B.A. Johnston

Last updated
B.A. Johnston
B.A. Johnston playing in Toronto 2024.jpg
Johnston playing outside Toronto's Bovine Sex Club on top of his van in 2024.
Background information
Birth nameChristian
Born Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Genres Comedy
Occupation(s)Musician, performance artist
Website www.bajohnston.ca

Christian Johnston (born 1974/1975), [1] [2] known professionally as B.A. Johnston, is a Canadian comedic musician and performance artist based in Hamilton, Ontario.

Contents

Early life

Johnston was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. [3] He attended Westdale Secondary School and took a philosophy degree at Trent University. [2]

Career

He began touring around Canada in 2002, performing songs that are often comedic in nature and include pop cultural references to sports teams, junk food, and video games. [4] [5] Accompanying himself on guitar and keyboard, he performed as the character B.A. (Bored Again) Johnston who lives at home with his mother. [6] By birth, his name is Christian Johnston, but in high school was given the nickname “Bored Again Christian". It stuck over the years and became his stage name. [7]

By 2006 Johnston had recorded four albums of original songs, completing a cross-country tour travelling exclusively by Greyhound bus before beginning to tour in an old station wagon or mini-van. [8] Johnston's 2010 album Thank You for Being a Friend appeared on the !Earshot National Top 50 Chart. [9] Since that time he has continued touring extensively across Canada year-round, mainly performing in clubs and bars. [10] [11] [12] In 2014, Noisey compared him to American singer, songwriter GG Allin. [13] His ninth album Shit Sucks was released in 2015 and was a long list nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize. [5] Exclaim! magazine described it as "simplistic synth-pop and aggressive acoustic folk." [14] [15]

In 2017 a collaboration between Johnston and Sawdust City Brewing Company resulted in the launch of Olde B.A. Johnston's Finest Malt Liquor. [6] That year his album Gremlins III, a mixture of folk and punk music, was released through Wyatt Records. [16] That year a feature article about Johnston in the Globe And Mail acknowledged his polarizing status in the Canadian music scene, noting that for some he is a "modern-age Stompin' Tom Connors." [17]

In 2019 he began producing and starring in a show called "B.A. Johnston's Ham Jam", where he visits various places in Hamilton and talks to personalities around the city. [2]

As of 2022, Johnston continues to tour across Canada, performing his show. [18]

Discography

Albums (CD, LP)

Singles, Splits, & EPs

References

  1. ↑ Ritchie, Matthew (12 April 2012). "BA Johnston's '80s music". The Coast Halifax. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Nolan, Daniel (June 6, 2025). "He's the ham in 'Ham Jam': Comedic bard B.A. Johnston has new season of show about the Hammer". The Hamilton Spectator.
  3. ↑ "B.A. Johnston Mission Accomplished". Exclaim!, By Farah Barakat, September 3, 2013
  4. ↑ Rockingham, Graham (15 March 2017). "Donair sauce runs in B.A. Johnston's veins". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Interview: Why Shit Sucks for BA Johnston". Electric City Magazine. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  6. 1 2 Spencer, Lukas (18 September 2017). "The finest folk in Hamilton". The Silhouette. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  7. ↑ Webb-Campbell, Shannon. "Heart act to follow". The Coast Halifax. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  8. ↑ "B.A. Johnston: still broke, still trying" Archived 2018-10-29 at the Wayback Machine . The Journal, Queen's University, November 24, 2006 Meghan Harrison
  9. ↑ "The National Top 50 For the Week Ending: Tuesday, October 26, 2010". !Earshot.
  10. ↑ "B.A. Johnston Jimmy Jazz, Guelph ON, April 6". Exclaim!, By Vish Khanna, April 7, 2013
  11. ↑ "B.A. Johnston Pat's Pub, Vancouver BC June 9". Exclaim!, By Alan Ranta, June 11, 2012
  12. ↑ "B.A. Johnston, Remi Royale and Robots!EVERYWHERE!! at Irene’s – Ottawa" Archived 2020-12-05 at the Wayback Machine . Grayowl Point, April 8, 2012. by Erin Red
  13. ↑ "B.A. Johnston Is Canada's Answer to G.G. Allin". Noisey. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  14. ↑ Murphy, Sarah (17 February 2015). "B.A. Johnston 'Shit Sucks' (album stream)". Exclaim!. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  15. ↑ "Shit Sucks - Polaris Music Prize". Polaris Music Prize. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  16. ↑ "B.A Johnston Gremlins 3". Exclaim!, By Blake Morneau, March 1, 2017
  17. ↑ Wheeler, Brad (16 March 2017). "Is this schmo the new Stompin' Tom Connors?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  18. ↑ Slingerland, Calum (February 15, 2022). "B.A. Johnston Maps Out 2022 Canadian Tour Dates". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022.
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