Alain Johannes
{{Short description|Chilean-American musician (born 1962)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Alain Johannes
| image = Cumbre del Rock Chileno - Alain Johannes - 01.jpg
| caption = Johannes in 2018
| birth_name = Alain Johannes Mociulski
| alias =
| birth_place = Santiago, Chile
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|05|02}}
| genre = Alternative rock, blues rock, experimental rock, hard rock, electronic
| occupation = Musician, songwriter, producer, recording engineer
| years_active = 1980s–present
| instrument = Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, saxophone
| label = MCA, Interscope, Rekords Rekords, Sire, Ipecac
| associated_acts = Eleven, Queens of the Stone Age, Desert Sessions, Anthym, What Is This?, Them Crooked Vultures, Eagles of Death Metal, Chris Cornell, Arctic Monkeys, Firekind, PJ Harvey, Sound City Players, Ten Commandos, Big Scenic Nowhere
| website = {{URL|alainjohannes.com}}
}}
Alain Johannes Mociulski (born May 2, 1962) is a Chilean-American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, whose primary instruments are guitar and bass. He is a founding member of several bands, including the alternative rock group Eleven, and has been involved with acts such as hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, PJ Harvey, Chris Cornell, Arctic Monkeys, Mark Lanegan and The Desert Sessions, both as a musician and as a producer.
Alain Johannes is nephew of Chilean {{lang|es|nueva ola}} musician Peter Rock.{{cite web|url=http://buscador.emol.com/emol/Alain+Johannes |title=Alain Johannes - Emol.com |publisher=Buscador Emol |access-date=July 16, 2014}} He was born in Santiago de Chile.{{cite web|url=http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=11776840 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720051932/http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=11776840 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |title=Featured Content on Myspace |publisher=Profile.myspace.com |access-date=July 16, 2014 }} He was married to Natasha Shneider from 1987 until her death in 2008.
Career
In his teen years, Johannes formed the band Chain Reaction (later Anthym) with Hillel Slovak, Todd Strassman, and Jack Irons.
{{cite book
| last=Thompson
| first=Dave
| title=Alternative Rock : Third Ear - The Essential Listening Companion
| publisher=Miller Freeman, Inc.
| page=718
| location=San Francisco
| year=2000
| isbn=978-0-87930-607-6}}
This band was later renamed What Is This. Todd Strassman was replaced by Flea, who was replaced, upon leaving the band, by Chris Hutchinson.
In 1987, Johannes and Natasha Shneider formed the band Walk the Moon, which released one self-titled album on MCA Records. Reportedly, Chris Hutchinson and Jack Irons played on some of its tracks.
Eleven was formed in 1990 and released their debut album Awake in a Dream in 1991, which included the pop based singles "Rainbows End" and "All Together". They followed this with regular releases Eleven in 1993, Thunk! in 1995, Avantgardedog in 2000, and Howling Book in 2003.
Johannes was the only other contributor on the 1996 debut album by Jason Falkner, Jason Falkner Presents Author Unknown. He was also a significant contributor to Chris Cornell's 1999 solo album, Euphoria Morning as a guitarist, writer and producer. He also toured as part of Chris Cornell's band in support of this album alongside Natasha Shneider, Greg Upchurh and Rick Markmann, who also comprised Eleven's line-up at the time. He mixed and played on Jack Irons' first solo record, Attention Dimension, released in 2004, and he co-wrote on Danish stoner rock outfit The Royal Highness.[https://web.archive.org/web/20070912002228/http://www.www.theroyalhighness.com/]
In 2005, he joined Queens of the Stone Age to play guitar as well as bass on Lullabies to Paralyze. He had previously guested on Lullabies' predecessor, Songs for the Deaf, having also co-written the track "Hanging Tree" during one of The Desert Sessions. He would participate in the tour for the album and appears on the live DVD, Over the Years and Through the Woods in the main concert. Johannes once again contributed a main role to Lullabies' follow up, Era Vulgaris, but he opted to concentrate on Eleven with Natasha Shneider, and the pair bowed out of touring before the album's promotion started.
In 2007, Johannes became a part of Brody Dalle's post-Distillers effort, Spinnerette.{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/news/the-distillers/27343 |title=Brody Dalle announces new band | News |website=Nme.com |date=March 27, 2007 |access-date=July 16, 2014}}
In August 2009, he joined Them Crooked Vultures, with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme and former Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones. Johannes contributed guitar, bass, keyboards, and backing vocals on their 2009–2010 tour, often playing his own solo guitar section during the set.
