Johnny Delaware grew up in the great plains of the United States. A state champion runner in highschool, he attended college on scholarship, and began recording music in his dorm room. He traveled all over the country working odd jobs, starting bands, and meeting musicians. In his mid twenties, while desiring to make a record, Delaware was told by a friend to relocate to Charleston, SC. Unfortunately he didn’t have the money for relocation or studio time, but that changed after a tree fell onto his poorly maintained RAV4 and his insurance company paid him $10,000. He went on to record his debut album Secret Wave with producer Wolfgang Zimmerman (Band of Horses, Susto) and moved to Charleston, SC.

While in Charleston, Mr. Delaware moved into the same house as Justin Osborne and the two became friends all the while writing and recording songs. The band became Susto, and Johnny hit the road with them for the next couple years until starting another band in 2017 called, The Artisanals. The Artisanals have toured internationally, played festivals across the United States, and released two albums.

Spencer cut his teeth as a drummer, singer and songwriter for country rockers Young Valley in his hometown of Jackson, MS before striking out on his own and recording the 10-song LP “Hangin’ Tough” in 2019. Alongside his songwriting partners Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster (Water Liars, Marie/ Lepanto) and Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel-Nut Zippers), he toured tirelessly throughout the United States sharing these songs and emerging as a frontman. The halt of the pandemic lockdown forced a reflection for Spencer that ultimately led him from his familiar backdrop of Jackson to Athens, Georgia.

The songs on Spencer Thomas’ upcoming LP, The Joke of Life, (out May 17, 2024), much like a good joke, are many-layered. His talent is immediately obvious, with sleek composition and production throughout. There’s a nostalgic, everyman flair to his music that doesn’t hang on the influences of the past, but uses them as a guiding light to elevate his voice.

The Joke of Life, was recorded over the last three years with the help of a veritable “who’s who” of the Athens-GA music scene and beyond, including members of My Morning Jacket, Drive-By Truckers, Reptar, Heffner and Futurebirds, for which he is the band’s keyboard player.