John Vanderslice

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John Vanderslice

Background information
Born May 22, 1967 (1967-05-22) (age 42)
Gainesville, Florida, United States
Genre(s) Alternative rock, indie rock
Years active 1999–present
Label(s) Dead Oceans
Associated acts Mk Ultra
The Mountain Goats
Website www.johnvanderslice.com

John Vanderslice (born May 22, 1967 in Gainesville, Florida) is an American musician now releasing music on the Dead Oceans label.[1][2][3][4][5]

Contents

[edit] Biography

John Vanderslice's albums have gained critical acclaim for their melodic quality and sophisticated narrative lyrical content.

Vanderslice at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City.

Vanderslice founded an all-analog recording studio, Tiny Telephone, in the Mission District of San Francisco in 1997. Bands who have recorded in the studio include Beulah, Death Cab for Cutie, Okkervil River, and Spoon.

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".[6] He has collaborated closely with Scott Solter in the production of his recent albums, with Pixel Revolt being notably shaped by Solter.

Vanderslice was a contributing producer on the Spoon album, Gimme Fiction, and has collaborated and toured with The Mountain Goats. He also produced The Mountain Goats' albums Heretic Pride and We Shall All Be Healed. 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 and Robert Lowell into his music. In addition, Vanderslice is an avid photography hobbyist.

In 2000, he gained national media attention over his single "Bill Gates Must Die" after concocting an elaborate hoax in which Microsoft supposedly threatened legal action over the song; ironically, Vanderslice 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.[7]

Several songs on the album Pixel Revolt referenced the September 11, 2001 attacks and the subsequent global political situation. Vanderslice's 2007 album, Emerald City, is named after the nickname of the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad. "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. I really had to write political songs because for me it is a way of making sense and processing what is going on."

Vanderslice has a history of taking support bands on tour that later gain a substantial audience and widespread critical praise, including Sufjan Stevens, St. Vincent, Okkervil River, Bishop Allen, and The Tallest Man On Earth.

On January 30, 2009, Vanderslice collaborated with Magik*Magik Orchestra for a sold-out show at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. The orchestra, in a 30-piece configuration, played classic Vanderslice songs as well as new and unreleased material. The show was arranged by Minna Choi, a San Francisco Conservatory student. The show, which celebrated the 10th anniversary of Tiny Telephone, featured Aesop Rock spinning records after the show.[8]

In March and April of 2009, John Vanderslice participated with The Mountain Goats in the "Gone Primitive Tour". These shows featured both John Vanderslice and John Darnielle playing acoustic sets and then performing a set of collaborative material. In a review by the Boston Globe, Joan Anderman said, "Vanderslice is a sharp observer with a slanted perspective and whip-smart pop instincts, and his opening set was alluring." [9]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Critical praise

Vanderslice received many favorable reviews for Emerald City, which achieved a score of 80/100 on Metacritic.[10] Entertainment Weekly called the album "a gleaming gem" that doesn't disappoint.[11]. Billboard's review of the record called Vanderslice an "always perceptive lyricist."[12] 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."[13]

Early reviews of upcoming album Romanian Names have been glowing. Q called Vanderslice a "unique, if impenetrable artist [who] deserves a wider audience."[14]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Greenblatt, Leah (2005-08-26). "Spotlight on John Vanderslice | John Vanderslice | Music News | Music | Entertainment Weekly". Ew.com. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1095881,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-16. 
  2. ^ Derk Richardson, special to SF Gate (2005-10-27). "Pop & Politics / SF's John Vanderslice gets political on his radiant new CD, Pixel Revolt". Sfgate.com. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2005/10/27/derk.DTL. Retrieved on 2009-02-16. 
  3. ^ "John Vanderslice: 'Cellar Door'". NPR. 2004-03-11. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1759989. Retrieved on 2009-02-16. 
  4. ^ Little, Michael. "John Vanderslice - City Lights". Washington City Paper. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=23767. Retrieved on 2009-02-16. 
  5. ^ June 05, 2006 (2006-06-05). "John Vanderslice: Plugged In". Glide Magazine. http://www.glidemagazine.com/articles/47823/john-vanderslice-plugged-in.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-16. 
  6. ^ Justin Cober-Lake (2005-10-14). "Make It Beautiful and Trash It: An Interview with John Vanderslice". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/music/interviews/vanderslice-john-051014.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-01-08. 
  7. ^ Athitakis, Mark (2000-02-09). "Riff Raff". San Francisco Weekly. http://www.sfweekly.com/2000-02-09/music/riff-raff/. Retrieved on 2009-02-16. 
  8. ^ Baron, Melissa (2009-01-31). "All Shook Down". San Francisco Weekly. http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2009/01/last_night_john_vanderslice_an.php. Retrieved on 2009-01-31. 
  9. ^ Anderman, Joan (2009-03-28). "John Darniell's Music Hurts So Good". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2009/03/28/wounded_but_hurts_so_good/. Retrieved on 2009-04-01. 
  10. ^ . http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/vanderslicejohn/emeraldcity accessdate = 2009-03-012. 
  11. ^ Simon Vozick-Levinson (2007-07-27). "Emerald City Music Review". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20048265,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-12. 
  12. ^ Jill Menze (2007-08-04). "Emerald City". Billboard Magazine. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3i1b2430f5cff9133eb235792668cd017b. Retrieved on 2009-03-12. 
  13. ^ Matt Fink (2007-07-24). "Emerald City Music Review". Paste Magazine. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2007/07/emerald-city.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-12. 
  14. ^ Andy Fyfe (June 2009). Q Magazine. 

[edit] External links

v • d • e
John Vanderslice
Studio albums
EPs
Moon Colony Bloodbath (with the Mountain Goats)
Other albums
Associated acts
v • d • e
The Mountain Goats
John Darnielle · Peter Hughes
Studio albums
EPs & singles
Split albums
Why You All So Thief? (with Simon Joyner) · Tropical Depression EP (with Furniture Huschle) · Black Pear Tree EP (with Kaki King) · Moon Colony Bloodbath (with John Vanderslice)
Compliation albums
Former members
Franklin Bruno · Richard Colburn · Nora Danielson · Lalitree Darnielle · Alex Decarville · Maggie Doyle · Alastair Galbraith · Erik Friedlander · Christopher McGuire · Scott Solter · John Vanderslice · Rachel Ware · Jon Wurster
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Vanderslice"
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