Update from John Common before a brief hiatus: The new record, Beautiful Empty, is "pretty much done."The Denver release party will be 12/12 at Curious Theatre. "That night is gonna be crazy cool," says Common.
More from Mr. (un)Common:
We're taking a break from music for a month or so ... to rest up for all the flashing and lighting and blinding that we'll soon be doing.
Enjoy your September. I sure will.
If you are not tuned-in enough to know better, here's stuff about John Common, straight from the horse -- at the very bottom I put a bunch of places to chat at him / follow him.
He's cool. He gave us this image of him, above. It is sort of, um, sexy.
JOHN COMMON & BLINDING FLASHES OF LIGHT
John Common sometimes wishes he were a filmmaker or a painter, but due to a run-in with his older brother's record collection at an impressionable age, he ended up with a bad case of the rock and an obsession for making music instead. He's constantly writing songs -- they range from raucous and snarly, to beautiful and introspective.
John plays with an incredibly talented group of musicians, artists and friends, drawn from Colorado’s indie music scene: Jess De Nicola (voice), Keven Meyer (bass, vocals), Wes Michaels (cello, saxophone), Adam Revell (keys, vocals) and Scott Davies (drums, samples). They are that unique kind of band where each player is an artistic force in their own right, but when they all play together something rare happens: musical conversation.
Beautiful Empty ... will cause short films to spontaneously appear in your head with its lush arrangements, gorgeous harmonies and cinematic lyrics.
It’s music that can pin you to the wall, break your heart, or just send you off thinking for a while.
Visit www.johncommon.com for more information.
DISCOGRAPHY
Beautiful Empty (TBA)
Spill EP (2007)
Why Birds Fly (2007)
Good To Be Born (2006)
The Longest Street In America (2003)
Collecting Empties (1999)
FORTUNATE OCCURRENCES
2009 Lyons Folks Festival Finalist
2009 Westword Nominated Best Pop Artist
2009 Denver Music Scene Top 10 Songwriters
2008 Telluride Troubadour Finalist
2008 Westword Nominated Best Singer/Songwriter
2007 Lyons Folks Festival Finalist
2007 Mover and Shaker / Best Local Release -- Westword
2007 Best Local Release -- The Denver Post
2006 Most Intriguing Discs -- The Onion
2006 Westword Nominated Best Singer/Songwriter
PRESS
"Hard to classify, John Common plays a brand of upbeat indie rock that makes use of a wide array of instruments from trumpets to xylophones. His band Blinding Flashes of Light is comprised of several talented musicians culled from the vibrant Colorado indie scene who provide the backdrop to his insightful and powerful lyrics." -- DENVER METROMIX
"John's clever lyrics and perfectly crafted songs are outdone only by his huge and prolific body of work. This guy puts out a solid album twice a year. No wonder his songs are good. He also has a killer band." -- Denver Music Scene, Top Ten Singer-Songwriters
"A brilliant, extremely ambitious disc... Denver's finest rock recording of the past decade." -- WESTWORD (Good To Be Born)
"Why Birds Fly is even more uncommon than its acclaimed 2006 predecessor ... the aural environment Common creates is so sumptuous that it rewards repeated listens even as it confounds expectations." -- WESTWORD (Why Birds Fly)
"It may seem difficult to imagine a guy named John Common living a highly individual life, but believe it ... his creative curiosity and detail-oriented aesthetic distinguish him from the drooling pack of earnest singer-songwriters." -- THE DENVER POST
"Raw, yet sophisticated pop." -- THE ONION
MOST INTRIGUING DISCS OF 2006 -- THE ONION
"With all the craft of a consummate songwriter, John Common builds songs that dig beneath thick skins and lazy thinking. He deconstructs them with the abandon of a mad scientist, resulting in a disc that's as rich in texture as it is drenched in tenderness." -- THE ONION
"Every aspect of Common's squirrely melodic sensibilities and unerringly tight playing and production are featured here." -- THE DENVER POST
"A rich mix of samples, guitars, and lyrical intensity in a quieter version of 'Bends'-era Radiohead or the missing step in Wilco's leap from 'Being There' to 'Summerteeth.' The music is complex and innovative without sacrificing catchy hooks or raw energy in a wide range of styles and tempos." -- COLORADO MUSIC BUZZ
"The auspicious debut of former Rainville frontman John Common shares intellectual shelf space with mid-period Remy Zero and Radiohead. With supple vocals that glide from intoxicating purrs to forceful croons, Common weaves his way through intelligent, cinematic material that's thoughtfully augmented by well-placed samples, subtle brass accompaniment and murmuring keys." -- WESTWORD
"This album portrays a band with the skills to embellish a writer who has a foot in the motherlode of great songs." -- AMERICANA UK
"Common has achieved the musical equivalent of picking up seven tiles in a game of Scrabble and being able to lay down “bezique” on the first turn. " -- FIVE MAGAZINE, TAOS, NEW MEXICO
"It would be much too easy to use John Common's last name as a pun to describe his 'uncommon' skills as a singer-songwriter, but what the hell." -- SANTE FE REPORTER
"His face is a familiar one around town -- although it's not as recognizable as his voice." -- THE DENVER POST
"Drawing as much from Radiohead and Yo La Tengo as it does from Wilco and the Jayhawks, the group folds elegant melody into brooding experimentalism -- an epic, adventurous sound that will be showcased on an upcoming full-length debut." -- WESTWORD
"Common writes a great song just about every day ... 'Good To Be Born' is a Matthew Sweet-meets-Queen rock opus filled with catchy songs and layers of clever vocals ... Damn him." -- 5280
"There are songs that make me want to drink til morning, you see ... Songs that make me wish I'd somehow gone home with that handsome stranger who smiled when I looked up from my book. ... Songs that make me want to be loud and messy and get into lots of trouble, when normally I am quiet and neat and only get into medium amounts of trouble. ... Songs I've caught myself putting on repeat when it's 2 a.m. and I have to wake up at 6." -- A GIRL
johncommon.com
twitter.com/johncommon
facebook.com/jcommon
myspace.com/johncommon
hitrecordandplay.blogspot.com
Trust me on this one, people. ;)
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