Calvin Johnson
Encyclopedia
Calvin Johnson is an American guitarist
, vocalist, songwriter
, music producer, and disc jockey
born in Seattle, Washington
, USA. Known for his uniquely deep, droning singing voice, Johnson was a founding member of the bands Cool Rays
, Beat Happening
, The Go Team
, Dub Narcotic Sound System
, and The Halo Benders
.
Calvin Johnson is also the founder and owner of the influential indie label K Records
, and has been cited as a major player in the beginning of the modern independent music movement. As a prominent figure in the Olympia music scene
, he was one of the major organizers of the seminal International Pop Underground Convention
.
was in 1977 when he became a volunteer at Olympia's community radio station, KAOS-FM
, at the age of fifteen. The station's uniquely progressive programming policy mandated a focus on music available through independent and artist owned labels, rather than centralized corporate media
. This independent, do-it-yourself ethos has been an important influence on Johnson's career. Johnson soon began writing for fanzine
s, such as Sub/Pop (later to become Sub Pop Records) and Op, and also organized music and film events. Johnson attended The Evergreen State College
in Olympia, where his first band, a short-lived group called Cool Rays
, made their debut recordings with Steve Fisk
in 1981. Calvin established K in the summer of 1982.
At some point, his father gave him a Martin acoustic guitar. He later told an interviewer that his father had "received it as a wedding present from his bride."
. Beat Happening were early leaders in the American indie rock and lo-fi movements, noted for their use of primitive recording techniques, disregard for the technical aspects of musicianship, and songs with subject matters of a childish or coy nature. Instruments were guitars, bass and drums, with members frequently switching instruments and Calvin and Heather taking turns on lead vocals. Tours with artists such as Fugazi confused and alienated audience members while articulating a punk rock position of defiance that was more sensitive than macho. The band has been on hiatus since 1992, but briefly resurfaced to release a new 7" in 2001.
, later of Bikini Kill
& Kill Rock Stars
. They toured the West Coast as a two piece, adding Billy Karren for two U.S. tours. The group released several cassettes and 9 singles on K, with a rotating cast of collaborators that included Kurt Cobain
, Rich Jensen, David Nichols, and Donna Dresch
. All of their recordings are currently out of print.
, Lois Maffeo
and director/writer/performer Miranda July
. The lineup later solidified around the trio of Johnson, bassist Chris Sutton (C.O.C.O, Hornet Leg, The Gossip
) and drummer Heather Dunn (Tiger Trap). A catastrophic tour van crash in Montana in 2003 nearly ended the band's career in tragedy. Johnson suffered a major concussion that left him with broken ribs and a serious speech impediment; he has since largely recovered. The band has not toured or released recordings since 2004's Degenerate Introduction.
. From 1994-1998, they released three albums. Calvin's deep baritone voice and Doug's high melodies are heard simultaneously, occasionally harmonizing, but often operating independently of one another. Despite the Halo Benders' critical and commercial success, Martsch's commitment to touring with Built To Spill prevented the band from touring and recording more. The band reunited for a 2008 performance in Boise, and may be working on new material.
His first solo album, What Was Me
, is an introspective album about love, loss, and death. While some songs employ simple nylon-string guitar accompaniment, many feature only Johnson's voice. It also contains duets with Beth Ditto
of The Gossip
and Mirah
.
His second album, Before the Dream Faded...
, is more varied. It includes collaborations with a variety of northwest indie luminaries. The songs cover an odd range of subjects, such as the size and color of hearts, Lucifer
, and falling in love.
The most recent album Calvin Johnson & The Sons of the Soil is a career-spanning collection of re-recorded songs with a band consisting of Kyle Field
, Adam Forkner
, and Jason Anderson, documenting that ensemble's 2003 West Coast touring lineup.
by G.B. Jones.
Calvin's newest project is Hive Dwellers, who made their recorded debut performing Superchunk
's "My Noise" on SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: The Covers! A full-length release is planned for fall 2009.
Calvin has also revived his Dub Narcotic Disco Plate 45 rpm series, collaborating with artists such as Atlas Sound
, Mahjongg
, and Joey Casio at Dub Narcotic to record an A-side, and creating a Selector Dub Narcotic version for the b-side.
in 1980, Johnson later became friends with the members of Fugazi, and Beat Happening
was the opening band on one of Fugazi's first tours.
Johnson has worked with Modest Mouse
, Beck
, Heavenly
, The Microphones
, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
, The Blow, Jens Lekman
, Mecca Normal
, The Gossip
and Built to Spill
, Fifth Column, among many others. Since founding his Dub Narcotic recording studio in 1993, he has produced and engineered recordings by many bands and artists.
