Johnny Jewel | |
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![]() Jewel performing with Glass Candy in 2006 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | John David Padgett |
Also known as | John David V, For Every River Buried, Twenty-Six, Achille Vettessi |
Born | Houston, Texas, U.S. | May 31, 1974
Origin | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
Genres | |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1994–present |
Labels | Italians Do It Better |
Johnny Jewel (born John David Padgett; May 31, 1974) [1] [2] is an American musician, record producer, composer, and visual artist. He is a multi-instrumentalist who is known for using all-analog equipment. Jewel has been recording and releasing material since the mid-1990s.
Born in Houston, Jewel mainly began recording music in Portland, Oregon in 1996 after forming the band Glass Candy with vocalist Ida No. Initially boasting a no wave-influenced sound, the band evolved into an electronic-based duo featuring elements of Italo disco. In 2006, Jewel founded the independent Portland-based record label Italians Do It Better, which features an array of artists and groups that produce similar disco, electronic, and synth-based music. Among the label's artists are Glass Candy, Chromatics and Desire, all of whom Jewel wrote, recorded, and performed with.
With Jewel's involvement, Chromatics achieved considerable commercial success with the album Night Drive (2007), and their music was later featured in Nicolas Winding Refn's film Drive (2011). In addition to Drive, Jewel also scored Refn's film Bronson (2008), as well as Ryan Gosling's directorial debut, Lost River (2015). Additionally, between 2014 and 2018, Jewel released three solo albums, largely consisting of instrumental material.
Jewel was born John David Padgett in 1974 in Houston, Texas, where he was also raised. [3] His father was partially deaf, and Jewel learned sign language to help communicate with him. [1] As a teenager, Jewel was a "creative misfit" who was inspired by the music of The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth. [3] At age 17, Jewel was the victim of a kidnapping, which he stated marked a pivotal moment in his life. [4]
Jewel was a prospective student at Rice University, but ultimately decided to forgo attending college. [1] At age eighteen, his father died, after which he relocated from Houston to Austin. [1]
In Austin, Jewel began recording music under the name John David V. [3] He subsequently relocated to Portland, Oregon in the mid-1990s, where he continued to record music, this time under the name Johnny Jewel. [3] In 1996, while working at a Fred Meyer grocery store in Portland, Jewel met Ida No, a local from Vancouver, Washington, who also worked in the store. [5]
At the time, Jewel was in the midst of a breakup, and was being kicked out of his apartment. [1] "I had a suitcase with clothes and five Moogs, and it was horrible. So the second time I hung out with [Ida], I called her and was like, ‘Can I move in with you?’ And she's like, ‘Uh, sure.’" [1] The two formed the musical group Glass Candy (initially known as Glass Candy and the Shattered Theatre), and began producing music together. [6] They soon began producing music under the name Glass Candy and the Shattered Theatre. [5] No described their early work as "droney and weird," [5] drawing on elements of no wave, post-punk, and art rock. [7] [8]
Also in 1996, under the alias Twenty Six, he released a post-rock album, This Skin Is Rust, on Bobby J Records. [9]
In 2003, Glass Candy released their debut studio album, Love Love Love, on the independent Troubleman Unlimited Records.
In 2006, Jewel formed his own record label, Italians Do It Better, based out of Portland, along with Mike Simonetti. [10] Commenting on his decision to form the label, he said:
One of the reasons why I started Italians Do It Better is because I didn’t want someone telling me when a record was due, or when something needed to be written or recorded. Or when I needed to go on tour. I believe in doing things when it’s ready. It’s a dangerous game because the world is moving so fast. But ultimately the only reason we’re having this conversation is because I love music. And that’s the path that it’s led me on in my life. I never set out to be a successful musician, but musical decisions have always guided my life. For that reason, I will stay true to what I really feel… [10]
Italians Do It Better began releasing material from a number of independent artists, featuring music inspired by electronic music, Italo disco, glam rock, and punk. [10] Among the groups signed to the label were Glass Candy, Desire, and Chromatics, each of whom Jewel collaborated with musically, co-writing and recording material. [10] The label issued two compilation albums featuring music from its various artists, After Dark (2007), and later, After Dark 2 (2013). [10]
With Chromatics, a post-punk band that had previously been based in Seattle, Jewel introduced singer and guitarist Ruth Radelet, who replaced the group's former vocalist, Johnny Whitney. [11] Jewel and Radelet had been in a years-long relationship prior to her joining Chromatics, [1] and the two were married for eight years during the band's tenure. [12] With Jewel's involvement, the group changed its sound significantly, introducing elements of electronic, disco, and synth-based music. [11] Heather Phares, writing for AllMusic , described the band's trajectory: "After starting out as an abrasive post-punk band, Chromatics evolved into one of the most influential electro-pop acts of their kind... the group's evocative mix of Italo-disco, post-punk, and '80s pop was glamorous, heartbroken, and utterly distinctive." [11]
In 2008, Jewel made his debut as a film score composer, writing and performing the score for Nicolas Winding Refn's film Bronson . He was subsequently hired by Refn to compose the score for his subsequent film, Drive (2011). [13] [14] Tracks by Chromatics and Desire also appeared on the film's soundtrack.
