Calvin Johnson

One of indie rock's most indefatigable figures, Calvin Johnson has made a major impact on underground music as an artist, producer, and label owner. With the influential twee band Beat Happening, he upended notions of what a rock band should sound like with their purposefully spare and primitive approach to pop. He went on to refine his passionate but highly individual vocal style and melodic approach with a number of subsequent projects, including the slightly fractured dance music of Dub Narcotic Sound System, the beat-friendly pop of the Halo Benders, the semi-acoustic folk-leaning rock of the Hive Dwellers, and the indie rock sound and show biz enthusiasm of the Sons of the Soil. As the founder of K Records, he gave a home to recordings from a diverse range of visionary artists, including Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, Kimya Dawson, Bikini Kill, and Chain & the Gang. As a solo act, Johnson has shown a willingness to pursue many different sounds, ranging from the stark acoustic approach of 2002's What Was Me to the fractured rock & roll of 2023's Gallows Wine. Born in Olympia, Washington in 1962, Johnson's first true relationship with music started in 1977. After a trip with his parents to England, just as punk was exploding in the British media, he enrolled in a summer course once home called Radio for Everyone. The 15-year-old Johnson would do his own radio show, playing the latest records by the Jam and the Sex Pistols, and two of the program directors at KAOS, a campus radio station at nearby Evergreen State College, invited Johnson to join their staff. In 1982, while living at the Capitol Theatre Building in Olympia, Johnson began assisting Bruce Pavitt in the production of his music fanzine Sub Pop, which would evolve into the Pacific Northwest's most influential indie label. During this time, Johnson started taking his musical ideas to the stage, performing in bands such as Stella Mae, the Cool Rays, and 003 Legion. In 1983, Johnson co-founded Beat Happening, an underground rock band that became an integral part of the Washington music scene. The trio's minimalist lineup (guitar, drums, and vocals), purposefully amateurish instrumental work, and naive yet knowing lyrical stance would prove to be wildly influential as he upended the idea of what a rock band should sound like while remaining steeped in punk's commitment to individual expression and anti-corporate values. Johnson gave his philosophies another outlet when he started his own label, K Records. Initially issuing material only on cassette, K released a rich variety of music from artists across the United States and around the world, as well as giving Beat Happening their first recording home. As part of K's release schedule, Johnson also established the International Pop Overthrow, a taste-making collection of 7" releases from indie acts that received critical acclaim in the U.S. and Europe. As an offshoot of the single series, Johnson staged a music festival in Olympia, 1991's International Pop Underground Convention, a six-day event that played host to dozens of independent acts from around the world, with all shows open to all ages and a pass for all events costing just $35. Beat Happening quietly and amicably split up in 1992, the year they released You Turn Me On, and after establishing a low-budget recording studio to help document the artists he championed, he launched a funk-influenced group with a revolving lineup, Dub Narcotic Sound System. They issued their first EP, Industrial Breakdown, in 1995, and their debut album, Boot Party, in 1996. Concurrently, Johnson recorded and performed with the Halo Benders, a project featuring Built to Spill leader Doug Martsch and producer Steve Fisk. Their first LP, God Don't Make No Junk, appeared in 1994. Johnson also continued to oversee K's operations while producing and engineering releases for the label from Beck, Built to Spill, and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, among countless others. In 2002, Johnson released his first solo album, What Was Me, a collection of archival guitar-and-voice tracks from his days in Dub Narcotic Sound System. His next solo album, Before the Dream Faded... (2005), was much more of a collaborative affair, including input from Mirah, Adam Forkner, Phil Elverum, and other K regulars. This was followed in 2007 by Calvin Johnson and the Sons of the Soil, which featured new versions of older songs from his catalog, re-recorded with Forkner, Jason Anderson, and Kyle Field. He then debuted a new group called the Hive Dwellers, releasing two singles (2010's "Get In" and 2011's "Lynch the Swan") followed by the full-lengths Hewn from the Wilderness (2012) and Moanin' (2014). In 2016, Johnson released This Party Is Just Getting Started, the debut full-length under his production moniker Selector Dub Narcotic. Johnson teamed with Patrick Carney of the Black Keys for 2018's A Wonderful Beast, a savvy blend of indie rock, dance sounds, and electronics that featured backing vocals from Michelle Branch. 2023's Gallows Wine saw Johnson travel to Columbus, Mississippi to record with the indie rock band Hartle Road as his accompanists. The album was steeped in rockabilly and primal rock & roll influences as Johnson and the band performed with an abundance of energy and even more reverb.
© Jason MacNeil & Mark Deming /TiVo