Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Temiz and Carl Johnson.
Victoria and Carl, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We are Victoria and Carl — the dynamic duo behind Clover Club! Our jazz duo got started after jamming together as neighbors in our apartment complex a few years ago. Last year we joined forces again after climbing out of C-19 and realizing we wanted to share our music more than we were. Fast forward to today, and we now are an official group, have gigs, and have the name… Clover Club!
We picked this name after the pink cocktail made famous at the bar of the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia around the turn of the twentieth century. The drink encapsulates what we’re all about — jazz classics (including french songs and blues) that are both nostalgic and modern. We’re like a vintage jewelry box of jazz in the Twin Cities. We draw inspiration from greats such as Sarah Vaughn, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday, and Peggy Lee, and the collaborations between Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass.
We have performed at venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul such as Rustic Roots, the Finnish Bistro, Creator’s Cup, Gigi’s, Tiny Diner, and Caydence (to name a few). Victoria Temiz is known for her powerful vocals and beautiful tone; she can carry any tune with style and grace. She’s influenced by the classic sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, Edit Piaf, and modern-day jazz singers such as Cyrille Aimée and Cécile McLorin Salvant.
Victoria holds a degree in Vocal Performance from Duquesne University’s music school in Pittsburgh, PA, with an emphasis on voice. Her focus and love of classical music gave her the fundamentals to being the diverse jazz singer she is today. Victoria has been seen gracing the stages of the Benedum Center and the Byham Theater(in Pittsburgh), the ancestral Hall (with the Minnesota Chorale), and the New Century Theater (to name a few).
In addition to performing music, Victoria is also a known actress in the Twin Cities Improv scene having performed at locations including Huge Theater, Strike Theater, and various breweries. She also runs her own digital marketing business, Vita Digital (vitadigital.io), and scarf business, Thread & Flourish (threadandflourish.com).
Guitarist Carl Johnson is a professional firefighter and Navy veteran and has been playing since he was six years old. He has studied at the MacPhail Center For Music, and the Berklee School of Music, and attended the University of Minnesota where he earned a degree in English and also attended the School of Music. His versatility and stylistic diversity are rare among guitarists. From blues to classic rock, fingerstyle to jazz standards, classical to gypsy jazz, he’s anything but a one-trick pony.
With our unique backgrounds, we produce a sound that’s cool, fun, and 100% ours. When needed, we can expand our duo into a trio, quartet, or even a quintet.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been an exciting journey for us! Although we are a new group, neither of us is new to music. We’ve been hard at work developing our unique sound and building an ever-growing list of repertoire to fit a variety of situations. One piece of the puzzle that’s been pretty cool to work with is Carl’s background playing blues guitar. We’ve been able to pull some unique riffs from blues into some songs in a smokey and spicy way that you wouldn’t normally hear performed that way.
Also, Victoria’s experience in theater and improv has added some additional elements to our music. Not only does she sing but she truly focuses on drawing in her audience and sharing a story that others can relate to through her song. Sometimes this even means adding a comedic element, kind of vaudeville-style. So no, it hasn’t been difficult. It’s been a lot of fun so far and we are navigating this crazy road together.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
With my background in marketing and technology, when the world went crazy in 2020, I decided to become my boss and start my own digital marketing business, Vita Digital, where I specialize in search engine optimization (SEO). This is after working years in marketing, project management, and technology, and running my other business (Thread & Flourish).
I help clients all over the United States rank web pages of their sites on Google, Bing, and other search engines for specific keywords tailored to their business to help them grow their revenue. It’s an ever-changing business path that also ties in web design and email automation. SEO is also something that seems to have a lot of mystery surrounding it. When I work with my clients, especially new ones, I work to make sure they understand they know how SEO works, what to expect, and what my process is.
My clients have always appreciated my doing this and keeping them in the loop every step of the way. SEO is suited perfectly for me as it’s a combination of art with science — just like music. You have to be creative with the data you receive to determine how you can do the next best thing for your site to grow your business.
I currently provide SEO site audits and monthly growth packages, web design, and email automation packages to help clients grow their businesses. I also provide free 30-minute consultations to individuals looking for some site guidance. You can learn more about my business here: vitadigital.io
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Oh, so many things!!!
Spotify – Okay. I’ve spent a lot of time on these. I’m an Apple product person, but when it comes to music apps, I still love Spotify even after trying out Apple Music for two years. Spotify just does a better job of thinking beyond popular hits and curating playlists I love.
Things 3 – I love this to-do app to track everything I have to get done. It helps to manage all my todos so nothing gets lost. Best of all, you can purchase a lifetime deal with this one so you don’t have to worry about monthly subscription fees.
Headway – If you want to read a lot of books, but feel limited on time, this app is for you. They summarize books into short 20-minute reads. Don’t get me wrong, if there’s a book I want to read, I’ll still read the book, but this has kept me from buying so many books and just adding them to the shelf. It’s a great investment.
iRealPro – This is specific for musicians but this has been nothing short of a godsend for finding and creating chord charts.
Podcasts – I love podcasts. It’s hard to narrow it down but two of my favorites are: NPR’s Up First – Great way to quickly grab the news headlines in the morning. You’ll Hear It with Peter Martin & Adam Maness – A podcast all about jazz!
Contact Info:
- Website: cloverclubjazz.com and vitadigital.io
- Instagram: @cloverclubjazz
- Facebook: @cloverclubjazz
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@cloverclubjazz
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/clover-club-jazz
- Other: threadandflourish.com
