Julian Koster

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Julian Koster
Julian06.JPG
Koster playing the banjo at ArthurFest 2005 (signature lamb-lamp seen in background)
Background information
Born (1972-07-26) July 26, 1972 (age 52)
Genres Psychedelic folk, indie folk, lo-fi
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, storyteller
Instrument(s)Musical saw, banjo, bass guitar, accordion, keyboards, vocals
Years active1989–present
Labels
Member of
Formerly of

Julian Koster (born July 26, 1972) [1] [2] is an American multidisciplinary artist. As a musician, he is a member of the Elephant 6 Collective, the leader of The Music Tapes, and a member of Neutral Milk Hotel. He is known for writing, directing, and acting in audio fiction The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) , and for performing with the theatrical troupe of the same name. He is also known for his heavy use of the musical saw in recordings, even releasing The Singing Saw at Christmastime , his only solo album released under his own name, in 2008.

Contents

Early career: Chocolate USA

In 1989, Koster formed Miss America with Liza Wakeman, Alan Edwards, Paul Wells and Keith Block. After legal threats from Miss America, they became Chocolate USA. Chocolate USA released two albums on Bar/None before disbanding to follow other projects.

Neutral Milk Hotel

Koster joined Jeff Mangum, Scott Spillane and Jeremy Barnes to record the second Neutral Milk Hotel album, In the Aeroplane over the Sea , on which he played banjo and singing saw. Koster also played bass guitar in the live band. The success of the album, however, took its toll on Mangum, and the band went on hiatus shortly after its release. They reunited in 2013 for a worldwide tour.

The Music Tapes and other projects

After Neutral Milk Hotel, Koster began to concentrate on his own solo project, The Music Tapes, for which he contributed banjo, singing saw, chord organ, and vocals, among other instruments. 1st Imaginary Symphony For Nomad was released in 1999. Koster, together with Brian Dewan, recorded the story album The 2nd Imaginary Symphony for Cloudmaking , which was distributed by Koster on CD but never officially released for 15 years. After this, nothing was released by The Music Tapes until 2008, when Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes arrived, followed by extensive touring (including the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour) and an unprecedented level of public appearance by the formerly reclusive Koster.

Koster was a founding member of Major Organ and the Adding Machine. He appeared in the Major Organ and the Adding Machine film which was shown on the Holiday Surprise tour and was later released with an expanded edition of the 2001 album in 2009. [3]

In 2008, Koster released The Singing Saw at Christmastime , a collection of Christmas carols played on the singing saw. This was followed by a caroling tour, on which he played songs from The Singing Saw at Christmastime and selected tracks from Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes for free wherever fans invited him to play. [4] This evolved into an annual caroling tradition, which transformed into the "Lullabies at Bedsides" house tour of 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 which in turn gave way to the long-planned Traveling Imaginary of 2012–2013. After the EP Purim's Shadows in 2011, in 2012, The Music Tapes released their third full-length LP, Mary's Voice .

On October 12, 2016, The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) podcast was released, with Koster starring as Julian the Janitor. [5]

Koster voiced Slime Boy in the animated series High Guardian Spice . [6]

In 2023, Koster started a new band, also called Orbiting Human Circus. They released their debut album, Quartet Plus Two, on November 17. The album featured contributions from Robbie Cucchiaro and Thomas Hughes, Koster's bandmates in The Music Tapes.

Personal life

Koster's father is noted flamenco guitarist Dennis Koster. [7]

Koster does not identify as straight. [8]

Koster is close friends with Hedwig and the Angry Inch co-creator John Cameron Mitchell, having contributed to early readings of the production and featured the character of Hedwig in some early tours with The Music Tapes. Mitchell is a cast member on Koster's Orbiting Human Circus podcast. [9]

Sexual assault allegations

On July 9, 2024, Koster was accused by fellow Elephant 6 musician Nesey Gallons of grooming and sexual assault. Gallons alleged that the grooming began via email contact when Gallons was fifteen years old and turned physical in April 2001 when Gallons was sixteen. Gallons further alleges that Koster sexually assaulted them twice in the summer of 2005. [10] [11]

In his own statement on Instagram, Koster confirms the relationship transpired but denies Gallons' other allegations, writing that Gallons and her spouse have been trying to coerce him into entering into a romantic relationship with them. “I have been the victim of intimidation, manipulation, and abuse by Nesey Gallons for many years,” he writes. "When the relationship began I was 28 and Nesey was 16, just before her 17th birthday," Koster continued. "Though this put her over Georgia's legal age of consent when our relationship began, it was wrong to allow the relationship to happen at all and I've apologized to Nesey many times for that. I should have been more responsible about the age gap, but I deny all the other accusations she's made." Koster wrote in his statement, "Anyone who knows me now or knew me then understands that I always try with all my heart to approach people with empathy and love, including Nesey, and over the last few years I've been working hard to build a friendship and to listen to her and acknowledge the pain that she feels. My efforts have been met with increasingly disturbing behavior on the part of both Nesey and (spouse Paul Gallons), including thousands of threatening and manipulative messages, which are meant to punish me for not agreeing to what they want." [12]

