HERRIMAN, Utah, Dec. 31, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Jana and the Rebels band, a fan favorite on the local music scene, is making its debut Friday night at another fan favorite, the Herriman entertainment hotspot, Redemption Barn & Grill.
The country-rock band has been making the rounds for years, and is not only a fixture at area watering holes, but has also taken the stage seven years in a row at the Utah State Fair.
Band members play a variety of cover songs, Jana Alexander told Gephardt Daily, “anywhere from classic rock to, you know, Poison, Def Leppard, Johnny Cash — we’re just all over the place.”
They also play their own material from Jana and the Rebels‘ five (almost six) albums.
One such song is the soulful “Cold Dark Hole,” which Jana wrote at the beginning of the pandemic, and her bandmates helped arrange.
“Cold Dark Hole,” from the band’s 2020 album “Rebelized,” is “about finding strength through fear brought on by life events,” its YouTube description says.
And that attitude is pretty much a defining theme of Jana’s life as well, she said. She is not blind to life’s obstacles. She just chooses to focus on living a positive life.
“I guess the bottom line is, I see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Jana said. “I just feel like life continues to throw things at you, but it’s how you react to it.”
Jana grew up in Kansas, and began writing music at about age 8.
“Just goofy little lyrics,” she said. “When I was 21 I recorded my first album with the musicians of the studio. And when I was 23, 24, 25, I sang in Nashville, the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium.”
She got an offer to stay and work in Nashville, she said, “but as a mother, I felt like it was more important for me to raise my kids.”
Jana is now an empty nester with five grown children, 15 grandchildren and another on the way.
“I wanted my kids to have a solid, stable, upbringing, and they have a great work ethic. They’re all happy. They’re all very satisfied in their world. So I’m proud of them all.”
Their childhoods were very different from her own, Jana said. Her late parents had a tumultuous relationship, ending in divorce when she was 11, and landing her in foster care more than once, she said.
“What I decided to do was just to write it all out and just sing about it,” Jana said. “I actually grew up in foster homes in my teen years, and that was what I decided to do, is just write it all out and sing about it. It was therapy for sure.”
When Jana’s own marriage ended, she looked for a new place to move, visiting seven promising locations before arriving in St. George nearly 20 years ago. She worked two jobs, and started college, determined to build a better future for herself and her children. A few years later her job required her to move to the Salt Lake City area, where she completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
But a decade ago, she decided to give in to a lifelong dream, and she formed Jana and the Rebels. She’s the writer with a country style. Bandmates Chad S. (lead guitar), Brad C. (bass guitar) and Johnni K. (drums) all come from a rock tradition, and their collaboration produces the band’s country-rock vibe, Jana said.
Jana said friends and fans have been recommending Redemption Bar & Grill — at 3517 W. Maradona Drive, in Herriman — for some time now as a good venue with a classy clientele. The three level venue, for guests age 21 and older, has a performance stage and dance area in the basement; a patriotic sports bar with areas for sports events viewing, and another used for karaoke, trivia and bingo nights on the ground floor; and a tiki bar on the second floor.
The grill offers a varied menu with daily specials, and earns raves from established fans and from newcomers.
And Jana said the Friday night concert, starting at 9 p.m., will provide a good time to all.
“We have a lot of friends and groupies and family members who always come,” she said. “I watch the crowd and will change up the music based on what they are doing. So if somebody’s been dancing the last three songs and they’ve been fast, then it’s like, OK, let’s slow it down. That’s part of my job.
“Plus, I sing, and then I’m dancing, you know, and then when the guys are singing a song, then I dance like a maniac and do backups. We fit so well together. And we have so much fun.”
For concert tickets, visit this link.
Redemption Bar & Grill is a proud sponsor of Gephardt Daily and supporter of independent local journalism in Utah.
