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Johnny Jewel is an electronic producer and composer, most notable for his musical affiliations to his label Italians Do It Better. He contributes to all acts on the label including Glass Candy, Chromatics, Symmetry, Appaloosa, Farah, Desire and others.

Jewel has also scored music for multiple films, the most recent being Lost River.[1]

Jewel lives in Los Angeles with Desire vocalist Megan Louise, and their daughter.

Early Life

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Johnny Jewel grew up in Houston, Texas in a religious household. Without much exposure to secular music or popular bands of the time, Jewel's early introduction to music was a mix of genres. Throughout high school, bands with a punk ethos such as Minor Threat and The Smiths became early inspirations on how artists are able to release music independently.[2]

Jewel first learned how to play guitar, but later became more interested in the piano because of the guitar's limitations, and began experimenting with instruments like the keyboard and synthesizer. Jewel became deeply attracted to new-wave and club music early on because of its absence of traditional instruments.[3]

At 17 Jewel moved out of his parent's house in Houston to Austin, Texas. He lived here for a few years working at a grocery store and participating in medical pharmaceutical testing studies at Pharmaco. The money he earned went toward the purchase of his first Moog synthesizer at a thrift store.[4]

Jewel’s first released electronic music project was under the name Twenty Six. Under this project, Jewel released This Skin Is Rust, a double LP of dark, “droney,” post-punk electronic tracks. The album was originally released in 1996, but recently rediscovered by Bobby J Records, an imprint begun by Todd W. Ledford who is now founder of the imprint Olde English Spelling Bee.[5][6]

Italians Do It Better

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In 1994 Johnny Jewel moved to Portland.[7] While working at Fred Meyer grocery store in Portland, Jewel met Ida No, who was working for a Dairy Queen at the time. They began creating music and throwing parties as Glass Candy and the Shattered Theater, earning fifty to a hundred dollars every couple weeks. Their first released single Brittle Woman appeared in 1999, followed by Metal Gods in 2001. In 2003 the band’s first proper full-length, Love Love Love, was released on Mike Simonetti’s Troubleman Unlimited label.

In 2006 Jewel founded Italians Do It Better and began releasing singles and albums from his acts.[8]

The first full-length release was After Dark, an album compilation with tracks by Glass Candy, Chromatics, Desire, and Farah. It caught greater public attention due to the covers of Kraftwerk's Computer Love and Michael Cleveland's Last Nite A DJ saved My Life. Later in 2007 Glass Candy’s album B/E/A/T/B/O/X was released, as well as Chromatics' Night Drive.

Jewel met guitarist Adam Miller in Portland in 2006. During this time Chromatics had seen numerous lineup changes, leaving Adam Miller as the remaining original member. Jewel, Adam Miller, Matt Walker, and Ruth Radalet joined Chromatics, and they began transitioning away from their traditional punk, lo-fi sound and started releasing music with Jewel on the newly founded Italians Do It Better.

In 2012 Jewel and Chromatics guitarist Matt Walker began the project Symmetry. During early recordings, the original intentions was to use some of the intitial material for the film Drive. However, due to studio conflicts, some of the material was instead seen on the full-length Themes for an Imaginary Film, completely independent of the film. Jewel and Matt Walker have continued releasing additional material under Symmetry.

In 2012, Chromatics released Kill for Love. It gained large public accolades, making multiple year-end "Best Album of 2012" lists, notably from Pitchfork and the BBC.[9]

In 2012 Karl Lagerfeld sought Chromatics to play live as the soundtrack for Chanel's Spring/Summer runway show, which took place at the Grand Palais in Paris and was set to a backdrop of towering wind turbines.[10]

In 2013 the long-awaited second Italians Do It Better compilation, After Dark 2, was released on May 17. It features the Glass Candy track, Warm in the Winter, and tracks by Mike Simonetti, Desire, Mirage, and others. The entire album was produced and co-written by Jewel. The influential music blog Gorilla vs. Bear named it number 15 on their "Best Albums of 2013" list.[11]

Later that year in September, Chromatics played the Hollywood Bowl in support of The xx.[12]

Music in Film

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Glass Candy's track Digital Versicolor was used in the 2008 film Bronson, a British psychological thriller starring Tom Hardy, directed by Nic Winding Refn.

In 2010, Jewel contributed to the musical score for Pimp, the British thriller "mockumentary" of a crime scene, which stars Mary J. Blige and Dakota Fanning. 

In 2010 Ryan Gosling and Refn met Jewel at a Glass Candy and Chromatics show during the filming of Drive. They expressed interest in Jewel's distinct synth-based, 80s-inspired musical style, asking him to exclusively score the soundtrack for the film. However, due to conflicts with the studios that were involved, no exclusive content was used from Jewel's recording, but Drive featured the Chromatics track Tick of the Clock, as well Desire's Under Your Spell, pushing Jewel into greater notability.[13][14][15]

Gosling asked Jewel to score his directorial debut, Lost River, which stars Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks and has an expected release for 2014. Jewel has commented on the soundtrack sounding “more doo-woop, disintegrated rockabilly mixed in with industrial sounds," citing the Shangri-Las and Alan Vega as influences for the score.[16][17][18]

Jewel is also set to score music for the Los Angeles independent film Beautiful Now, which has a 2014 release date.

In addition, Jewel has scored music for the upcoming television series Those Who Kill starring Chloe Sevigny, expected to air 2014 on A&E.[19] 

Jewel has been asked various times about his contributions to the in-the-works remake of Logan's Run, which Jewel is said to have a large amount of specific material for. Currently Nic Winding Refn is set to direct, but no filming dates are scheduled.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Johnny Jewel on Developing the Unique Soundtrack For 'Drive'". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  2. ^ "The Self Titled Interview: Johnny Jewel". Self-Titled Magazine. Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  3. ^ "The Self Titled Interview: Johnny Jewel". Self-Titled Magazine. Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  4. ^ "The Self Titled Interview: Johnny Jewel". Self-Titled Magazine. Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  5. ^ "Johnny Jewel's Early Twenty Six Project Gets Unearthed". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  6. ^ "JOHNNY JEWEL'S EARLY WORK AS TWENTY SIX UNEARTHED". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  7. ^ "The Self Titled Interview: Johnny Jewel". Self-Titled Magazine. Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  8. ^ "Italians Do It Better Discography". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  9. ^ "Johnny Jewel interview". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  10. ^ "MUSIC X FASHION : TOP COLLABORATIONS EVER". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  11. ^ "Gorilla vs. Bear". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  12. ^ Hollywood Bowl Features the XX and the Chromatics
  13. ^ "An Extremely Long Interview with Johnny Jewel". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  14. ^ "Johnny Jewel on Developing the Unique Soundtrack For 'Drive'". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  15. ^ "Johnny Jewel's synths were dropped from Drive but make perfect Symmetry". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  16. ^ "Johnny Jewel Talks New Film Score Work, Plots Albums from Chromatics, Glass Candy and Symmetry". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  17. ^ "'Drive' Soundtrack Star Johnny Jewel Writing Music For Ryan Gosling's 'How To Catch A Monster'". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  18. ^ "Johnny Jewel Scoring Ryan Gosling's 'How To Catch A Monster". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  19. ^ "Chloe Sevigny to Solve Crimes in A&E Pilot 'Those Who Kill'". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  20. ^ "An Extremely Long Interview with Johnny Jewel". Los Angeles, California, U.S. Retrieved 2014-01-20.


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