In 2014, Mike Simonetti, the co-founder of Italians Do It Better, left the record label and started a new imprint named 2MR. [15] In a series of public Twitter posts in 2016, Simonetti went on to accuse Jewel of stealing song ideas, among several other accusations regarding money Simonetti alleged was owed to him. [15]
In 2014, Jewel recorded the score for the A&E crime drama series Those Who Kill (2014). The same year, he released an instrumental album under his own name: The Other Side of Midnight (2014), [16] The same year, Chromatics announced that they were recording a new album, entitled Dear Tommy. [17]
Jewel subsequently scored the feature film Lost River (2015), the directorial debut of Ryan Gosling (who had starred in Drive). [18] He then composed the score for Fien Troch's film Home (2016), for which he won the Georges Delerue Award. [19] In 2017, Jewel appeared with Chromatics in David Lynch's series Twin Peaks: The Return , a revival of the original 1990 series, in which the band performs in a bar. [20] Also in 2017, Jewel released another solo record, Windswept, [21] followed by Digital Rain in 2018. [22]
The release of Chromatics' Dear Tommy was delayed several times, and in 2017, Jewel purportedly destroyed every copy of the record following a near-death experience [17] in which he almost drowned while swimming in Hawaii. [23] Despite this, Jewel continued to record with the band, covering the Hole track "Petals" (from their 1998 album, Celebrity Skin ) for the official soundtrack of the 2018 horror film The Perfection . [24]
In August 2021, singer Ruth Radelet, drummer Nat Walker, and guitarist Adam Miller of Chromatics announced that the group had disbanded. [17] Jewel was not mentioned in the announcement, though a representative for Italians Do It Better released the statement: "Johnny is extremely proud of his work with the project over the years and he’ll continue making music and supporting great art and artists through his label Italians Do It Better." [17]
In 2023, Jewel again collaborated with Fien Troch, composing the score for her film Holly , [25] which is scheduled to be screened at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. [26]
Solo
Film scores
Extended plays
Chromatics were an American electronic music band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2001. The band's final line-up consisted of Ruth Radelet, Adam Miller, Nat Walker, and Johnny Jewel. The band originally featured a trademark sound indebted to punk and lo-fi that was described as "noisy" and "chaotic". After numerous lineup changes, which left guitarist Adam Miller as the sole original member, the band began releasing material on the Italians Do It Better record label in 2007, with their style streamlined into an Italo disco-influenced sound.
Troubleman Unlimited Records was a record label specializing in indie rock and similar genres. Founded in 1993, the label was based in Bayonne, New Jersey and owned by Mike Simonetti.
Italians Do It Better is an independent record label based in Portland and West Hollywood. It was started by Johnny Jewel and Mike Simonetti on July 20, 2006, to focus on Jewel's projects Glass Candy and Chromatics and later Desire, Symmetry and Mirage, in addition to other artists from prior releases. Genres from the label have been described as contributing to the synth-pop, post-punk, and Italo-disco revivals. They have released four label compilations, 'After Dark' (2007), 'After Dark 2' (2013), 'After Dark 3' (2020), and 'After Dark 4' (2022), all of which feature music from their roster.
Glass Candy was an American electronic music duo from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1996 by vocalist Ida No and producer and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Jewel. The band is part of the Italians Do It Better label. While the band's early work blends elements of no wave, art punk, and glam rock, their later work incorporates synth-pop and Italo disco.
B/E/A/T/B/O/X is the second and final studio album by American electronic music duo Glass Candy, released on November 6, 2007, by Italians Do It Better. The album received two limited-edition vinyl pressings in 2008, both including a bonus 7″, and one of them pressed on pink vinyl. A new blue vinyl edition was released in April 2010, including the same bonus 7″.
Deep Gems is a collection of singles, B-sides, and rarities by American electronic music duo Glass Candy, released in October 2008 by the Italians Do It Better label.
