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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 on 1989's
Black Candy. He went on to refine his passionate but highly individual vocal style and melodic approach with a number of other 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. And 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 pointed but polished rock/electronic fusion of 2018's
A Wonderful Beast.
Born in Olympia, Washington,
Calvin Johnson's first true relationship with music started in 1977. After returning from a trip with his parents to England, he returned and enrolled in a summer course called Radio for Everyone. The 15-year-old would do his own radio show, playing the latest records by
the Jam and
Sex Pistols. Two of the program directors at KAOS, a radio station at nearby Evergreen State College, were interested in having
Johnson join the station. In 1982, while living at the Capitol Theatre Building in Olympia,
Johnson was working on a music fanzine called Sub Pop that would later become an influential label. During this time he also performed in bands such as Stella Mae, the Cool Rays, and 003 Legion.
In 1983, he became a member of
Beat Happening, an underground rock band that became an integral part of the Washington music scene. The band released a series of albums and toured for a number of years. At the same time, he was playing a large role behind the scenes, creating his own record label, K Records, as a way to dissuade young bands from pandering to larger corporate record labels.
Johnson also established the International Pop Overthrow, a collection of 7" releases from indie acts that received critical acclaim in the U.S. and Europe. In the early '90s, he started a new funk-influenced group with a revolving lineup called
Dub Narcotic Sound System and also performed as a member of
the Halo Benders with
Built to Spill leader
Doug Martsch and producer
Steve Fisk. In 1991,
Johnson created the International Pop Underground Festival, a music festival featuring
Bikini Kill,
Fugazi, and
Fastbacks. He has worked with
Beck,
Built to Spill, and
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, among countless others, as a producer and engineer.
In 2002,
Johnson released his first solo album,
What Was Me, a collection of archival tapes 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 started a new group called
the Hive Dwellers, which released 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. ~ Jason MacNeil & Mark Deming