K Records founder and indie-rock icon Calvin Johnson hits Memphis this week with his new band, Hive Dwellers, performing at Otherlands Coffee Bar.
Calvin Johnson is a guitarist, songwriter, and producer from Seattle and the founder of influential indie label, K Records. At the age of 15 he began volunteering at KAOS-FM, nearby Olympia’s community radio station. The station’s unique programming policy mandated playing music from independent and artist-owned labels rather than more corporate media, and the do-it-yourself ethos was a great influence on Johnson’s notably whimsical career.
He established K Records 1982 and formed the band Beat Happening the same year, early leaders in the indie rock and lo-fi movements.
Johnson moved on to create the Go Team, a project based around the core duo of Johnson and punk-rock feminist Tobi Vail (later of Bikini Kill and Kill Rock Stars), with a rotating cast of collaborators that included Kurt Cobain, Billy Karren, and Donna Dresch. He then started Dub Narcotic Sound System — named after his accomplished analog recording studio — with another collective that included Larry Butler, Todd Ranslow, and Brian Weber (members of hip-hop group Dead Presidents). Johnson has also previously worked with Modest Mouse, Beck, Heavenly, Jens Lekman, and the Gossip, among many others.
