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Raised in Florida, Georgia, and Maryland, indie rock innovator John Vanderslice grew up listening to a mix of Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Kinks, and Southern rock, which instilled an eclectic musical vocabulary that informed his own songwriting. Forced into piano lessons as a child, he eventually picked up the guitar in the eighth grade and formed several bands during his teen years. His songwriting added influences from David Bowie, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, King Crimson, XTC, and early Genesis, culminating in his five-year tenure with the much-heralded experimental pop band MK Ultra. Their collaboration produced three well-received albums and resulted in an opening spot on two Sunny Day Real Estate American tours.
Meanwhile, Vanderslice also started Tiny Telephone, a small San Francisco recording studio, in 1997. Boasting a variety of respected and experienced house engineers, Tiny Telephone gained a reputation as an affordable recording outlet for the city's indie rock community. It also produced Vanderslice's solo debut, Mass Suicide Occult Figurines, in 2000. The album drew a substantial amount of critical praise for its meticulously crafted pop-perfect sound. The prolific Vanderslice issued the Time Travel Is Lonely and Life and Death of an American Fourtracker LPs over the next two years, and solidified his reputation as a literate, ever-curious songwriter and sonic technician. As he experimented with character-driven themes, he recorded the brilliantly convoluted Cellar Door in 2004 and Pixel Revolt in 2005. A series of tours followed.
In July 2007, Barsuk Records released Emerald City, yet another highly conceptual endeavor hailed for its politically charged lyrics and subtle mix of electronics and acoustic guitars. Romanian Names followed in 2009. For his next release, Vanderslice collaborated with Minna Choi and her Magik*Magik Orchestra, as well as producer John Congleton. Together, the musicians recorded White Wilderness in three days, releasing it in early 2011 via the Dead Oceans label.
from Wikipedia:
John Vanderslice (born May 22, 1967 in Gainesville, Florida) is an American musician and songwriter. Previously a member of the band Mk Ultra, he now records and performs as a solo artist.
Early years
Vanderslice grew up in Florida and Georgia, before his family moved to Maryland when he was 11. After playing in several bands in his teenage years, he spent five years as a member of the experimental pop band MK Ultra, with whom he released three albums in the 1990s.
During this period, he also founded a recording studio, Tiny Telephone, in the Mission District of San Francisco. Established in 1997, the studio was initially used as a rehearsal space before being developed as a full-time, all-analog recording studio. Bands who have recorded in the studio include Death Cab for Cutie, Okkervil River, Deerhoof, The Magnetic Fields, and Spoon.
Solo career
In 2000, Vanderslice released his first solo album, Mass Suicide Occult Figurines, and briefly gained some national media attention for the single "Bill Gates Must Die" after concocting a hoax in which Microsoft supposedly threatened legal action over the song; Vanderslice then however had trouble manufacturing the CD because the artwork resembled that of a Windows installation disc, and at least one manufacturer was wary of legal action. During the controversy, he was interviewed by Spin, Wired, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Time Travel is Lonely and Life and Death of an American Fourtracker followed in 2001 and 2002 respectively, followed by 2004’s Cellar Door.
Many songs on the 2005 album Pixel Revolt referenced the September 11, 2001 attacks and the Iraq War and were more overtly political in their lyrical content. The album earned an 8.3 rating on Pitchfork Media and was cited for its "meticulous arrangements" with "everything in its right place", and declared an "excellent album". The album's ending resolves the narrator's struggles with acute depression ("Dead Slate Pacific"), suicidal thoughts ("The Golden Gate") with a love song to psychotropic drugs ("CRC 7173, Affectionately").
The title of his 2007 album, Emerald City, references the nickname of the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad and The Wizard of Oz. "I was so beaten down after the 2000 election and after 9/11 and then the invasion of Iraq, Afghanistan," said Vanderslice. "I was so depleted as a person after all that stuff happened, that I had to write my way out of it." Emerald City achieved a score of 80/100 on Metacritic. Entertainment Weekly called the album "a gleaming gem" that doesn't disappoint. Billboard's review of the record called Vanderslice an "always perceptive lyricist." Calling Vanderslice a "master story-teller", Matt Fink of Paste said that Emerald City was "vividly imagined yet subtle in tone, with conflicted character sketches unfolding around somber synth melodies, creaky electronic effects, and fuzzy acoustic guitar strums."
