My Radio

My Radio serves up big, multi-layered pop-rock sound in original compositions that have earned it movie placements and opening gigs for the likes of Blondie, Cracker, Gin Blossoms, The Psychedelic Furs and The Smithereens.

The band was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia when JP Powell (songwriter, vocals, keyboards, guitar) met Hunter Johnson (drums) in a local coffee shop. Both had previously played and toured in ensembles, so they bonded over an appreciation for making music and a desire to do something new. Powell and Johnson were joined by Brett Lemon (guitar), Jeff Hofmann (bass), and Jake Zuckerman (guitar) to make up My Radio.

The band has released two CDs, “Give Us the Sun” (2009) and “Starts in the East, Falls in the West” (2012; released via RedEye Distribution and produced by Bleu and Ducky Carlisle), as well as one EP, “Stand Up” (2010). The newest album, “Tada IV,” is scheduled to be released Sept. 23, 2017.

After releasing “Give Us the Sun,” My Radio signed with Ocean Park Music Group of Santa Monica, California. The song “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” (produced by Micah Wilshire and Mitch Easter) soon landed Fox Sports placements and was featured in “The Joneses,” a movie starring Demi Moore and David Duchovny. The song also appears in the film trailer and soundtrack for “The Joneses.”

About that time, My Radio was tapped as a “Needle in the Haystack” artist on MTV.com. OurStage Magazine, an MTV affiliate, has said My Radio writes “ridiculously catchy songs” with “hooks and grit culled from years of listening to the Stones and Elvis Costello, with some Remy Zero pop sensibility thrown in.”

“Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” continued to set Hollywood on fire in 2011, when it earned a featured placement in the pilot episode of Showtime’s award-winning series “Homeland.” In 2015, the song “I Need Somebody Tonight” was included in the movie “Baby, Baby, Baby” starring Kelsey Grammer and Adrianne Palicki.

Absolute Punk, which compares the band to Elbow, Starsailor, Coldplay and Snow Patrol, writes that My Radio has “inherent musicianship that was meant to be heard,” while Maximum Ink describes it as having “headstrong songs equipped with delicious riffs, nuclear-powered bounce and melodic brawn.”

In addition to print praise, both of the band’s records have received regular airplay on college and commercial radio in the U.S., as well as the U.K. and Europe. My Radio has performed live at venues ranging from The Harvester Center in Rocky Mount, Virginia, to The Mercury Lounge in New York City.

Despite turning heads nationally and internationally, the members of My Radio happily maintain their hometown sensibilities. Powell and Johnson are the founders and co-owners of Lucky and Fortunato, two successful restaurants in Roanoke, Virginia, that specialize in unique, locally sourced cuisine and imaginative craft cocktails. They also co-own Stellina Cocktail Bar in Roanoke. Zuckerman is a founder and co-owner of Fortunato and Stellina; Lemon owns Brett Winter Lemon Photography; and Hofmann owns Jeff Hofmann Photography and lends his talents on bass to other local bands.