Calvin Johnson 'documents' the decades through music

Originally published January 27, 2009 in The Daily Democrat.

In many indie rock and punk music circles, Calvin Johnson is known as a musician, producer and founder of the influential, independent record label K Records. However, a better word to describe Johnson is documentarian.

As a teenager in the late ’70s, Johnson became involved with the underground art culture in Olympia, Wash., and has been documenting his community ever since. Through such outlets as, independent zines, community radio shows, cassettes, vinyl records, CDs and digital music, his experiences and creative endeavors of others have been cemented into history.

In addition to spotlighting his community, Johnson said that he has been playing music as a member of numerous bands and a solo artist for a few decades. He will be performing his solo work on Tuesday at Delta of Venus in Davis.

Johnson said that not only does the process of documenting one’s community allow for others to learn about different parts of the world, but it also equips people with knowledge, creativity and technological skills. He became engaged with events in his community while being a volunteer and DJ at Olympia’s community radio station, KAOS-FM.

“It trains people from consumers to producers,” he said.

Looking at all the things that Johnson has been involved with, whether it be writing for a music zine or starting K Records, which began as a cassette-only label in 1982, it is evident that he values creativity over following the latest fad.

“How relevant any of those mediums (community radio, cassettes, vinyl records) are, depends on how they are used,” Johnson said.

Just like the variety of mediums to express creativity, there is a lot of diversity in the K Records catalog and in Johnson’s own music projects. While the focus was on Olympia bands during the first years of K Records, the label has grown to include international bands of different genres.

By exploring the list of current and former K Records artists, examples of what one will find includes punk bands like Bikini Kill, noise rock bands like Old Time Relijun, singer songwriters like Mirah and Kimya Dawson and indie pop bands like Saturday Looks Good to Me.

Ranging from Beat Happening’s sweet indie pop in the ’80s to the funkier beats of Dub Narcotic Sound System, formed in ’93, Johnson’s music is just as varied as his label’s roster. Even his solo work has transformed from album to album.

Johnson said that his first solo album, “What Was Me,” was released in 2002 and it was very basic, only incorporating his voice and guitar. Some tracks were recorded accapella and others featured duets with K Records artist Mirah.

The following album, “Before the Dream Faded,” was released in 2005 and was a collaboration of several producers, Johnson said. The songs were expanded with the use of electronic beats.

With his third solo album, “Calvin Johnson and the Sons of the Soil,” Calvin took yet another direction by adding a full band. The album also featured a different take on some songs from the stripped-down album, “What Was Me.”

“It seemed like that they had different perspectives,” he said.

While the sound of each album is different, the passion for music remains consistent. Johnson seems to have an endless amount of ideas and he is not afraid to act on them, regardless of how strange they may seem. His droning, baritone voice calls for an acquired taste. However, the ease and honesty in his lyrics and music may help listeners overcome doubts.

Johnson has worked on music as a solo artist and as part of a collaboration with many people, but he said that he does not prefer one more than the other. As a solo artist he is able to concentrate more on his music. As a member of a group, arrangements of songs are more spontaneous and people feed off each other’s energy.

“People can influence each other in terms of the feeling,” he said.

Even when Johnson is working with bands on his record label, the spontaneous, collaborative feeling is present, Johnson said. Whether he is working with a veteran musician or a new, up-and-coming band, Johnson learns something new from every project.

“I feel like I’m their student,” he said.

Johnson said that during recent recording sessions with Chain and the Gang, he was very inspired because everyone was contributing ideas, which would lead to a string of more suggestions.

“The feeling was so good and positive,” Johnson said.

He was also in the studio recently recording his own music, he said. Fourteen tracks were recorded for a new project called the Hive Dwellers, which he projects will be released in the fall.

While many veteran musicians like Johnson often put down new music and reminisce about the “good times” of their childhoods, Johnson said that he is optimistic about the future. Music scenes are growing and improving as more people start bands and open live music venues. Johnson is just happy to continue his involvement with music.

“I’m glad that I have the privilege to work with so many creative people.”

Album Review: Her Space Holiday - XOXO, Panda And the New Kid Revival

Originally published December 2, 2008 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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Her Space Holiday
XOXO Panda, And the New Kid Revival
Mush Records

With XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival, Marc Bianchi, the man behind Her Space Holiday, does not have any plans to bore his fans with the same sound album after album.

“Oh I love you so very much / So much in fact I’m gonna switch it up”, Bianchi proclaims on the single “Sleepy Tigers”.

The line most likely is directed at a love interest, but it rightly describes Bianchi’s music career. Bianchi has proven his love for music and his fans by dabbling in numerous genres. In the early 1990s, he was a part of the hardcore scene in the California bay area with bands Indian Summer and Mohinder. However, for the past 12 years, he has been most known for the fuzzy electronic-fused indie pop recorded as Her Space Holiday.

