Presented by SESAC
Communist Daughter
A few years ago Johnny Solomon was a fixture in the tight knit Twin
Cities music scene, forming the angular indie pop band Friends Like
These and touring extensively, he received critical praise from far
flung sources that looked like the beginning of a promising career.
The rising success masked his struggle with addiction and mental
health problems, and quickly eclipsed his career, landing him in jail
and treatment facilities across the country. By the end of that
whirlwind he had retreated to a small town across the border in
Wisconsin where he assumed his music days were over.
But when he moved out of the city his demons followed him and he
spent his nights writing and recording what he thought would be his
eulogy, songs about lost love and lost chances, He recruited some
friends to come out and put it all to tape. Calling his new band
Communist Daughter, they released their debut album “Soundtrack
to the End” in 2010. As they gained national attention Johnny put
all of it on hold and checked himself in to rehab one more time.
In 2012 Communist Daughter returned with a clear eyed John,
including his now wife Molly Solomon, bassist Adam Switlick, Steven
Yasgar on Drums, Al Weirs on guitar and Dillon Marchus on keys.
They put out an EP “Lions & Lambs” and began touring the country
again and gaining national attention.
By 2014 they had entered the studio to spend the next 2 years
crafting their sophomore release. Working with Producer Kevin
Bowe (Replacements, Meat Puppets) they recorded in and out of
studios trying to capture the deeply personal songs in a much more
deliberate style. Going from studio to bedroom to studio again they
created an album with 11 songs running the gambit from high peaks
to dark lows. They took the finished tracks to Nashville where
Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Benjamin Booker) put the final mix
together, and then had Heba Kadry (Future Islands, And You Will
Know Us…) master the final product in NYC.
2016 will see the release of their highly anticipated sophomore
album “The Cracks That Built The Wall.’ And look for a clear eyed
Communist Daughter to return to the road for tour dates all over
the country.
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