In late 2008, a song he co-wrote with Shneider, Time for Miracles, was recorded by Adam Lambert and used in the movie 2012.
On October 5, 2010, he released his solo debut album Spark, a tribute to the late Natasha Shneider.
On September 5, 2012, Jimmy Eat World announced that he would be a producer/engineer on their 8th studio album.{{Cite web|url=http://es.twitter.com/jimmyeatworld/status/243412487536521216|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121210162715/http://es.twitter.com/jimmyeatworld/status/243412487536521216|url-status=dead|title=Twitter / jimmyeatworld: Today we begin our 1st full ...|website=Twitter.com|archive-date=December 10, 2012|access-date=September 5, 2012}}
In 2013, he became a player in Dave Grohl's Sound City Players project, writing and recording a song for the album, and playing a major role in the live performances.
On November 11, 2014, he released his second solo album, Fragments and Wholes Vol. 1, drawing inspiration from the death of his parents as well as that of Natasha Shneider.{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-queens-of-the-stone-age-alain-johannes-fragments-and-wholes-20150112-story.html |title=Heartbreak leads Alain Johannes to 'Fragments and Wholes' | News |work=latimes.com |date=January 13, 2015 |access-date=August 1, 2016}}
Johannes began working with PJ Harvey in 2014. From 2016 to 2017, Johannes was a part of PJ Harvey's touring ensemble for her world tour in support of her album The Hope Six Demolition Project. He also played on the album itself.
In 2015, he was the producer of K's Choice album The Phantom Cowboy, {{Cite web|title = K's Choice - The Phantom Cowboy|url = http://www.kschoice.be/bio.html|website=Kschoice.be|access-date = September 22, 2015|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923031741/http://www.kschoice.be/bio.html|archive-date = September 23, 2015}} and Edith Crash's Partir.{{Cite web|title = Edith Crash - Partir |url = http://coachellavalleyweekly.com/edith-crash-partir-stormy-wave-music/|website =Coachellavalleyweekly.com|access-date = December 17, 2015}}
In 2016, he composed and performed the soundtrack for the Ubisoft game, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands.{{Cite web|title = Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands: The Music Of The Wildlands - Alain Johannes|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X-AQaCWDvY|website =Youtube.com|access-date = May 31, 2021}}
In 2020, his third solo record Hum was released on Ipecac Records to favorable critical reviews {{Cite web|title = Critic Reviews for Hum - Alain Johannes|url = https://www.metacritic.com/music/hum/alain-johannes/critic-reviews|website=Metacritic.com|access-date = January 19, 2022}}
On September 3, 2022, Them Crooked Vultures reunited for a performance at Wembley Stadium in honour of Foo Fighters' late drummer Taylor Hawkins and again on September 27, 2022 at the Kia Forum for the second tribute show.
In May 2024, Alain was playing with Masters of Reality. He was also their support act, solo on stage with his 'cigar box' guitar. Johannes also toured across Europe with a selected band from countries he played in forming his backing band, allowing him to play Eleven and Desert Sessions songs in his sets. In the UK leg for example, Alain's backing band were Earl of Hell, who also opened for him on the tour. Along with past collaborator Chris Goss, Alain contributed the Jethro Tull song "Aqualung" from the 1971 album Aqualung to the tribute album Aqualung (Redux) released through Magnetic Eye Records in December 2024.{{cite web |title=Aqualung (Redux), by Various Artists |url=https://reduxrecords.bandcamp.com/album/aqualung-redux |website=Bandcamp |access-date=23 January 2025 |language=en |date=6 December 2024}} The song followed the original arrangement but was done in the a cappella format using voices performing the instrumentation along with various electronic percussion noises. It was favorably reviewed as being like a "nightmare" scored with surrealist music.{{cite web |last1=Lawson |first1=Dom |title=Aqualung Redux / Best Of Jethro Tull |url=https://blabbermouth.net/reviews/aqualung-redux-best-of-jethro-tull |website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET |access-date=24 January 2025 |language=en |date=5 December 2024}}
Selected discography
Throughout his career Johannes has worked with a wide range of artists and bands in various genres as a musician, record engineer and producer.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/alain-johannes-mn0000520135/credits |title=Alain Johannes | Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=July 16, 2014}}
| class="wikitable" |
| Band or artist
! Album ! Year ! Credits |
|---|
| Addie Brik
| Wattsland (EP) | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 1984 | style="text-align:left;"| Vocals, guitar, production |
| What Is This?
| Squeezed (EP) | style="text-align:left;"| Vocals, guitar |
| What Is This?