XOXO, Panda is just another name that Bianchi has taken on, and The New Kid Revival is a more organic and spirited movement. The Her Space Holiday from the albums The Young Machines (2003) and The Past Presents the Future (2005) is not found here.

The whispered secrets and confessions that made listeners blush with guilt are replaced with clear and joyful chants. Synthetic string arrangements and drum machines disappear as guitars, banjo, mandolin, glockenspiel, and tambourines take center stage.

While Bianchi’s voice still is distinct, he sings with much more ease and honesty. The lyrics remain personal and, like any other Her Space Holiday song, illustrate captivating stories and images.

The newly acquired sound helps keep Her Space Holiday fans on their toes, but it is not something that would be difficult to find elsewhere. The handclaps and folk sound of “No More Good Ideas” and “The Boys and Girls” are similar to The Shins and Port O’Brien. Yet, with those same handclaps, Bianchi taps into a kid’s carefree energy and overshadows any hesitation to enjoy the album and sing along.

Album Review: Daniel Martin Moore - Stray Age

Originally published November 20, 2008 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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Daniel Martin Moore
Stray Age
Sub Pop Records

Daniel Martin Moore probably did not set out to be a singer/songwriter. The honesty and simplicity of his music give the impression that he possesses effortless natural talent. Moore recorded some songs, and, on a whim, sent them to Sub Pop Records. Sincerity, talent, and the unsolicited demo paid off, leading to the release of Stray Age. The calming melodies are similar to the music from the Pacific Northwest, but the bass and delicate guitar plucking reveal Moore’s Kentucky roots. The album is modest and intriguing, hinting that Moore is just getting started.

Album Review: Desolation Wilderness - White Light Strobing

Originally published November 20, 2008 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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Desolation Wilderness
White Light Strobing
K Records

If every old photo album carried a music chip, Desolation Wilderness would play at the turn of each page. Hailing from Olympia, Wash., Nicolaas Zwart is the brain behind Desolation Wilderness, and, with the help of a few friends, he created a record that reflects the lush scenery of his city. The sound is somewhere between The Album Leaf’s ambiance and Beach House’s timelessness. With heavy use of reverb, Zwart’s faint vocals travel through the instrumentation, which includes guitar, vibraphone, synthesizer and glockenspiel, in search of light. White Light Strobing is like a faded memory that resurfaces a warm, happy feeling.

Album Review: Free Blood - The Singles

Originally published November 20, 2008 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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Free Blood
The Singles
Rong Music / DFA Records

Since forming in 2003, Free Blood has released its music in small doses. The band started sharing its music in live settings only. When songs were finally recorded, they were released as three 12-inch vinyl singles on U.K. label Adventures Close to Home. Perhaps Free Blood was afraid people would not be able to handle its chaotic party sound in large doses. Luckily, listeners now have the chance to take a risk with the six songs and five remixes found on The Singles.

Free Blood is Madeline Davy and former !!! vocalist, John Pugh. The duo takes it a bit easy on the first track, “Never Hear Surf Music Again”, allowing listeners to warm up. The song seems harmless with Pugh’s whispered vocals and soft percussion, but the first lyric hints at the mayhem that Free Blood is about to unleash.

“There must be some fucking chemical that makes us different from animals”.

Whatever that chemical is, it has a strong presence throughout the album. “Never Hear Surf Music Again” hits a high with screeching violins and strings that sound to be flying all over the place.

Free Blood mixes a lot of different elements, but the overall sound is collected and catchy. The lyrics are phrases that partygoers could easily remember and shout out while making their way across dance floors.

With laughter in the background and Pugh and Davy trading off vocals, tracks sound like recordings of a schoolyard. Free Blood embodies the energy of hyper children, and the music is spastic. It’s similar to Hella and has infectious beats comparable to LCD Soundsystem.

At times it might be hard to differentiate Free Blood from Pugh’s work in !!!, but a few more listens reveal a more funky and free-spirited tone. Most of the remixes on The Singles are glum and do not offer the songs a distinctive contrast; however, it would not be a bad thing to overdose on anything Free Blood produces.

Album Review: Tobacco - Fucked Up Friends

Originally published October 7, 2008 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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Tobacco
Fucked Up Friends
Anticon. Records

In high school, my idea of multi-tasking was doing homework while simultaneously watching TV, listening to the radio and talking on the phone. Tobacco’s Fucked Up Friends is kind of like that. Sounds travel in all directions and frequencies, mystically making sense.