Friends of Kurt Cobain
such as Ian Dickson of Earth
, Mark Arm
of Mudhoney
, Bruce Pavitt
and Slim Moon
have all acknowledged Johnson's significant influence on the late musician. Cobain cited Beat Happening
's Jamboree
as one of his favorite records, and even got the K Records
logo (a small "K" in a shield) tattooed on his arm to "try and remind [him] to stay a child." They were friends in the late 80s/early 90s when Cobain lived in Olympia; he'd been a guest with The Go Team
, and on September 25, 1990, Cobain appeared on a KAOS (FM)
show hosted by Johnson and performed a number of songs acoustically
, including a duet with Johnson on the Wipers
song, "D-7." Cobain later grew to resent Johnson's "arrogance" and denounced his ties in a journal
entry.
Johnson is also referred to in the John Peel
session version of the Hole
song, "Olympia" (also credited as "Rock Star" on the album Live Through This
). The band's lead singer, Courtney Love
has the line: 'I went to school with Calvin,' a reference to Johnson's influence within the burgeoning Olympia indie music scene.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, vocalist, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, music producer, and disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
born in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, USA. Known for his uniquely deep, droning singing voice, Johnson was a founding member of the bands Cool Rays
Cool Rays
Cool Rays was a rock band formed by five Evergreen State College students in late 1980. The band is especially notable as Calvin Johnson's first ensemble and one of the earlier expressions of the Olympia music scene that developed in the 1980s and 1990s.Johnson wrote most of the band’s songs,...
, Beat Happening
Beat Happening
Beat Happening is an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members...
, The Go Team
The Go Team
The Go Team was a 1980s band from Olympia, Washington, consisting of Tobi Vail and Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening.-Career:The Go Team was founded in 1985. As Vail described:...
, Dub Narcotic Sound System
Dub Narcotic Sound System
Dub Narcotic Sound System is an Olympia, Washington based indie-funk musical group founded by Calvin Johnson, signed to K Records.-Origins:The band is named after Calvin Johnson's basement recording studio, Dub Narcotic....
, and The Halo Benders
The Halo Benders
The Halo Benders was a band formed in 1994 as a side project by Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening and Doug Martsch of Built to Spill. They released their first album, called God Don't Make No Junk, in 1994...
.
Calvin Johnson is also the founder and owner of the influential indie label K Records
K Records
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays, Beat Happening, The Go Team, The Halo Benders and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Hive Dwellers...
, and has been cited as a major player in the beginning of the modern independent music movement. As a prominent figure in the Olympia music scene
Olympia music scene
The city of Olympia, Washington has been a center of post-hardcore, anti-folk, and other youth-oriented musical genres since at least the late 1970s. Along with Washington D.C., Olympia was a center for the riot grrrl movement in the early 1990s...
, he was one of the major organizers of the seminal International Pop Underground Convention
International Pop Underground Convention
International Pop Underground Convention is a live compilation documenting the International Pop Underground Convention, a six-day festival held at the Capitol Theater in Olympia, Washington in August 1991. The festival was organized by Calvin Johnson, who also performs on the album as part of the...
.
Early years
Calvin's first introduction to underground cultureUnderground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
was in 1977 when he became a volunteer at Olympia's community radio station, KAOS-FM
KAOS (FM)
KAOS is a hybrid college-community radio station licensed to The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. It broadcasts in HD Radio at a power of 1,100 watts and also streams live via the Internet. The station continues to offer free radio broadcasting training to any member of the...
, at the age of fifteen. The station's uniquely progressive programming policy mandated a focus on music available through independent and artist owned labels, rather than centralized corporate media
Corporate media
"Corporate media" is a term which refers to a system of mass media production, distribution, ownership, and funding which is dominated by corporations and their CEOs....
. This independent, do-it-yourself ethos has been an important influence on Johnson's career. Johnson soon began writing for fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
s, such as Sub/Pop (later to become Sub Pop Records) and Op, and also organized music and film events. Johnson attended The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
in Olympia, where his first band, a short-lived group called Cool Rays
Cool Rays
Cool Rays was a rock band formed by five Evergreen State College students in late 1980. The band is especially notable as Calvin Johnson's first ensemble and one of the earlier expressions of the Olympia music scene that developed in the 1980s and 1990s.Johnson wrote most of the band’s songs,...
, made their debut recordings with Steve Fisk
Steve Fisk
Steve Fisk is a Washington-based audio engineer, record producer and musician.Fisk joined the instrumental rock band Pell Mell in 1982. With vocalist Shawn Smith, he formed Pigeonhed, which released its first album in 1993....
in 1981. Calvin established K in the summer of 1982.
