Calvin Johnson (musician)

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Calvin Johnson (musician) : biography

November 1, 1962 –

Halo Benders

Halo Benders was a collaboration between Johnson and Doug Martsch of Built To Spill. 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, 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.

Current projects

In 2008, Calvin Johnson appeared in the film The Lollipop Generation by G.B. Jones.

Calvin’s newest project is Hive Dwellers, who made their recorded début 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.

Relationship with other musicians

After meeting Ian MacKaye 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,Kurt Cobain Journals 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."Nirvana: the True Story by Everett True 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 (private) journal entry.Cobain, Kurt. Journals. Riverhead Books, 2002. pg. 267

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.

Solo discography

  • What Was Me (2002, K Records)
  • Before the Dream Faded… (2005, K Records)
  • Calvin Johnson & The Sons of the Soil (2007, K Records)