Tobacco’s instrumental songs are more cryptic than his work in Black Moth Super Rainbow, but still powerfully demand attention. Gripping hip-hop beats add the feel of dusty vinyl and fuzzy analog synths set the listener’s brain on coast. With guest vocals from Aesop Rock on “Dirt”, Tobacco proves that he is making friends with the right people.

Album Review: Pretty & Nice - Get Young

Originally published October 7, 2008 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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Pretty & Nice
Get Young
Hardly Art

The sophomore album from Boston’s Pretty & Nice, out on Sub Pop’s Hardly Art label, brings bands like Hot Hot Heat, The Futureheads, and, at times, The Hives to mind. However, don’t be fooled by the hard-hitting opening of “Piranha”: there is hardly anything garage rock about Get Young. The album, recorded in the band’s basement, is theatrical pop with its frantic and hyper jingle and jangle of percussion and synth. The band’s exuberance is mod but fun. Yet, it is hard to tell if they can offer anything that will set them apart from others.

Album Review: Woodhands - Heart Attack

Originally published September 26, 2008 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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Woodhands
Heart Attack
Paper Bag Records

Before superstar athletes such as Michael Phelps hit Beijing for the Olympics, Toronto-based electro duo Woodhands chalked one up for Canada. Woodhands’ Chinese debut in May made a splash with two electrifying performances that reached energy levels of Olympic proportions. Without skipping a beat, Woodhands backs up the well-received performances with its sophomore release, Heart Attack.

Heart Attack is the first Woodhands album on Toronto’s independent label, Paper Bag Records, home to Broken Social Scene and Tokyo Police Club’s back catalog. Staying true to the label’s dynamic roster, Woodhands opts out from the laptop route of making electronic music and instead records and performs with more conventional instruments. Woodhands is composed of Dan Werb on vocals, keytar, synthesizers, and drum machines and Paul Banwatt on drums and vocals. The outcome is a loud mix of piercing beats and punchy sounds that rival the high spirits of other 2008 dance records such as Hot Chip’s Made in the Dark and Girl Talk’s Feed the Animals.

Not only do Werb and Banwatt create songs that can fuel a dance party well into the night, but they also add an element of surprise to each track. “In the Woods” begins with gritty synthesizers and pounding bass, but it ends with the organic sound of hand drums. Banwatt’s drumming really stands out and is refreshing against the synthesizers and loops.

Other surprise treats include guest vocals by fellow Canadian and Henri Fabergé and The Adorables member Maylee Todd on “Dancer”. Todd’s voice on the track is graceful and wistful; unfortunately, Werb tries to add contrast with brash vocoder shouts, which end up sounding a little too harsh and distracting. Werb alters his voice on quite a few occasions, but he sounds best when his less-abrasive and natural voice is tweaked to sound spacey and robotic.

Heart Attack ends on an elegant note with the softer “Straighten the Curtain” and “Sailboats” signaling the end of the dance party but leaving the listener with anticipation for the next one.

Album Review: Pop Levi - Never Never Love

Originally published September 26, 2008 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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Pop Levi
Never Never Love
Counter Records

Pop Levi makes music for the alter ego in all of us. One moment he is exuberant and confident, and the next he is shy and vulnerable. Levi is a complicated man, but one thing is for sure: if you opened his brain, lavish amounts of bright colors, geometric shapes, and sonic passion would burst out.

Nothing other than passion should be expected from an album recorded at Quincy Jones’ old studio, Westlake, the same place where Michael Jackson recorded Thriller and Off the Wall. The studio’s history can be clearly heard on Levi’s sophomore release, Never Never Love, but there is also something futuristic in its sound. Levi (who was born in London but now resides in Los Angeles) takes notes from Prince and Bob Dylan and puts them through a time warp to the future and back.

The “futuristic” element in Levi’s euphoric pop songs may be credited to his time spent as Ladytron’s touring bassist. The first half of Never Never Love is filled with an array of gadgets, handclaps, and colorful beats. The title track sounds like a toy factory where knobs are pulled, paint is slapped on, and characters are wound up like a Jack-in-the-box surprise. Levi’s voice is radiant and attention-grabbing, while gritty guitars and funky baselines keep the music from becoming a joke.

The album stays strong through the eccentric-folk “Semi-Babe” and the bizarre but charming “Mai’s Space”. However, Levi loses momentum on the second half of the album when he channels what seems to be his more reflective alter ego. By softening the loud guitars and adding a gentle piano, Levi showcases his soothing vocals: he remains flamboyant, but sometimes too over-the-top. “Everything & Finally” is the closest Levi comes to singing a tribute to Prince, but gets a little carried away. On a few parts, Levi sounds like he is stuck in a room filled with helium.

Levi likes experimenting with his voice and has diverse music tastes, but Never Never Love lacks balance. The album presents Levi at a fork in the road. Without a more narrow focus, he can become the token oddball troubadour, whereas, songs like the swaggering “Dita Dimoné”, make Levi a credible musician without sacrificing his zest. For the sake of variety in pop music, let’s hope he continues with the latter.

