Olympia Flame

This cuddle-worthy, melodica-totin’ Olympia, Washington-based progenitor of Beat Happening, Dub Narcotic Sound System, and K Records oversees a vast dominion of all that’s independently cool in the Pacific Northwest. Johnson just released What Was Me, the first solo effort in his 20-year career, an acoustic outing focusing (exclusively, in some...

By Jeff Stratton

November 14, 2002

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This cuddle-worthy, melodica-totin’ Olympia, Washington-based progenitor of Beat Happening, Dub Narcotic Sound System, and K Records oversees a vast dominion of all that’s independently cool in the Pacific Northwest. Johnson just released What Was Me, the first solo effort in his 20-year career, an acoustic outing focusing (exclusively, in some songs) on his anchor-dredging baritone. Through his travails in Beat Happening (happily naïve Fisher-Price punk) and Dub Narcotic (funkier than the JBs, slacker than Pavement), Johnson has explored a child’s viewpoint of the world. He’s growing up, however: Because he’s worked with Beck, Modest Mouse, Jon Spencer, Robyn Hitchcock, and Built to Spill, Johnson’s lo-fi ethos threatens to permeate the mainstream from time to time. Given his comprehensive knowledge of 1970s dub reggae, old-school punk, and obscure indie rock, his DJ set (1 a.m., Friday, November 15, at Revolver, 175 NE 36th St. in the Miami Design District, 305-576-1988) may rival his actual solo performance earlier that night, where he’ll be joined by Wolf Colonel and Little Wings, two of the finest acts in the K stable.

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