Fiery and electric, “P Is For Pompeii” is a lightning bolt that strikes the listener with menacing energy and progressive musicianship.
The song is quintessential Johnny Stranger, who sparked their underground following in their hometown of Olympia, WA in the mid-2000’s. Following the band’s breakup and a long struggle with depression, Singer/Songwriter Peter Anthony reignited the band and immediately began recording.
“The song’s lyrics were inspired by the vicious relationship between mother and daughter in Stephen King’s “Carrie”,” says Anthony. “Whereas the verses sing from the point-of-view of the mother (representing depression), the chorus is about overcoming that darkness: ‘I’ve got a soul, but who can tell. Got a hole in my heart which you can’t fill and I need to get myself away.’”
The journey of creating “P Is For Pompeii” was wild and twisted, but it has resulted in Johnny Stranger’s latest album, “Valkyrie” (their 5th album, of a planned 12).
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Johnny Stranger about the latest project, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
Hey, thanks for taking the time to chat. I’m from Washington State, where I attended college and started Johnny Stranger. I think of my stuff as progressive rock, or even alternative rock. It’s definitely heavy at times, but I’m also fascinated by jazz and harmony. I listen a lot to the Smashing Pumpkins, Failure, the Deftones, Steely Dan… a lot of stuff that gets blended up in my head and ejected out as a Johnny Stranger record.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
One thing I hear all the time is that the music industry has become all about focusing on singles. I understand why, of course, but I think it’s a bit of a shame. I grew up obsessing over albums. So that’s what I make today. I think writing more long-form leads to more creative ideas… whereas playing the singles game leads to writing song after song that uses the same structure. I love a good pop song but I love those 6-minute wild ones just as much.
I also grew up reading books… lots of sci-fi/fantasy. So I’m invested in longer stories; more epic structures that tell a larger story. Johnny Stranger will be doing that, over the course of 12 albums (a baker’s dozen actually, but I’ll save that explanation for another time).
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
Each Johnny Stranger album is built around a different theme and has musical motifs stitched into it. For ‘Valkyrie’, I’m writing about a darker side of humankind… so the songs are heavier than our first four records. At the same time, there’s a dash of humor in there, like all JS records. This album is also a ‘hello’ to listeners again, since those first 4 albums were taken down years ago (I’ll be rereleasing them eventually), so the album is meant to be impactful and direct.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Technology has changed everything but – thankfully – I’ve got great friends and collaborators who help me keep on top of it. Every band needs to have a different strategy, depending on their genre and where they want to be as an artist. For me, technology has allowed me to make a living as an artist without selling my life away to a record label. I control everything and that’s really terrific. The path I’ve walked certainly isn’t for everyone but it is absolutely possible.
What was the last song you listened to?
I’m listening a lot to other LA artists lately. I just heard the first EP for an upcoming band called Karma Vulture and the songs were great. Also, Little Galaxies. They have a new song called “It’s Natural” that is a great jam.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I collect vinyl for all my favorite bands actually… I tend to just stream music though, since I have my phone with me all the time. Haha.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
As an artist, I prefer Spotify’s resources. I use Apple Music a lot though because of their iCloud Music Library feature… which makes it easy for me to check my mixes on my phone by just dragging a file into iTunes and uploading it to iCloud, thus putting it automatically on my phone.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Listen to us on Spotify and Apple Music! We really only do Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Join us there!
Anything else before we sign off?
Thanks for having me.