At some point, his father gave him a Martin acoustic guitar. He later told an interviewer that his father had "received it as a wedding present from his bride."
Beat Happening
Johnson formed Beat Happening in 1982 with fellow Evergreen students Heather Lewis and Bret LunsfordBret Lunsford
Bret Lunsford is a vocalist, songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of the influential bands Beat Happening and D+...
. Beat Happening were early leaders in the American indie rock and lo-fi movements, noted for their use of primitive recording techniques, disregard for the technical aspects of musicianship, and songs with subject matters of a childish or coy nature. Instruments were guitars, bass and drums, with members frequently switching instruments and Calvin and Heather taking turns on lead vocals. Tours with artists such as Fugazi confused and alienated audience members while articulating a punk rock position of defiance that was more sensitive than macho. The band has been on hiatus since 1992, but briefly resurfaced to release a new 7" in 2001.
Go Team
The Go Team was a collaborative project started in 1985 based around the core duo of Johnson and Tobi VailTobi Vail
Tobi Vail is an independent musician, DIY zinester, and feminist activist from Olympia, Washington, noted primarily as the drummer of the defunct punk band Bikini Kill. She formed one of her first bands as the drummer for The Go Team when she was 15, later collaborating in several other groups...
, later of Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...
& Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
. They toured the West Coast as a two piece, adding Billy Karren for two U.S. tours. The group released several cassettes and 9 singles on K, with a rotating cast of collaborators that included Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
, Rich Jensen, David Nichols, and Donna Dresch
Donna Dresch
Donna Dresch is an American punk rock musician, perhaps best known as founder, guitarist and bass guitarist of Team Dresch and the Queen of Grunge....
. All of their recordings are currently out of print.
Dub Narcotic Sound System
Dub Narcotic, named after Calvin's famed analog recording studio, was a project that explored funkier, more dance-party-oriented material in the tradition of the Stax/Volt house bands. Johnson was the sole member to appear on every recording, surrounded by a loose collective of musicians that's included Larry Butler, Todd Ranslow, and Brian Weber (all members of hip-hop group Dead Presidents). Numerous 7" singles and several full-length albums were released. The revolving door nature of the ensemble led to collaborations with Jon Spencer Blues ExplosionJon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin...
, Lois Maffeo
Lois Maffeo
Courtney Love is an American musician and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Although never achieving mainstream success, she has been closely involved with and influenced many independent musicians, especially in the 90s Olympia, Seattle and DC based musician.-as Lois Maffeo:albums*The...
and director/writer/performer Miranda July
Miranda July
Miranda July is a performing artist, writer, actress and film director. Born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger, she works under the surname of "July," which can be traced to a character from a "girlzine" Miranda created with high school friend Johanna Fateman, called Snarla.- Background :Miranda...
. The lineup later solidified around the trio of Johnson, bassist Chris Sutton (C.O.C.O, Hornet Leg, The Gossip
The Gossip
Gossip is a three-piece American indie rock band formed in 1999. The band consists of singer Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control . A follow-up, Music for...
) and drummer Heather Dunn (Tiger Trap). A catastrophic tour van crash in Montana in 2003 nearly ended the band's career in tragedy. Johnson suffered a major concussion that left him with broken ribs and a serious speech impediment; he has since largely recovered. The band has not toured or released recordings since 2004's Degenerate Introduction.
Halo Benders
Halo Benders was a collaboration between Johnson and Doug Martsch of Built To SpillBuilt to Spill
Built to Spill is an American indie rock band based in Boise, Idaho. The band has released seven full-length albums. Their most recent album, There Is No Enemy, was released on October 6, 2009.-History:...
. From 1994-1998, they released three albums. Calvin's deep baritone voice and Doug's high melodies are heard simultaneously, occasionally harmonizing, but often operating independently of one another. Despite the Halo Benders' critical and commercial success, Martsch's commitment to touring with Built To Spill prevented the band from touring and recording more. The band reunited for a 2008 performance in Boise, and may be working on new material.
Solo career
Concurrent with his activity with Dub Narcotic Sound System, Johnson began performing solo shows under his own name. Calvin's solo material was a marked contrast to the upbeat rock of Halo Benders and the funk-soul of DNSS, as it allowed him to explore mournful blues, folk, & gospel elements.His first solo album, What Was Me
What Was Me
What Was Me is the first solo record by K Records founder and Beat Happening member Calvin Johnson. It is a sparse record with most of the tracks containing only voice and guitar. A few tracks are a cappella. Calvin duets with fellow Pacific Northwestern musician Mirah on "Ode To St...
