Meet Janine of Lafayette

Today we’d like to introduce you to Janine.

Janine, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began my career as a performing artist in New York City, who also had a business boarding horses in NJ. Most of my time was spent acting in NYC. I also loved playing percussion. When I started a family we, decided to move out of The City to live here in Colorado, where I’ve spent many happy summers. My family thought I was nuts to leave the East Coast, where the arts scene was so vibrant and I was doing well, but I wanted to live here and knew that I could probably continue to work in either acting or music here. As a union actor, it was difficult to find enough work to live on, so I focused on music as soon as my kids were old enough to start school, allowing me to rehearse and record. I gigged 4-5 nights a week in a variety of music genres and took short tours, not wanting to leave home for too long.

Eventually, I was invited to host radio shows on a few internet radio stations, then on KUVO, Denver where I was a daily afternoon Jazz host as well as the host of Salsa con Jazz for a few years. I was still gigging and recording at that time, and enjoyed some touring as well. In 2021, no longer working at KUVO, I was convinced by many friends and fans that it would be a worthy project to start a non-profit arts organization and have a few different kinds of internet radio channels that focused on non commercial, eclectic music not often heard on radio. I collected an amazing Board of Directors and we all created The Arts Validation Network, TAVN.org

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I can’t think of a single artist I’ve known anywhere who hasn’t had an abundant number of struggles! Yes, everything from events forcing us to move and start over, financial hardships, health issues, personal issues and more are always biting the tails of performing artists and arts organizations and my journey is no exception. Finding enough time to both practice and be fully present for the kids was mind bending. Mistakes, abuses, injuries, artistic and personal heartbreaks, all followed me for the longest while, but being resilient is a requirement in this business. Spending a tremendous amount of time raising funds, learning how to create and promote projects, looking for ways to keep a firm foundation under the family’s feet and roof over heads as a single mom while maintaining a high quality of artistic integrity left little time for rest or a social life. It was a challenge, but a worthy one. The work is good. The on-air hosts on both of our rado channels are highly skilled, knowledgable and fun. Best of all, they are in creative control of their own shows and pick extraordinary artists and recordings to present. No one tells them what to play, or how long or shot a song must be, which is common. Micromanaging and controlling what music is available to a skilled and creative radio host can be a problem. We figured out how to do it well, while maintaining carefully curated shows and playlists. In September, 2024 I had an accident that caused injuries preventing me from playing congas, which was a huge obstacle on many levels for me, but TAVN remained active, thanks to my astute and passionate board members, who took the reins while I recovered for several months. I still can’t play congas pain-free.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
After such a serious injury, I retired from performing but I am currently the director overseeing a non-profit, TAVN.org, The Arts Validation Network, ensuring the quality of our on-air hosts on 2 very different channels. I work to keep them professional, enjoyable, and guarantee that they have the room and encouragement to present excellent interviews and music in their favorite genres. I am also very involved with another non-profit, The Muse Performance Space, in Lafayette as the rental co-ordinator and part time sound tech. I am very proud of the recordings and live performances that I have had the honor and pleasure of performing on, with international artists who have given me so much more than I can ever return. It’s even provided me with the skills to direct and hold up the music shows and other artists now. I am also so, so proud of my kids, now grown, who tolerated such a crazy artist mama! I don’t feel that I’m set apart from others, just tryin to create something good, like most other folks.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Choosing to work in the arts is a little crazy, but it’s a wonderful, fulfilling, challenging kind of crazy! All joking aside, we are the keepers of the culture in many ways, and the work is valuable and vibrant. If any of you would like to check out the music at TAVN, it’s online at TAVN.org . Thank you to George, keeper of The Blues and his Reckless Blues show for connecting me to you for this interview! I am honored!

Pricing:

• contributions are tax deductible

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.TAVN.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tavn.TheArtsValidationNetwork