John Vanderslice

Before launching his solo career with 2000’s Mass Suicide Occult Figurines, singer-songwriter John Vanderslice spent five years fronting the literate and sonically adventurous San Francisco indie-rock band MK Ultra. He also developed a reputation as both an analog-recording enthusiast (with his own successful San Francisco studio, Tiny Telephone) and a forward-thinking proponent of using digital downloads as a means for connecting with fans; he was posting MP3s of his own music and his friends’ bands on the Web long before MP3 blogs became all the rage (and before even indie record labels understood the merits of the then still controversial medium). Now seven albums into his solo career (counting this May’s Romanian Names), Vanderslice continues to evolve both as a songwriter and an architect of sound. His records are as full of compelling metaphors and engaging pop hooks as they are inspired, audiophile-worthy production flourishes. As AllMusic summed up in its review of 2007’s Emerald City, “Vanderslice is holding the torch as one of indie rock’s most imaginative songwriters.”