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45-849: The band was named after Calvin Johnson 's basement recording studio, Dub Narcotic. The band and its members were all based in Olympia, Washington when they were active in the band. Dub Narcotic Sound System has toured in the United States, Japan , Canada and Europe with bands such as Built to Spill , Fugazi , and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion . The Register-Guard described the band in 1999 as an "electronica and hip-hop tinged indie combo". The newspaper also criticised Johnson's vocals, citing them as "so low and gravelly, it can, at times, be unbearable". In relation to

90-439: A 1996 concert at a roller skating rink with Lois Maffeo , they described the music as "dull to dance to, but skates can glide along to it fine". The Michigan Daily described their album Degenerate Introduction as "an open, airy fusion of punk, funk, dub, indie rock and hip-hop with a lo-fi hue". However, the newspaper criticised Johnson's vocals, saying they were "polarizing and force[s] you to become annoyed as he drowns out

135-745: A Selector Dub Narcotic version for the b-side. After meeting Ian MacKaye in 1980, Johnson later became friends with the members of Fugazi , and Beat Happening was the opening band on one of Fugazi's first tours. Johnson has worked with Modest Mouse , Beck , Heavenly , The Microphones , Jon Spencer Blues Explosion , The Blow , Jens Lekman , Mecca Normal , The Gossip , Built to Spill , and Fifth Column , among many others. Since founding his Dub Narcotic recording studio in 1993, he has produced and engineered recordings by many bands and artists. Friends of Kurt Cobain such as Ian Dickson of Earth , Mark Arm of Mudhoney , Bruce Pavitt and Slim Moon have all acknowledged Johnson's significant influence on

180-405: A different sound. The band toured the U.S. with Huggy Bear in 1993 and they toured Italy with noise rock band Dada Swing in 2000. In 1993, Vail started Bumpidee, a low-cost method for unsigned bands to increase their listener base, using the distribution of cassette recordings of their songs. This was another embodiment of Vail's strong DIY principle. The name Bumpidee was chosen in honor of

225-716: A download. Vail then formed "supergroup" girlSperm—also styled as gSp—with Layla Gibbon and Marissa Magic. gSp released their first album in 2017, receiving praise from Pitchfork , Rolling Stone and the New York Times . Vail ran the mail order department at Kill Rock Stars from 1998 to 2011, after working there part-time from 1992 to 1997. In addition to blogging through her Jigsaw website, Vail also posts as "Tabitha Says" on Tumblr , beginning in August 2008. With her sister Maggie, Vail joined Alison Wolfe, Cat Power , and members of Sleater-Kinney to organize

270-554: A five-page article about gender . Hanna wrote to Vail and submitted musician interviews to be published in Jigsaw while Hanna was on tour; this was the beginning of their collaboration. In Jigsaw , Vail wrote about "angry grrls", combining the word girls with the powerful growl of grr . Vail's third issue, published in 1991 after she spent time in Washington D.C., was subtitled "angry grrrl zine". Vail soon became dismayed with

315-406: A loose collective of musicians that's included Larry Butler, Todd Ranslow, and Brian Weber (all members of hip-hop group Dead Presidents). Numerous 7" singles and several full-length albums were released. The revolving door nature of the ensemble led to collaborations with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion , Lois Maffeo and director/writer/performer Miranda July . The lineup later solidified around

360-495: A more contemporary production value created in part by the records producer Patrick Carney of The Black Keys who also worked as a one-man backing band of guitars, drums, bass, and keyboards. His fifth album, Gallows Wine , is an eclectic collection of songs reflecting this singular environment including “Pink Cadillac” written by Calvin when he was 16 (held in reserve for just the right session). Title song ”Gallows Wine” rips psycho psychedelic, poetic license intact. “Crazy Legs”

405-415: A movement that merged do it yourself (DIY) punk culture with feminism . The band Bikini Kill tried to reclaim feminism for the punk scene in an attempt to disrupt its male bias. The band fought against male aggression at their shows. Largely because of Hanna's leadership, Bikini Kill encouraged girls to stand at the front of the stage for solidarity as well as for protection from male aggression. Vail and

450-565: A number of songs, acoustically , including a duet with Johnson on the Wipers song, "D-7." Cobain later grew to resent Johnson's "arrogance" and denounced his ties in a (private) journal entry. Johnson is also referred to in the John Peel session version of the Hole song, "Olympia" (also credited as "Rock Star" on the album Live Through This ). The band's lead singer, Courtney Love has