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 1985 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| Vocals, guitar |
| What Is This?
| 3 Out of 5 Live (EP) |
| Thelonious Monster
| Baby, You're Bummin' My Life Out in a Supreme Fashion | style="text-align:center;"| 1986 | style="text-align:left;"| Flute, saxophone |
| Walk the Moon
| Walk the Moon | style="text-align:center;"| 1987 | style="text-align:left;"| Vocals, guitar, saxophone, programming, percussion, e-bow |
| Eleven
| Awake In A Dream | style="text-align:center;"| 1991 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"| Guitar |
| Sun 60
| Only | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 1993 |
| Melissa Ferrick
| Massive Blur |
| Eleven
| Eleven | style="text-align:left;"| Guitar, vocals |
| Eleven
| Thunk | 1995 | style="text-align:left;"| Guitar, percussion, horn, sitar |
| Jason Falkner
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 1996 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"| Guitar |
| Gouds Thumb
| Gouds Thumb |
| Dalbello
| Whore |
| Chris Cornell
| 1999 | style="text-align:left;"| Guitar, bass, backing vocals, theremin, mandolin, clarinet, tabla, production, mixing |
| Queens of the Stone Age
| Rated R | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 2000 | style="text-align:left;"| Mixing |
| Eleven
| Avantgardedog | style="text-align:left;"| Guitar, vocals, producer, engineer |
| No Doubt
| style="text-align:left;"| Recording |
| The Desert Sessions
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 2001 | style="text-align:left;"| Guitar, fiddle, harmonium, saxophone, vocals, clavinet, udu, mixing |
| Live
| V | style="text-align:left;"| Sitar, production |
| No Doubt
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 2002 | style="text-align:left;"| Additional engineer |
| Queens of the Stone Age
| style="text-align:left;"| Organ, piano, guitar, theremin, lap steel guitar |
| UNKLE
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5"| 2003 | style="text-align:left;"| Remixing |
| Matt Costa
| Matt Costa (EP) | style="text-align:left;"| Mastering |
| The Desert Sessions
| style="text-align:left;"| Guitar, bass, flute, vocals, mandolin, e-bow, keyboard |
| Mondo Generator
| A Drug Problem That Never Existed | style="text-align:left;"| Engineer, mixing, mastering |
| Eleven
| Howling Book | style="text-align:left;"| Guitar, vocals |
| Mark Lanegan Band
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="6"| 2004 | style="text-align:left;"| Guitar, bass, drums, organ, keyboards, vocals, mixing, production |
| Sugarcult
| style="text-align:left;"| Additional guitar |
| Jack Irons
| style="text-align:left;"| Banjo, flute, guitar, saxophone, vocals, sarod, engineer, mixing, marxophone, santoor |
| Janubia{{cite web|url=http://www.janubia.com |title=Janubia,Mother Tongue,Official Website,world music, cd |publisher=Janubia.com |access-date=July 16, 2014}}
| style="text-align:left;"| Mixing, mastering, additional instrumentation |
| Masters of Reality
| Give Us Barabbas | style="text-align:left;"| Editing |
| Eagles of Death Metal
| style="text-align:left;"| Piano, vocals, engineering, mastering, mixing |
| Queens of the Stone Age
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 2005 | style="text-align:left;"| Bass, guitar, flute, marxophone |
| Queens of the Stone Age
| Over the Years and Through the Woods | style="text-align:left;"| Bass, guitar, backing vocals |
| Millionaire
| style="text-align:left;"| Mixing, recording |
| Eagles of Death Metal
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 2006 | style="text-align:left;"| Mixing |
| Wires on Fire
| Wires on Fire | style="text-align:left;"| Saxophone, mixing, mastering, engineering |
| Queens of the Stone Age
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"| 2007 | style="text-align:left;"| Bass, guitar, fiddle, marxophone, mixing |
| Silverchair
| style="text-align:left;"| Slide guitar |
| Hilary Duff
| Dignity | style="text-align:left;"| Mixing |
| Puscifer
