A phone call roused Dan Deitrich from his afternoon nap. It was the promoter for a local venue. They were bringing in a nation act known as The Elms and needed an opening band. Mistaking Dan as the singer of an existing band, The Voice asked him if his group would like the spot. He quickly accepted and began making calls of his own. In a matter of minutes he had recruited long-time friend and drummer Jeff Mierau, a second guitarist and a bass player. Johnny’s Little Rocketship was born.

Since that shaky first performance, Johnny’s Little Rocketship has become a force to be reckoned with. Skye Thrasher and Zach Swisher have since taken over the roles of rhythm guitar and bass, respectively. With an all but nonexistent local music scene JLR was forced to put on the majority of their shows wherever they could. The venues included cornfields, driveways, churches, schools, and sweet 16 birthday parties as well as frequenting the few local clubs such as Czar’s 505, The Box Factory, and Bogie’s. As Johnny’s popularity grew so did the St. Joseph music scene. JLR was regularly bringing in 200-300 kids—from middle school up to college students—paving the way for a throng of newly formed local acts.

Johnny's Little Rocketship, with the support of their ever-growing fan base, decided to pack up the van and expand their horizons, winning over fans from Kalamazoo, MI down to Birmingham, AL. Along the road Johnny has sold over 500 copies of their independently released album. In August the band capped off a short L.A. tour by recording 4 tracks to be released on their next album due out early ‘05. Says Chris Lewis of Shut Eye Records, “Johnny’s Little Rocketship is the perfect treat for anyone with a cause to listen.”