In 2009, he released the album Romanian Names.
In 2010, Vanderslice released a free EP called Green Grow The Rushes. A full album, White Wilderness, was released on January 25th, 2011 on Dead Oceans. He recorded the album with Minna Choi and her Magik*Magik Orchestra in three days in Berkeley. It was produced and recorded by John Congleton.
Vanderslice has often chosen bands to tour with him who have gone on to widespread recognition and critical respect, including Sufjan Stevens, Okkervil River, The Tallest Man On Earth and St. Vincent.
Recording technique and collaborations
Vanderslice is a proponent of using analog instruments and recording equipment to produce a richer, more raw sound which he has sometimes called "sloppy hi-fi". He has collaborated closely with Scott Solter in the production of his recent albums.
On January 30, 2009, Vanderslice collaborated with Magik*Magik Orchestra for a sold-out show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Tiny Telephone.
Vanderslice was a contributing producer on the Spoon album, Gimme Fiction, and also produced The Mountain Goats albums Heretic Pride, The Sunset Tree, and We Shall All Be Healed. In March and April 2009, John Vanderslice toured alongside The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle in the "Gone Primitive Tour". These shows featured Vanderslice and Darnielle each playing acoustic sets and then performing material together.
Influences and interests
He is influenced by film and is a fan of David Lynch, whose work is referenced in his song "Promising Actress". His declared musical influences are diverse, ranging from Neutral Milk Hotel to Public Enemy. He has incorporated the poetry of William Blake, Percy Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Lowell into his music. In addition, Vanderslice is a prolific amateur photographer, doing publicity photo shots for Thao Nguyen, The Mountain Goats, Will Sheff of Okkervil River, and Mirah. He has also had his work used in album artwork by Matt Nathanson, Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes, Mobius Band, and Vanderslice's own 2009 release, Romanian Names.
Tour history
Time Travel is Lonely
Spring 2001 SW Tour (supporting Death Cab for Cutie)Summer West Coast (supporting Spoon)Fall 2001 US TourLife and Death of an American Fourtracker
Winter 2002 Tour (supporting The Mountain Goats)Summer 2002 US TourFall 2002 US Tour (supporting Spoon and Dismemberment Plan)Fall 2002 US Tour "All Hail West Texas" (supporting The Mountain Goats)Summer 2003 US Tour (supporting Jets To Brazil)Japan Tour Fall 2003 w/ Quruli and Dismemberment PlanFall 2003 US Tour "Coast Is Never Clear" (supporting Beulah)Cellar Door
Japan Tour Winter 2004Winter 2004 "Cellar Door" US Tour (with Okkervil River and Sufjan Stevens)Summer 2004 US Tour (supporting Pedro the Lion)Fall 2004 US Tour "We Shall All Be Healed" (supporting The Mountain Goats)Pixel Revolt
Japan Tour Summer 2005"My Aim Is Only True When I'm Aiming At You" US Solo Tour, Summer 2005John Vanderslice and Photographs "I've been living in a k-hole" US 2005 Fall TourEuropean Tour 2005 with Nada SurfEuropean Tour Spring 2005 with Death Cab for Cutie"Getting it on with the hangman's daughter" US Spring 2006 Tour (with Laura Viers supporting)John Vanderslice and Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday European Tour Fall 2006Summer 2007 Australia Tour "Get Lonely" (supporting The Mountain Goats)John Vanderslice and Suburban Kids w/ Biblical Names Spring US Tour (with St. Vincent)Emerald City
Emerald City Fall US Tour (with Bishop Allen supporting)Fall 2007 European TourSpring 2008 European TourSpring 2008 US Tour (supporting Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks)"Moon Colony Bloodbath"
Spring 2009 US Solo Tour "Gone Primitive" with The Mountain GoatsRomanian Names
Summer 2009 US Tour (with Tallest Man On Earth and The Morning Benders supporting)"Steady The Bow" Fall 2009 European TourFall 2010 "Undercard" Tour (supporting Extra Lens)White Wilderness
2011 SXSW Tour"White Wilderness" Spring US Tour (with Damien Jurado supporting)"I Couldn't Wait To Fall Off The Map" Fall 2011 European Tour