| style="text-align:left;"| Guitar |
| Spinnerette
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 2008 | style="text-align:left;"| Bass |
| Eagles of Death Metal
| Heart On | style="text-align:left;"| Horn, engineer |
| The Gutter Twins
| style="text-align:left;"| Recording |
| Kelly Clarkson
| All I Ever Wanted | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="5"| 2009 | style="text-align:left;"| Guitar |
| Nosfell
| Nosfell | style="text-align:left;"| Producing, mixing, guitar, marxophone, bass, cigfiddle |
| Spinnerette
| style="text-align:left;"| Production, mixing, engineer, bass, guitar, cigfiddle |
| Arctic Monkeys
| Humbug | style="text-align:left;"| Engineering |
| Them Crooked Vultures
| style="text-align:left;"| Recording, backing vocals |
| Alain Johannes
| Spark | | 2010 | style="text-align:left;"| Recording, producing, mixing, guitars, vocals, bass |
| Manna
| Shackles | | 2011 | style="text-align:left;"| Producer |
| Mark Lanegan
| | 2012 | style="text-align:left;"| Producing, engineering, mixing, guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals |
| Sound City
| Reel to Real (soundtrack) | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 2013 | style="text-align:left;"| Bass, vocals on "Your Wife is Calling"; guitar on "Centipede"; vocals, guitars on "A Trick With No Sleeve" |
| Loading Data
| Double Disco Animal Style | style="text-align:left;"| Producer, backing vocals, drums, keyboards, bass, guitars |
| Jimmy Eat World
| Damage | style="text-align:left;"| Producer |
| Brody Dalle
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 2014 | style="text-align:left;"| Co-producer, guitars, bass, piano, trumpet, mellotron, slide guitars |
| Alain Johannes
| Fragments & Wholes, Vol. 1 | style="text-align:left;"| Recording, producing, mixing, guitars, vocals, bass |
| K's Choice
|style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"| 2015 |Producer |
| Kazuya Yoshii
| Guitar |
| Edith Crash
|Partir | Producer |
| Kensico
| 2015 | Guitars, e-bow, cigar box, percussions, recording |
| PJ Harvey
|The Hope Six Demolition Project | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2" | 2016 |Guitar, handclapping, keyboards, percussion, saxophone, vocals (background) |
| Alain Johannes
|Ghost Recon Wildlands OST |itaru |
| Mark Lanegan Band
| Gargoyle | 2017 | style="text-align:left;"| Producer, co-writer, keyboards, guitar, bass, mellotron, synthesizer, percussion, e-bow, vocals (background) |
| Garry Pitcairn
| 2019 | style="text-align:left;"| Mixing, mastering |
| Aurelia
| Sharp Words | 2019 | style="text-align:left;"| Producer, mixer, guitar, bass, cigar box guitar, keyboards, percussion, e-bow |
| Big Scenic Nowhere
| Vision Beyond Horizon | 2020 | style="text-align:left;"| Co-writer, guitar, vocals |
| Patrón
| Patrón | 2020 | style="text-align:left;"| Producer, engineer, mixer, keyboards, guitar, bass, vocals (background) |
| Alain Johannes
| Hum | 2020 | style="text-align:left;"| Composer, engineer, mixing, primary artist. |
| Des Rocs
| Dream Machine | 2023 | style="text-align:left;"| Producer |
| Tarah Who?
| The Last Chase | 2024 | style="text-align:left;"| Producer, engineer, mixer, guitar, backing vocals |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.myspace.com/elevenworld Johannes' MySpace page]
- [http://orensiegel.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/alain-johannes-interviewed-on-jekyll-and-hyde-now-available-on-the-archive/ In-depth retrospective interview on Jekyll and Hyde, 106FM Jerusalem]
{{Queens of the Stone Age}}
{{Them Crooked Vultures}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johannes, Alain}}
Category:American rock guitarists
Category:American male guitarists
Category:American alternative rock musicians
Category:American people of Chilean descent
Category:Queens of the Stone Age members
Category:What Is This? members
Category:Fairfax High School (Los Angeles) alumni
Category:Musicians from Santiago, Chile
Category:Ipecac Recordings artists
Category:20th-century American guitarists