On Sunday, March 8, 2026, after a long illness, Janez Hostnik passed away. He was one of the founding members of the Slovenian blues rock outfit Don Mentony Band, later formed Johnny’s Band, and became one of the central figures of the Muzikaviva music school.
Janez Hostnik was first and foremost a guitarist, but he also handled the harmonica. Besides electric and acoustic guitar, other stringed instruments were no strangers to him either, including mandolin and steel guitar. He was also considered an excellent sound engineer and producer, and he was a dab hand whenever an electric guitar needed servicing.
In the first decade of the new millennium, he became the driving force behind the Muzikaviva music school, which seeks out and nurtures young musical talent. In 2013 he also became the school’s principal. Under Muzikaviva’s organizational wing, we got the chance to attend numerous music clinics held in Slovenia, where, alongside Slovenian talents, world-renowned and acclaimed musicians took the stage: Guthrie Govan (The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson, Asia, solo), Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth, Angra, solo), Stuart Hamm (G3, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani), Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson, Jeff Beck), Frank Gambale (Chick Corea Electric Band, Return to Forever IV, Vital Information, Mark Varney Project) and Richie Morales (among others Al Di Meola, Spyro Gira, Victor Bailey).
In 1988 he co-founded the blues rock outfit Don Mentony Band. He stuck with them until 1993, and in that time recorded and released six studio albums with Don Mentony Band. After that he formed Johnny’s Band, who put out the album “Boš ti kej moja bla” in 1994. Even though that’s the group’s only recorded document, Johnny’s Band kept things going the whole time with occasional shows around Slovenia.
He also played on two albums by Janko Ropret that came out in collaboration with Don Mentony Band: “Vrni se” (1992) and “Jesen” (1997).
Janez Hostnik will stay in our memory as a man of exceptional heart. He was a passionate music enthusiast, and that enthusiasm spread effortlessly to everyone around him. Above all, what remains is the unforgettable charm of his infectious character and an incredible sense of humor that could disarm anyone.
Pictured: Janez Hostnik during the opening address at Stuart Hamm’s bass guitar clinic on March 17, 2008 at Orto bar in Ljubljana (RockLine photo archive 2006-2026, all rights reserved). You can read the full RockLine review of this event HERE.
