Meet Johnny Veres | Johnny Veres and Beth Hataway of Electric Blue Yonder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Johnny Veres and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Johnny, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
The idea of success has evolved a lot for us over the years. Traditionally, it meant booking bigger shows, opening for major acts, touring the world, and eventually selling out arenas—or these days, going viral online. While we still aim for some of those milestones, we’ve also discovered success in unexpected, non-traditional ways. For instance, we’ve been invited to speak at conferences and festivals about how music and songwriting can support healing. We recently gave the opening plenary at the Alabama Institute for Recovery Conference, which brought together over 1,000 attendees. That kind of opportunity reminds us why we started making music in the first place—it’s about connection, not just career steps. Another example is our MicroPARTY project, which started as a simple lullaby for our nephew. We played it once on the Washington coast, and thanks to the encouragement of our friend and talented violinist Kimi Samson, it evolved into a full children’s album, “MicroPARTY”. It’s music and fun for everyone – the young and young at heart. We recorded it with the engineering expertise of Danley Murner at Portside Sound and contributions from incredible musicians like David Hood, Todd Roper, Sam Williams, and Caleb Elliott. Kevin Ratterman handled the mixing and mastering, bringing it all together. We performed the album live at the Coast is Clear Festival in Key West in 2022, where we met Lauren Thompson from Bravo Theatre. She encouraged us to turn it into a musical. With support from The Studios of Key West and collaboration with Irie Monte and the Southernmost Youth Orchestra, MicroPARTY Live premiered this February to nearly sold-out shows. Did we ever imagine our music career would involve speaking at conferences or writing musicals? Not exactly. But when those doors opened, we stayed curious and said yes. That’s made all the difference. By the way, “MicroPARTY” the album was released on April 25, 2025. Come along, YOU belong!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We call ourselves “Space Folk Explorers”—charting the human condition and reporting on it through song. Exploration has never been easy, but it’s always led to meaningful discoveries. That’s how our journey has felt—unconventional, challenging at times, but deeply rewarding. We’ve never fit neatly into one genre. We’ve got roots influences, but we’re not country; we’re sometimes labeled Americana, but not always; we have improvisational moments, but we’re not a jam band. Someone once said we’re like trying to fit a star-shaped peg into a round hole—and honestly, we’ve taken that as a compliment. Like artists we admire—My Morning Jacket, Wilco, Billy Strings—we’re more interested in creating our own sonic universe than chasing industry-defined sounds. That path has had its challenges, but it’s also expanded our community and creative freedom. One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is to keep our minds open and lead with honesty. Trends move fast—especially now with social media—but real connection through genuine art always finds its way. We’re especially proud of MicroPARTY, our family-oriented project that began as a lullaby and has grown into a full live show with original music, puppets, and immersive storytelling. We’re also in the preproduction phase of a new Electric Blue Yonder record with Kevin Ratterman in Los Angeles, which we’re really excited about. What do we want the world to know? That we’re here to make people feel something. Whether through a cosmic folk song or a children’s musical, our goal is the same: connection, curiosity, and shared wonder. If you want us to bring that to your town, let us know—we’re always listening.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Key West is a choose-your-own-adventure town: you can hop on a boat, have a late night downtown, see live music, take historical and architectural tours, go to the theatre, go the beach, and see a lot of art. The best way to experience Key West is to wake up, walk outside, and see where the sidewalk takes you.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We want to give a shoutout to all of our listeners and fans who believed in us before we even fully believed in ourselves. We owe our success to those that encouraged us, those that gave us a chance and booked us, and those that shared our music with a friend or relative. All of these things have made our hearts grow bigger and led to other opportunities for us to spread our message. Thank you!

Website: https://www.electricblueyonder.com

Instagram: @electricblueyonder

Twitter: @the_yonderlust

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/electricblueyonder

Facebook: https://facebook.com/electricblueyonder

Youtube: @ebyonder

Other: TikTok: @ebyonder; Bluesky: @ebyonder.bsky.social

Image Credits
All photos – Gary Gearhart