Night Drive is the third studio album by Chromatics, released on August 28, 2007 on the Italians Do It Better record label. The label reissued an analogue remaster of the album as a "Deluxe Edition" in 2010, on both CD and double LP formats. A limited print run of the double LP was pressed on colored vinyl: blue for Sides A and B, and red for Sides C and D. The "Deluxe Edition" restores five tracks that had originally constituted Side D of the album, but had been scrapped before the original 2007 release date due to technical problems and time constraints.
Desire is a Canadian electronic music band from Montreal, formed in 2009. The band consists of vocalist Megan Louise and producer Johnny Jewel. Formerly, Nat Walker is also on the band on synthesizer and drums. Their debut studio album, II, was released on June 30, 2009 on the Italians Do It Better label. Their lyrics are in French and English.
Bottin is an Italian composer, producer, DJ and music scholar, based in Venice, Italy.
Drive is a 2011 American action drama film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. The screenplay, written by Hossein Amini, is based on James Sallis's 2005 novel of the same name. The film stars Ryan Gosling as an unnamed Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver. He quickly grows fond of his neighbor, Irene, and her young son, Benicio. When her debt-ridden husband, Standard, is released from prison, the two men take part in what turns out to be a botched million-dollar heist that endangers the lives of everyone involved. The film co-stars Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, and Albert Brooks.
After Dark is a compilation album of tracks either performed by artists on the Italians Do It Better record label or remixed by the label, released in 2007 on CD and in 2008 on triple vinyl. Artists featured on the album are Glass Candy, Chromatics, Indeep, Farah, Mirage, and Professor Genius.
Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2011 American film of the same name. Initially, Johnny Jewel was hired to compose the film's score, but producers ultimately hired Cliff Martinez to replace Jewel. The album consists of songs which is a blend of electronic, ambient and retro music.
Kill for Love is the fourth studio album by American electronic music band Chromatics. It was released on March 26, 2012, by Italians Do It Better. On May 7, 2012, a drumless version of the album, containing 11 songs with no percussion, was made available by the band for free download.
Lost River is a 2014 American fantasy thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Ryan Gosling, in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan, Iain De Caestecker, Matt Smith, Ben Mendelsohn, Barbara Steele, and Eva Mendes. Principal photography began in Detroit on May 6, 2013. The film premiered in competition in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, and was released in the United States on April 10, 2015.
After Dark 2 is a compilation album featuring artists from the Italians Do It Better label. The album was released on May 17, 2013, and produced by Johnny Jewel. It is a sequel to the 2007 album After Dark. Artists and bands featured on the album include Glass Candy, Desire, Chromatics, Mirage, Appaloosa, Symmetry, Twisted Wires, Farah, and Mike Simonetti.
Symmetry is an American instrumental musical duo consisting of Johnny Jewel and Nat Walker of Chromatics.
Ruth Radelet is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She is best known for her work as the lead vocalist in the electronic band Chromatics, formed in 2001. A native of Portland, Oregon, Radelet joined Chromatics in 2006 after the band relocated to Portland from Seattle, Washington. The band's first album to feature Radelet as vocalist and guitarist was their cult release Night Drive (2007), the record which marked a notable shift in their sound, incorporating elements of synth pop and post punk.
Dear Tommy is the unreleased sixth studio album by Chromatics, originally scheduled for release on Valentine's Day 2015, then 2018. The album had not been released by the time the group disbanded in 2021, although 11 songs that were at one point intended for Dear Tommy were released between 2014 and 2020.
Closer to Grey is the sixth and final studio album by American electronic music band Chromatics, released through Italians Do It Better without prior announcement on October 2, 2019. It is their first album in seven years, and follows the continuing delay of Dear Tommy, originally teased in 2014. On March 31, 2020, the band released a companion album titled Faded Now which included remixes from Closer to Grey, as well as covers and new material. All the tracks that compose this double feature are included in the deluxe edition of Closer to Grey, as well as instrumental and a cappella versions of some songs.
Lost River is the soundtrack to the 2015 film of the same name directed by Ryan Gosling and stars Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan, Iain De Caestecker, Matt Smith, Ben Mendelsohn, Barbara Steele and Eva Mendes. The film's musical score is composed by Johnny Jewel, featuring an original score with dialogues from the cast appearing as interludes in the score and contributions from Jewel's former bands Glass Candy, Chromatics, Desire and Symmetry. The soundtrack to the film was released on March 30, 2015 through Jewel's Italians Do It Better record label and further issued in triple LP vinyl editions on November 2015.