, is an introspective album about love, loss, and death. While some songs employ simple nylon-string guitar accompaniment, many feature only Johnson's voice. It also contains duets with Beth Ditto
Beth Ditto
Mary Beth Patterson, known by her stage name Beth Ditto , is an American singer-songwriter, most famous for her work with the indie rock band Gossip.-Personal life:...
of The Gossip
The Gossip
Gossip is a three-piece American indie rock band formed in 1999. The band consists of singer Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control . A follow-up, Music for...
and Mirah
Mirah
Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn , is an American musician based in San Francisco California. She has released five albums under the K Records label.- Background :...
.
His second album, Before the Dream Faded...
Before the Dream Faded...
Before the Dream Faded... is the second album of DIY guru Calvin Johnson. It features production and instrumentation from such K Records regulars as Phil Elverum, Mirah, Khaela Maricich, Adam Forkner and Jona Bechtolt...
, is more varied. It includes collaborations with a variety of northwest indie luminaries. The songs cover an odd range of subjects, such as the size and color of hearts, Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
, and falling in love.
The most recent album Calvin Johnson & The Sons of the Soil is a career-spanning collection of re-recorded songs with a band consisting of Kyle Field
Kyle Field
Kyle Field is the football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggie football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a complete stadium since 1927. It is known as The Home of the 12th Man...
, Adam Forkner
Adam Forkner
Adam Forkner is a musician from Portland, Oregon who, since 2003, has performed as White Rainbow.-as White Rainbow:*"Humidifier Plaza" digital, self-released via whiterainbowpizza.bandcamp.com 2011...
, and Jason Anderson, documenting that ensemble's 2003 West Coast touring lineup.
Current projects
In 2008, Calvin Johnson appeared in the film The Lollipop GenerationThe Lollipop Generation
The Lollipop Generation is the first feature film by G.B. Jones.The Lollipop Generation premiered as the Gala Feature presentation of the Images Festival in Toronto on April 3, 2008....
by G.B. Jones.
Calvin's newest project is Hive Dwellers, who made their recorded debut performing Superchunk
Superchunk
Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer/guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that helped define the Chapel Hill music scene of the 1990s...
's "My Noise" on SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: The Covers! A full-length release is planned for fall 2009.
Calvin has also revived his Dub Narcotic Disco Plate 45 rpm series, collaborating with artists such as Atlas Sound
Atlas Sound
Bradford James Cox is an American musician best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Atlanta, Georgia-based psychedelic and ambient band Deerhunter. He also pursues a solo career under the moniker Atlas Sound. Cox formed Deerhunter with drummer Moses Archuleta in 2001. The band has released...
, Mahjongg
Mahjongg (band)
将麻 is a two-piece band based in Chicago, Illinois formerly known as "Mahjongg," consisting of multi-instrumentalist Hunter Husar and drummer Josh Johannpeter...
, and Joey Casio at Dub Narcotic to record an A-side, and creating a Selector Dub Narcotic version for the b-side.
Relationship with other musicians
After meeting Ian MacKayeIan MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk bands Minor Threat and The Teen Idles, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well...
in 1980, Johnson later became friends with the members of Fugazi, and Beat Happening
Beat Happening
Beat Happening is an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members...
was the opening band on one of Fugazi's first tours.
Johnson has worked with Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. They are based in Portland, Oregon. Since their 1996 debut album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think...
, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Heavenly
Heavenly (British band)
Heavenly were a 1990s twee pop band, originally forming in Oxford, England in 1989. Amelia Fletcher , Mathew Fletcher , Peter Momtchiloff and Robert Pursey had all been members of Talulah Gosh, a key member of the C86 scene.-History:Heavenly debuted with the 7" single "I Fell in Love Last...
, The Microphones
The Microphones
The Microphones was a lo-fi band based in Olympia, Washington, and fronted by Phil Elvrum. Elvrum is the principal member of the band, but he has collaborated with many other musicians on his records....
, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin...
, The Blow, Jens Lekman
Jens Lekman
Jens Martin Lekman is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. The English lyrics reflect an advanced knowledge of the language and its idioms...
, Mecca Normal
Mecca Normal
Formed by Jean Smith and David Lester in 1984, Mecca Normal is a two-piece indie rock band from Vancouver, Canada. Smith writes lyrics and sings in a style that is often confrontational and laced with feminist themes; Lester's melodic yet dissonant guitar swirls and loops around her vocals...
, The Gossip
The Gossip
Gossip is a three-piece American indie rock band formed in 1999. The band consists of singer Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control . A follow-up, Music for...
and Built to Spill
Built to Spill
Built to Spill is an American indie rock band based in Boise, Idaho. The band has released seven full-length albums. Their most recent album, There Is No Enemy, was released on October 6, 2009.-History:...