495-527: A punk rock position of defiance that was more sensitive than macho. The band has been on hiatus since 1992, but briefly resurfaced to release a new 7" in 2001. The Go Team was a collaborative project started in 1985 based around the core duo of Johnson and Tobi Vail , later of Bikini Kill & Kill Rock Stars . They toured the West Coast as a two piece, adding Billy Karren for two U.S. tours. The group released several cassettes and 9 singles on K, with

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540-493: A rotating cast of collaborators that included Kurt Cobain , Rich Jensen , David Nichols, and Donna Dresch . All of their recordings are currently out of print. Dub Narcotic Sound System, named after Calvin's famed analog recording studio, was a project that explored funkier, more dance-party-oriented material in the tradition of the Stax/Volt house bands. Johnson was the sole member to appear on every recording, surrounded by

585-449: A short-lived group called Cool Rays , made their debut recordings with Steve Fisk in 1981. Calvin established K in the summer of 1982. At some point, his father gave him a Martin acoustic guitar. He later told an interviewer that his father had "received it as a wedding present from his bride." Johnson formed Beat Happening in 1982 with fellow Evergreen students Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford . Beat Happening were early leaders in

630-625: A year. In February 2016, Vail issued a YouTube takedown request after a pro- Hillary Clinton video utilizing the Bikini Kill song "Rebel Girl" began to go viral. In 1992, while still involved with Bikini Kill, Tobi started The Frumpies in Washington, D.C., with Bikini Kill bandmates Wilcox and Karren, and also with Molly Neuman of Bratmobile and the PeeChees , and later Michelle Mae . The Frumpies were distinctly less overtly political in nature than either Bikini Kill or Bratmobile, with

675-470: Is a Gene Vincent class act celebrating our sock hopulation and “Orange Aid” melts downtown no WAV. Calvin Johnson traveled to Columbus, Mississippi to record Gallows Wine with the combo Hartle Road at their Pompeii studio. Columbus, in Lowndes County, is the childhood home of Tennessee Williams (just down US Route 45 from White Station, birthplace of Howlin’ Wolf). In 2008, Calvin Johnson appeared in

720-477: Is an introspective album about love, loss, and death. While some songs employ simple nylon-string guitar accompaniment, many feature only Johnson's voice. It also contains duets with Beth Ditto of The Gossip and Mirah . His second album, Before the Dream Faded... , is more varied. It includes collaborations with a variety of northwest indie luminaries. The songs cover an odd range of subjects, such as

765-474: The riot grrl scene—she coined the spelling of "grrl"—and she started the zine Jigsaw . A drummer, guitarist and singer, she was a founding member of the band Bikini Kill . Vail has collaborated in several other bands figuring in the Olympia music scene . Vail writes for eMusic . Tobi Celeste Vail was born in Auburn, Washington , to teenage parents. Both her grandfather and her father were drummers. When she

810-497: The American indie rock and lo-fi movements, noted for their use of primitive recording techniques, disregard for the technical aspects of musicianship, and songs with subject matters of a childish or coy nature. Instruments were guitar and drums, with members frequently switching instruments and Calvin and Heather taking turns on lead vocals. Tours with artists such as Fugazi confused and alienated audience members while articulating

855-581: The Bumpidee site to publish Jigsaw #8 in the spring and summer of 2003, including writings by Alan Licht and Becca Albee . She moved the Jigsaw blog to its own domain in September 2008. In mid-2013, Jigsaw issues from the 1990s were archived at Harvard University as a research resource along with 20,000 other countercultural zines. Vail started working as a freelance writer after graduating from

900-487: The Evergreen State College in 2009. Her work has been published by NPR , Artforum , The Believer , Punk Planet and Maximum Rock-N-Roll . She currently writes a monthly column for eMusic and was recently published by The Feminist Press in the anthologies Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer for Freedom and The Riot Grrrl Collection . Hanna commented upon Vail's song "Free Pussy Riot", written in support of

945-695: The Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot after three members were arrested in March 2012. The Punk Singer , a 2013 documentary about Hanna, includes footage from three archival interviews with Vail. The film also includes archival footage of several Bikini Kill performances. Vail met Kurt Cobain when she was hanging around with Melvins in 1986. Cobain played guitar on one of the Go Team songs. Vail and Cobain briefly dated beginning in July 1990. The two discussed

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990-710: The Webs played Ladyfest in 2005 in Olympia, and Vail spoke about the riot grrrl movement at other Ladyfest conferences held in Brighton and Madrid in October 2005, during a Spider and the Webs European tour. The band produced an EP in October 2006 on K Records: Frozen Roses , following a split EP with Partyline on Bristol , UK 's Local Kid records. A (cassette) album was eventually released in 2015, also available as

