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]
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JOHN VANDERSLICE TICKETS
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Biography
John Vanderslice's albums have gained critical acclaim for their melodic quality and sophisticated narrative lyrical content.
thumb 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]
Discography
- Mass Suicide Occult Figurines
(2000)
- Time Travel Is Lonely
(2001)
- Life and Death of an American Fourtracker
(2002)
- Cellar Door
(2004)
- *MGM Endings: Cellar Door Remixes
(2004)
- Pixel Revolt
(2005)
- *Suddenly It All Went Dark: Pixel Revolt Live to 2-Track
(2006)
- *Scott Solter Remixes Pixel Revolt in Analog
(2007)
- Emerald City
(2007)
- Moon Colony Bloodbath
- vinyl EP (with the Mountain Goats) (2009)
- Romanian Names
(2009)
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]. ''
Billboards 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]
See also
- News related to John Vanderslice plays New York City}} at Wikinews
References
- Spotlight on John Vanderslice
- Pop & Politics / SF's John Vanderslice gets political on his radiant new CD, Pixel Revolt
- John Vanderslice: 'Cellar Door'
- John Vanderslice - City Lights
- John Vanderslice: Plugged In
- Make It Beautiful and Trash It: An Interview with John Vanderslice
- Riff Raff
- All Shook Down
- John Darniell's Music Hurts So Good
- Title Unavailable
- Emerald City Music Review
- Emerald City
- Emerald City Music Review
- Title Unavailable