, Fifth Column, among many others. Since founding his Dub Narcotic recording studio in 1993, he has produced and engineered recordings by many bands and artists.
Friends of Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
such as Ian Dickson of Earth
Earth (band)
Earth is an American musical group based in Seattle, Washington, formed in 1989 and led by guitarist Dylan Carlson.Earth's music is nearly all instrumental, and can be divided into two distinct stages...
, Mark Arm
Mark Arm
Mark Arm is the vocalist for the grunge band Mudhoney. He is also credited with coining the term "grunge" to describe his style of rock music...
of Mudhoney
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
, Bruce Pavitt
Bruce Pavitt
-History:After briefly attending Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois and subsequently transferring to The Evergreen State College in Washington State, Pavitt started a fanzine entitled Subterranean Pop in Olympia, Washington in 1980, about American independent rock bands. Three cassette...
and Slim Moon
Slim Moon
Slim Moon is the founder of the independent music label, Kill Rock Stars. He also started its sister label, 5 Rue Christine...
have all acknowledged Johnson's significant influence on the late musician. Cobain cited Beat Happening
Beat Happening
Beat Happening is an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members...
's Jamboree
Jamboree (Beat Happening album)
Jamboree is the second album by Beat Happening, released in 1988 through K Records/Rough Trade Records. All songs were produced by Steve Fisk with assistance from Screaming Trees members Mark Lanegan and Gary Lee Conner , except "Cat Walk," produced by Patrick Maley, and "The This Many Boyfriends...
as one of his favorite records, and even got the K Records
K Records
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays, Beat Happening, The Go Team, The Halo Benders and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Hive Dwellers...
logo (a small "K" in a shield) tattooed on his arm to "try and remind [him] to stay a child." They were friends in the late 80s/early 90s when Cobain lived in Olympia; he'd been a guest with The Go Team
The Go Team
The Go Team was a 1980s band from Olympia, Washington, consisting of Tobi Vail and Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening.-Career:The Go Team was founded in 1985. As Vail described:...
, and on September 25, 1990, Cobain appeared on a KAOS (FM)
KAOS (FM)
KAOS is a hybrid college-community radio station licensed to The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. It broadcasts in HD Radio at a power of 1,100 watts and also streams live via the Internet. The station continues to offer free radio broadcasting training to any member of the...
show hosted by Johnson and performed a number of songs acoustically
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
, including a duet with Johnson on the Wipers
Wipers
The Wipers were a punk rock group formed in Portland, Oregon in 1977 by guitarist Greg Sage, drummer Sam Henry and bassist Dave Koupal. Wipers were one of the earliest American purveyors of the genre, and the group's tight song structure and use of heavy distortion has been hailed as extremely...
song, "D-7." Cobain later grew to resent Johnson's "arrogance" and denounced his ties in a journal
Journals (Cobain)
Journals is a collection of writings and drawings by Kurt Cobain, lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana. Though the content is undated, it is arranged in an approximation of chronological order, starting with a letter Cobain wrote to Dale Crover in 1988, and ending with a rant about...
entry.
Johnson is also referred to in the John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
session version of the Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
song, "Olympia" (also credited as "Rock Star" on the album Live Through This
Live Through This
Live Through This is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Hole. It was released by Geffen Records on April 12, 1994, just four days after frontwoman Courtney Love's husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead in their home....
). The band's lead singer, Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
has the line: 'I went to school with Calvin,' a reference to Johnson's influence within the burgeoning Olympia indie music scene.
Solo discography
- What Was MeWhat Was MeWhat Was Me is the first solo record by K Records founder and Beat Happening member Calvin Johnson. It is a sparse record with most of the tracks containing only voice and guitar. A few tracks are a cappella. Calvin duets with fellow Pacific Northwestern musician Mirah on "Ode To St...
(2002, K Records) - Before the Dream Faded...Before the Dream Faded...Before the Dream Faded... is the second album of DIY guru Calvin Johnson. It features production and instrumentation from such K Records regulars as Phil Elverum, Mirah, Khaela Maricich, Adam Forkner and Jona Bechtolt...
(2005, K Records) - Calvin Johnson & The Sons of the Soil (2007, K records)
External links
- dubnarcotic.org
- Interview with Kittenpants.orgKittenpantsKittenpants was an online humor magazine published monthly from 2000 to 2005 on Kittenpants.org. Kittenpants was founded by Darci Ratliff, who also wrote under the name Kittenpants for other publications, including the Comedy Central Insider...
- Present! interview