1035-522: The band from touring and recording more. The band reunited for a 2008 performance in Boise, and may be working on new material. Concurrent with his activity with Dub Narcotic Sound System, Johnson began performing solo shows under his own name. Calvin's solo material was a marked contrast to the upbeat rock of Halo Benders and the funk-soul of DNSS, as it allowed him to explore mournful blues, folk, & gospel elements. His first solo album, What Was Me ,

1080-624: The band, Vail voiced her belief that the world would change for the better if the number of girls joining bands increased until it was equal to the number of boys. Bikini Kill performed at the International Pop Underground Convention in August 1991, and Vail and Hanna each performed separately on "Girl Night". Despite frequent mainstream media misrepresentation and serious violence at shows, they continued for several years and today are largely credited (along with Bratmobile ) with starting riot grrrl ,

1125-468: The beginning of her teens, Vail had tried to form an all-female band to "rule the world and change how people view music and politics", including a group named Doris. In October 1990, Vail and Evergreen State College classmates Kathi Wilcox and Kathleen Hanna determined to form a band, which they named Bikini Kill . Vail played drums and on some songs she sang. Through early 1991, Hanna and Wilcox swapped bass player and lead singer duties halfway through

1170-451: The campus radio station at The Evergreen State College . At KAOS, Vail was exposed to a wide variety of independent music . She served off and on as a disc jockey from age 15 to 21. One of Vail's first bands was the Go Team , a punk project started with Calvin Johnson in 1985. The group released several cassettes and nine singles on the independent label K Records , mostly on the 7" vinyl format. Billy "Billy Boredom" Karren

1215-564: The children's television show Bumpity . One of the Bumpidee bands was Worst Case Scenario which included Justin Trosper and Brandt Sandeno—these two musicians found success in the band Unwound , retaining the DIY ethic from their Bumpidee exposure. In mid-2004, Vail founded the band Spider and the Webs, with James Maeda on guitar and Chris Sutton on drums and bass. Vail sings and plays guitar, and she trades drumming roles with Sutton. Spider and

1260-432: The empty beats". The following studio recordings by D.N.S.S. were released on K Records : This article on a United States indie rock band is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Calvin Johnson (musician) Calvin Johnson (born November 1, 1962) is an American guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, music producer, and disc jockey . Known for his uniquely deep and droning singing voice, Johnson

1305-468: The film The Lollipop Generation by G.B. Jones . Calvin's newest project is Hive Dwellers , who made their recorded début performing Superchunk 's "My Noise" on SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: The Covers! A full-length release is planned for fall 2009. Calvin has also revived his Dub Narcotic Disco Plate 45 rpm series, collaborating with artists such as Atlas Sound , Mahjongg , and Joey Casio at Dub Narcotic to record an A-side, and creating

1350-807: The first Ladyfest in 2000, a music, activism, and arts conference held in Olympia. The Vail sisters played the festival in a band named Frenchie and the German Girls. In keeping with Vail's DIY ethic, the Ladyfest founders turned the Ladyfest brand over to the public domain so that others could freely organize similar festivals. From 2006 to 2008, Vail drummed with the Old Haunts , including on their final album, Poisonous Times . Vail has performed several solo shows, including one in Barcelona at Primera Persona in March 2012. In 1989, Vail published

1395-458: The first issue of her feminist zine Jigsaw . When she published the zine, Vail was working at an Olympia sandwich shop with Kathi Wilcox who remembers being impressed by Vail's focus on "girls in bands, specifically," including an aggressive emphasis on feminist issues. While Kathleen Hanna was touring with Viva Knievel , she came upon a copy of Jigsaw #2, finding resonance in Vail's "Boxes",

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1440-406: The line: 'I went to school with Calvin,' a reference to Johnson's influence within the burgeoning Olympia indie music scene. In 1993, Johnson had a restraining order placed on Love for harassment and assault. Tobi Vail Tobi Celeste Vail (born July 20, 1969) is an American independent musician , music critic and feminist activist from Olympia, Washington . She was a central figure in

1485-429: The male-slanted media coverage of the riot grrrl scene. Janice Radway notes that her copy of Jigsaw #4, also published in 1991, has many instances of the printed word "grrrl", but each one has been crossed out, "presumably by Vail, as a protest against the popularity of the term." The final issue of the printed version of Jigsaw was published in 1999. In 2001, Vail began an online blog named Bumpidee. Vail used

