Nedra Johnson, Open Mic with Jori Costello

media release: Nedra Johnson is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist born in NYC & living in Ohio. Her unique style of guitar playing is unmistakably informed by her many years as a bassist and keeps her live solo acoustic performances more on an R&B tip than what one might expect of a “girl with a guitar.”

Nedra has performed internationally at jazz, blues, pride & women’s music festivals as a solo artist and a tuba player/vocalist with her father, Howard Johnson & his group, Gravity. She surprised and impressed jazz audiences in Paris, Nime, Berlin, Vienna, Kassel, Macedonia, Muchen, Leverkusen, Los Angeles, New York & New Orleans when she put down her tuba and sang original songs with Gravity garnering such praises as from The Orange County Register, “A little thing [an original from the CD Testify ] called Working Hard for the Joneses had the crowd on its feet and whooping.” As a soloist, she has performed in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, Cleveland, Madison, Chicago, New Caledonia, and more!

“Nedra Johnson, blues and soul singer out of the Bronx, has a red wine-stained red velvet pillow for a voice. She’s set deep, with rough cuts sung well.”

– Hanifah Walidah, Sucka For Life



“She is unapologetically queer and graciously thankful to the women’s music scene. Nedra Johnson is my hero. Witty and earnest, the songs on Nedra range from blues, jazz, and gospel to that hard-to-describe genre that is music to get it on to….mixed like a perfect martini, crisp and a little naughty.”

– Kris Scott Marti, AfterEllen.com

(previously announced appearance by Joy Alive is canceled...)

On the 2nd Saturday of each month, we will feature an artist that will be performing at the 2025 National Women's Music Festival. We are having fun with this series, getting previews of the upcoming festival performers and seeing new artists in the Open Mic hosted by Jori Costello. Please consider joining us.

$10 will get you a zoom concert for your household. However, this event is free to WIA/NWMF members. Members need to send an email to nwmf.info@gmail.com to get the discount code to register for the event. Click Here to become a Member

If you are interested in performing in the Open Mic,

please send an email to nwmf.info@gmail.com