Young
Heart Of Gold/Neil Young
Are You Ready For The Country/Neil Young
For The Turnstiles/Neil Young
Comes A Time/Neil Young
Look Out For My Love/Neil Young
Powderfinger/Neil Young
Werewolves Of London/Warren Zevon
Accidentally Like A Martyr/Warren Zevon
Lawyers, Guns And Money/Warren Zevon
plus approximately fifty original compositions played by request
Electricity
Laguna Niguel, CA 
Singing Guitarist
17 Verified Bookings Yessica N. said “Matt was amazing! He has excellent communication skills. He is super friendly and just completely amazing! Everyone at our event enjoyed and loved his…”
San Diego, CA
Singing Guitarist
6 Verified Bookings Julie C. said “Professional, on time, and most importantly -- great music!”
Denver, CO
Singing Guitarist
47 Verified Bookings Tiffany K. B. said “Jonathan was amazing. He is super talented- knows 500 plus songs of many genres. He has the best personality and delivers his music in a fun, entertaining,…”
San Diego, CA
Singing Guitarist
5 Verified Bookings Erica M. said “We had a day time graduation party. Marissa arrived early, easy set up and just did her own thing. Then she played for 2 hours and was really good. My…”
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