1530-427: The musician. Cobain cited Beat Happening 's Jamboree as one of his favorite records, and even got the K Records logo (a small "K" in a shield) tattooed on his arm to "try and remind [ him ] to stay a child." They were friends in the late 80s/early 90s when Cobain lived in Olympia; he'd been a guest with The Go Team , and on September 25, 1990, Cobain appeared on a KAOS (FM) show hosted by Johnson and performed

1575-478: The other members of Bikini Kill encouraged girls to start their own bands. The general idea that girls should create their own independent culture grew rapidly in popularity through a largely underground network of similar-feeling fans, artists, musicians and writers, and soon regular meetings started taking place, usually in punk houses like Positive Force . By the summer of 1991, the riot grrrl movement had coalesced, with Bikini Kill moving to Washington, D.C., for

1620-600: The possibility of starting a music project, and recorded a few songs together. Some of these songs ended up being Nirvana tracks. Referring to the Teen Spirit deodorant brand that Vail once used, Kathleen Hanna wrote "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit" with a sharpie on the wall of Cobain's bedroom. Cobain, unaware of the deodorant brand, saw a deeper meaning in the phrase, and wrote the song " Smells Like Teen Spirit ". Cobain and Vail soon split but remained friends. Vail's relationship with Tim Armstrong inspired him to write

1665-433: The set, and Wilcox also played guitar. After trying out a lot of female lead guitar players, none of whom seemed to fit, the band finally asked Karren to join as he was already known to Vail and a familiar figure in the Olympia music scene. Soon after the band formed, they started a zine called Bikini Kill to promote the band and describe the band's social and political views. Hanna, Vail and Wilcox contributed articles to

1710-471: The size and color of hearts, Lucifer , and falling in love. His third album Calvin Johnson & The Sons of the Soil is a career-spanning collection of re-recorded songs with a band consisting of Kyle Field , Adam Forkner , and Jason Anderson , documenting that ensemble's 2003 West Coast touring lineup. His fourth album A Wonderful Beast , is true to Johnson's long established vocal and poetic style with

1755-503: The trio of Johnson, bassist Chris Sutton (C.O.C.O, Hornet Leg, The Gossip ) and drummer Heather Dunn (Tiger Trap). A catastrophic tour van crash in Montana in 2003 nearly ended the band's career in tragedy. Johnson suffered a major concussion that left him with broken ribs and a serious speech impediment; he has since largely recovered. The band has not toured or released recordings since 2004's Degenerate Introduction . Halo Benders

1800-528: The zine. In Bikini Kill #1, Vail commented on the punk music scene and its overemphasis on males. She wrote about the "Yoko factor": the time when a male musician tells his girlfriend that she should not break up the band (comparing Yoko Ono 's influence on the breakup of the Beatles ) and that the girlfriend would never be as important to him as his band. Through the Bikini Kill zine and publicity for

1845-462: Was a collaboration between Johnson and Doug Martsch of Built To Spill . From 1994 to 1998, they released three albums. Calvin's deep baritone voice and Doug's high melodies are heard simultaneously, occasionally harmonizing, but often operating independently of one another. Despite the Halo Benders' critical and commercial success, Martsch's commitment to touring with Built To Spill prevented

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1890-417: Was a founding member of the bands Cool Rays , Beat Happening , Dub Narcotic Sound System , The Go Team and The Halo Benders . Calvin Johnson is also the founder and owner of the influential indie label K Records and has been cited as a major player in the beginning of the modern independent music movement. Johnson was born in Olympia, Washington . His first introduction to underground culture

1935-610: Was in 1977 when he became a volunteer at Olympia's community radio station, KAOS-FM , at the age of fifteen. The station's uniquely progressive programming policy mandated a focus on music available through independent and artist owned labels, rather than centralized corporate media. This independent, do-it-yourself ethos has been an important influence on Johnson's career. Johnson soon began writing for fanzines , such as Sub/Pop (later to become Sub Pop Records ) and Op, and also organized music and film events. Johnson attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, where his first band,

1980-495: Was one of the rotating musicians who played with the Go Team, and it was in this band that he and Vail played together for the first time. The band toured the West Coast in 1987 as a two-piece, then added Karren for two U.S. tours, both in 1989. After the Go Team disbanded, Vail played in various project bands and made a record as the drummer for Some Velvet Sidewalk ; she toured with Some Velvet Sidewalk during early 1990. Since

2025-488: Was young her parents moved the family to rural Naselle, Washington , where her father worked in a youth detention center . The family moved to Olympia, Washington , where Vail attended high school. The first concert she went to on her own was a Wipers show in 1984. In 1988, Vail left Washington to live in Eugene, Oregon . After a year, she returned to Olympia. While still in high school, Vail volunteered at KAOS (FM) ,

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