Discography

As Julian Koster

With Chocolate USA

With Major Organ and the Adding Machine

With The Music Tapes

With Neutral Milk Hotel

Other Appearances

ArtistAlbumLabelFormatDateInstruments
Kevin Ayers The Unfairground LO-MAX CD2007 Singing saw
Black Swan Network The Late Music Camera Obscura CD1998
Circulatory System Circulatory System Cloud Recordings LP 2001
Elf Power Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs Arena Rock Recording Co. CD1995 Moog synthesizer
Elf Power When the Red King Comes Arena Rock Recording Co./Elephant 6 CD/LP 1997
Elk City Sea Is Fierce Warm Electronic Recordings CD2001 Singing saw
Fablefactory American Custard CD1999 Moog synthesizer
Quannnic Stepdream DeadAir LP2023 Singing saw, vocals, arrangement of ghosts
The Instruments Billions of Phonographs Orange Twin CD2002
Of Montreal The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy Kindercore CD1998
Of Montreal The Gay Parade Bar/None CD1999Singing; Jumping on the furnace
The Olivia Tremor Control Music from the Unrealized Film Script, Dusk at Cubist Castle Flydaddy LP 1996
The Olivia Tremor Control Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One Flydaddy LP 1999
They Might Be Giants Factory Showroom Elektra Records CD1996 Singing saw
Various Artists Serotonin Ronin Camera Obscura CD1998 electronics
Nesey Gallons Eyes & Eyes & Eyes Ago Hurrah For Karamazov LP 2009Singing

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The Music Tapes is an experimental pop music and performance art project of Elephant 6 member Julian Koster. The Music Tapes is characterized by unusual orchestrations, the use of musique concrète and narrative storytelling, vintage home-recording practices, and musical inventions. They are also known for their unique live performances, such as the Caroling and Lullaby tours that bring them into the homes of fans, and theatrical shows like The Traveling Imaginary, which takes place in a circus tent.

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<i>The Singing Saw at Christmastime</i> 2008 studio album by Julian Koster

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Anna "Nesey" Gallons is an American solo recording artist associated with the Elephant 6 Collective, and a former member of the bands Circulatory System and the Music Tapes. Gallons also works as a producer and engineer, including on the Music Tapes' album Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes, Julian Koster's The Singing Saw at Christmastime, Circulatory System's album Signal Morning, and the Hot New Mexicans' eponymous LP.

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Mary's Voice is an album by The Music Tapes. Material from the album was previewed during the band's previous caroling tours. In the lead-up to the album, Julian Koster held a Kickstarter campaign for a subsequent tour, with rewards including signed copies/master copies of the album, personalized messages and images, and Koster's banjo used on previous albums, most notably Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. The album also features additional instrumentation from several members of the Elephant 6 Collective.

<i>The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air)</i> Radio drama podcast

The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) is a fictional radio drama podcast written and created by Julian Koster, and published by Night Vale Presents. It is the fourth podcast to be released under the Night Vale Presents name. The podcast stars Koster as Julian the janitor, a shy, sensitive employee of the Eiffel Tower who dreams of joining the fictional radio show also titled The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air, which is broadcast from a large ballroom at the top of the tower. Listeners of the podcast hear Julian the janitor's inner thoughts as he discusses his situations with The Narrator, played by Drew Callander, an imaginary voice only Julian can hear. In addition to the conversations in his head, Julian interacts with the staff and talent of The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air, notably voiced by actors such as John Cameron Mitchell, Cecil Baldwin, Tim Robbins, Charlie Day, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis. One of the most prominent themes of the podcast is the pain of loneliness. The first season of the podcasts comprised eight episodes as well as a bonus question and answer episode in which Koster answers questions submitted by fans.

References

  1. "happy birthday julian! Archive". E6 Townhall. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  2. "Chocolate U.S.A." Bar/None Records. Bar-none.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  3. "Major Organ and the Adding Machine". Optical Atlas. June 19, 2009. Archived from the original on July 14, 2009. Retrieved September 17, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. "St. Louis - A to Z - Julian Koster Brings Holiday Cheer Caroling Tour to St. Louis, Monday, November 17". Archived from the original on January 11, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2008.
  5. Hannah Verdier (October 20, 2016). "The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air): for those who like their podcasts strange | Television & radio". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  6. Luster, Joseph (October 10, 2021). "High Guardian Spice Soars to Crunchyroll with New Trailer and Premiere Date". Crunchyroll . Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  7. Hughes, Allen (June 8, 1985). "Music: Dennis Koster, Guitar". The New York Times. p. 30. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  8. The Orbiting Human Circus (February 7, 2017). Season One, Bonus Episode (your questions) (Video). YouTube. Event occurs at 19:55. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  9. The Orbiting Human Circus (May 14, 2018). (Of the Air): Firstly! (Podcast). WNYC Studios. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  10. Gallons, Nesey [@neseygallons] (July 9, 2024). "I began to communicate by telephone and correspond via email with Julian Koster routinely in early Y2K at age 15, each exchange gradually..." Retrieved July 10, 2024 via Instagram.
  11. DeVille, Chris (July 11, 2024). "Neutral Milk Hotel's Julian Koster Accused of Grooming and Sexual Assault by Elephant 6 Musician Nesey Gallons". Stereogum . Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  12. Goldberg, Alyssa (July 11, 2024). "Neutral Milk Hotel's Julian Koster denies grooming, sexual assault accusations". USA Today . Retrieved July 14, 2024.

Sources