Artist Feature: Tilly and the Wall

Originally published in the Summer 2008 issue of Redefine.
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Omaha's Tilly and the Wall has one piece of advice -- watch your step.

The emerging band, which has been stomping its way into the hearts of music lovers since its formation in 2001, just released its third album. The album illustrates the nurturing and delicate relationship that Tilly and the Wall has with music. One clumsy step can shatter all of the hard work that tap dancer and percussionist Jamie Pressnall, vocalist and guitarist Derek Pressnall, keyboardist Nick White, and vocalists Kianna Alarid and Neely Jenkins have poured into the music.

Tilly and the Wall cultivated the album's vision with tender care and will not let anyone stunt its growth -- a sentiment that is explained in the song "Blood Flowers."

"I waited for something to grow and flourish with time/ I counted each hopeful raindrop as it poured to its death/ I dusted the mournful frost and warmed it with my breath/ You better watch where you're walking, there might be somebody's blood flower growing/ You better watch what you're doing, don't go fucking around in the garden."

From music to the cover art, Tilly and he Wall has carefully developed an album that creates a unique experience for listeners, says Alarid. The album is technically untitled but is affectionately referred to as O because its cover is an oval-shaped frame that can be filled with anything a listener chooses to fill it with.

However, if nothing comes to minds of the listeners, they will have artwork to choose from. The band rallied numerous artist friends and had each of them design handmade prints for the album. Each cover has a limited run of 1,000 copies. In addition, each member of the band created a cover of his or her own, and they ran only 250 copies of those particular pieces.

To ensure that each cover has its own distinctive vibe, band members gave the designers very little guidance.

"Some of them would call and say 'I want to talk about the record,'" Alarid recalls, "but we would say, 'Nope.'"

The various covers are not the only things fans can look forward to; the latest release has a great amount of confidence and finesse.

While the band's debut Wild Like Children had some memorable tracks, its overall effort was subtle. Two years later, Bottom of Barrels was released and led to opportunity; the band was given the chance to play gigs at notable music festivals, such as, the Reading/Leeds Festival and Coachella.

But O is edgy and scorching with passion. Alarid credits the band's musical progression via touring and, to put it simply: time. The band has worked on learning about each other's songwriting techniques, and each member contributes to the process.

Members of Tilly and the Wall have used their abundant songwriting skills their advantage. It would be easy for a band from such a musically-inclined city to sound identical to the handful of successful Omaha bands like Cursive and Bright Eyes, but Tilly and the Wall has managed to create a lovely coherent sound of its own.

"When you have five different songwriters, it kind of makes a unique sound because you have to make five people's sound fit together," Alarid says.

Tilly and the Wall may not sound like most bands in Omaha, but the band does have strong connections with the city's music scene. Jenkins and Jamie Pressnall used to be in Park Ave. with Conor Oberst before his Bright Eyes fame. Years later, Tilly and the Wall was Oberst's first signing to his Team Love record label, a Saddle Creek affiliate.

Oberst also had a hand in production for Wild Like Children, but for O, Tilly and the Wall turned to another Nebraskan, Mike Mogis.

Mogis, who owns his own state-of-the-art studio and has worked with a lot of staple indie artists, such as, Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, and M. Ward, brought a lot of ideas to the table and allowed the band members to carry out various ideas that they previously did not have the resources to do so. Mogis suggested an array of instruments and different micing techniques for the band.

"His brain is always going a thousand miles an hour," Alarid says.

The band always wanted to included a tap dance troupe on a recording, and the vision was made into a reality on the track "Pot Kettle Black." A 10-person stomp troupe was recorded in an elementary school gym specifically for the song. The track is a powerful, tongue-in-cheek message about trash-talking; it shows Tilly and the Wall's hidden fierceness. The vocals reveal the appealing intensity of Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O and Pretty Girls Make Graves' Andrea Zollo.

However, listeners should not be alarmed by the forceful passion of O. Tilly and the Wall's gleeful group chants and hand claps are still very prominent. Songs like "Jumbler" and "Poor Man's Ice Cream" feature infectious thumping rhythms and trade-off vocals between the female and male vocalists.

The cheery attitude that is the essence of Tilly and the Wall has even caught the attention of Sesame Street. The band recorded a video for their rendition of the "ABC Song," which will be featured on the show's 39th season this fall.

As for Sesame Street characters, Alarid chooses Grover as her favorite.

"Having a monster that is insecure is so cute."

Before catching Tilly and the Wall on national television, fans can experience the band's exuberant passion all over the United States this summer. Just be sure not to trample on any thriving flowers.