Minnesota Lights Musician Spotlight: Zachary Scot Johnson

With the PLA 2026 Conference happening in Tech Logic’s home state, we’re thrilled to welcome you with a proper Minnesota-style celebration, Minnesota Lights! On the evening of April 2, we want to treat PLA attendees to some Minnesota music, food & drink, and atmosphere!

Think s'mores, cozy food, gourmet cocoa, Minnesota brews...what more could a traveler want? How about Minnesota woodcut artwork and door prizes...and Minnesota folk music from Zachary Scot Johnson.

Zachary is an American singer-songwriter and touring musician renowned for his extraordinary commitment to music and creativity. He has shared the stage with a wide range of acclaimed artists and has built a substantial online following through his long-running YouTube series, The Song A Day Project, where he has performed an original song or cover every single day for more than 4,800 consecutive days (over 13 years) without missing a day — a feat that has earned him a loyal global following.

Zachary lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and has been touring continuously since 2001, performing across the United States and appearing on television and radio. He has mastered many instruments including: the piano, acoustic and electric guitar, dobro, banjo, mandolin, violin, lap steel, harmonica, viola, bass, drums, dulcimer, ukulele, and more. He is also a proud member of the Grammy Recording Foundation, which focuses on music education, preservation, and cultural understanding.

To help us get to know Zachary a bit more, we asked him a few questions:

When did you first know you wanted to be a musician?

I’m one of those rare souls who knew from a pretty young age. I got super into Joni Mitchell (still am, btw) when I was in late middle school/ early high school and knew THAT’S what I wanted to do. That was right around the time of Lilith Fair and there were a lot of great singer/ songwriters on the radio at the time who influenced me as well. I went to see Shawn Colvin (who eventually was the first person I ever opened for) in concert and she came out in this enormous venue, called Ravinia, with just her and a guitar and mesmerized everyone there. I loved that she could do it all herself and that really distilled it for me–how powerful a singer/ songwriter can be.

What inspired The Song A Day Project?

I’d released a few cd’s and was gigging like mad, but around 2010 cd sales really slowed. I was hearing it from other musician friends at the time, too. Everyone at shows was asking “Are you on Itunes?”, “Can I play your music on YouTube?” and I had little presence beyond having a few cds out there. I was used to playing these long 4 hour bar sets and knew a lot of songs, so I figured if I could record essentially every song I knew, no matter what people could find it if they wanted. I’ve just yet to stop, 13 and a half years later. :)

What brought you to Minnesota?

I moved here in 2008 because my wife grew up here. We were deciding between here and Austin, TX, and I think we made the right choice. It’s one of the few places where artists can really make a living as a performer.

What can you tell us about Minnesota folk music?

It’s a good community, though we’re going through it as a state right now. There is a LOT of talent here. I hosted a weekly open mic that just ended after two and a half years at the end of 2025 and it was a good time for me to hear the younger/ just getting started out voices–hundreds of them over the couple of years it ran. It’s pretty supportive here, for the most part. I could talk about this at length and frequently do. A lot of good, and a few things I think we all know we need to keep working at.

Who are some of your favorite Minnesota musicians?

John Gorka is a big influence for me and he became a friend. Charlie Parr is incredible. Humbird, though she recently moved across the border to WI is a wonder. Sarah Morris is a songwriting marvel. We’re all hearing good things about this young guy named Bob Dylan out of Hibbing, too.

What are some of your favorite venues to perform at?

The Dakota is lovely. The Parkway and the Cedar. I love all the First Avenue venues, especially the Turf Club. I recently got to play at The Fitzgerald Theatre as a guest on another person’s show and it’s always an honor to be there.

You have played with celebrities like Creed Bratton from the popular TV show The Office, as well as Jeff Daniels from movies like Dumb & Dumber and The Martian. How do these opportunities come about?

Creed is a friend of mine–I opened some shows for him after The Office ended and he went back to touring a bit. When I started thesongadayproject I was in the middle year of 3 years in Arizona, where my wife was doing a grad program, and I used to be able to run over to LA and play with folks. There are a lot of those movie star/ musician combos and I’ve been lucky enough to play with the ones you mentioned, Kevin Costner, Rita Wilson, Juliette Lewis and others. It’s always a different kind of show, but all of them were nice and talented.

You’ve been on multiple tv stations promoting your music (NBC, CBS, ABC). What typically is your message? What do you want to share most about what you do?

I’ve taken to mostly encouraging other people to do whatever they think is their kind of “out there” idea. I had the idea for thesongadayproject a year and a half before I actually started doing it. I wasn’t sure that I was really ready for the potential nastiness of anonymous internet comments. Once I committed to it I realized most people ARE supportive (and I actually do find the harsh comments kind of funny and even sometimes not entirely incorrect) as long as you’re really trying to do something unique and giving it your best effort. I was nervous to begin it but a few years in Rock and Roll hall of Famer (and folk legend) Donovan was calling and inviting me to Ireland to play with him because of it. A year after that I got to do an event with Tony Bennett. The list of crazy stuff that’s happened to/ for me because of this silly idea is not short–but how different would my life look if I’d remained too shy to go for it?

Since our Minnesota Lights event is for librarians, how have libraries impacted your life?

Librarians are my people. We have a wonderful source of funding here in Minnesota for libraries called the legacy funding, and because of that I’ve been lucky enough to perform at at least 75 libraries throughout the entire start. Probably more than that, though I’ve lost count. Librarians see it all, they give SO much. I’m also a regular at the library in my old neighborhood. My wife was truly concerned the first time we went there together–I’d been going there weekly for years and all the librarians knew me by name. We walked in and four different librarians greeted me by name and she was so confused why they all knew me. But I love libraries so much–it’s an equalizer–we’re all the same in a library and we all belong there.

What message of encouragement do you want to share with librarians?

You matter. Your work matters. We appreciate you, truly and sincerely. You create and maintain a space that exists for all, which is an increasing rarity in these times. Thank you!

Zach’s journey shows what’s possible when creativity is matched with consistency and the courage to try something new. His Song A Day Project has grown into a powerful platform for connection, inspiration, and community — reminding us that even the boldest ideas can lead to meaningful impact when we commit to showing up and sharing what we love. We look forward to Zach performing at Minnesota Lights. We hope you can make it! If you haven't RSVP'd yet, you can do so here.

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