John Craig & The Weekend
Portland, Oregon, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
It’s barely mid-morning and you can already feel the mercury starting to rise. All the more reason to make plans for chillin’ out tonight with some head-boppin’ good pop courtesy of Portland’s own John Craig.
Craig’s hosting a pre-release party for his debut EP ÜMLAÜT! tonight at the Jupiter Hotel (800 E. Burnside). Expect pretty, and pretty damn catchy, melody-driven electro-pop-rock, special guest E3, and more. Admission for the 8 p.m. event will set you back $10.
And while you’re at it, check out “Ticking” on Craig’s MySpace page, a sonic popsicle if ever there was one. There, don’t you feel a bit cooler now?
-- Amanda Schurr (blogout.justout.com)
- blogout.justout.com
"[Craig] wraps his pop in curious instrumentation. "Ticking" with it's synths, reminds of early Cure songs; "Promises" has a whistlin' hook a la Peter, Bjorn & John's "Young Folks." But the brand-new Ümlaüt EP reminds me, more than anything else, of 80's techno-pop outfit Erasure-with Craig's vocal swagger pushing him into Andy Bell territory... Craig's new disc finds a nice balance of straightforward pop hooks and layered production."
-- Casey Jarman (Willamette Week 12/2/09) - Willamette Week
John Craig’s new album “Umlaut” combines soulful vocals – ala Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, but without all the swooping – backed with extremely catchy, danceable electro-pop music. It’s the sound of orangey dusk – that time between the end of the work or school day when the evening lies ahead with all its promise of romance or loneliness. The sound of being young enough to stay up all night and rage, but old enough to realize playing it smooth and cool will get you more places than getting in someone’s face.
-- Rob Cullivan (Portland Tribune) - Portland Tribune
Ümlaüt: Those two little dots above some German vowels right? Sometimes it means to make sound go the other way around.
Then there’s Umlaut: A fresh start for John Craig, making sound go his way around on his debut, solo release, a five-song EP of electro-infused, lovey dubby, pop songs released on Loophole Records.
[Umlaut] is an enjoyable pop album where Craig shows a uniqueness and distinct diversity on each track.
“My influences range from Stevie Wonder, Daft Punk, and The Police to Danny Elfman, and I tried to reflect that in each song, making sure each song was its own, but ensuring the collection of songs sounded like an album, not just five songs thrown together,” says Craig.
The sounds of Peter Bjorn and John are reflected with dancey whistles, coupled with a banjo, on “Promises” while the crisp, early-80’s-pop synths and electric guitar on “Soon” will leave you recalling J. Geils Band’s hit “Centerfold.”
The album opens with “Ticking,” which grows from initially simplistic to orchestral and closes with a romantic, ballad “Choose Me: Heather’s Song” written for his fiancé.
Craig’s debut is pure pop tinted with some synthesized glamour. This album also marks his departure from “work,” quitting his day job to focus all his energies on “pleasure.”
“[After I finished the record], I re-evaluated my life and realized that I have never been happier than when I am writing, playing, or performing music. Thus I made the decision to quit my job and go for it,” says Craig.
John Craig celebrates his CD release at Someday Lounge on Friday with friends Oh Captain, My Captain playing on the bill.
-- Chris Young (oregonmusicnews.com) - oregonmusicnews.com
"...an ear-soothing reminder that radio-friendly guitar rock has not totally disappeared into the rising indie glut... with wailing Geddy Lee-like vocals from bassist John Craig and versatile guitar from Tommy Illk."
- Ned Lannamann - Portland Mercury
"...one of the cities better male vocalists... a bit sprawling at times, but you gotta give the kids credit for not being afraid to take some chances, given they have the right elements to play it safe and poppy at all times, and they don’t."
- Rob Cullivan - Portland Tribune
Discography
* Numbers (2011)
* Ghosts b/w The Fall Out (single) - (2010)
* Broken Branches (single) - (2010)
* Umlaut EP - (2009)
note: all released on Loophole Records
Photos
Bio
It was around the age of eight, while watching the epic fight scene in The Empire Strikes Back where Luke Skywalker fights Darth Vader, when an inspired John Craig told his parents he wanted to make music. Many years later, John Craig and his band, The Weekend, are working on an electro-pop epic of their own. Immersed in the ever-changing currents of Portland, Oregon’s music scene, Craig’s newest release, Numbers, arrives as a breath of fresh air - something worlds apart from anything you’ve heard coming out of Portland...or anywhere for that matter. Though he’s careful not to call it a total concept album, at it’s core, Numbers is a meandering pop odyssey with endless layers of beats, eclectic love songs, and mellow dance numbers to explore.
With deep roots throughout Oregon, John Craig grew up in Eugene playing alongside Blind Pilot’s Ryan Dobrowski in their college band named Tympanic. Exploring state highways, back roads and small venues along the West Coast, Tympanic flourished until graduation eventually brought things to an end.
In 2009, Craig released his solo debut EP, Umlaut, making waves and receiving hometown love from Portland’s
Willamette Week, Portland Mercury, Portland Tribune and Eugene Weekly, to name a few. Then he released a couple of singles in 2010, “Ghosts” and “Broken Branches,” and began writing for his sophomore LP - Numbers - with influences spanning Bowie and Prince to Cut Copy and Ra Ra Riot. With a new band called The Weekend - comprised of Nicole Berke, Tommy Illk, Josh Lava, and Craig, the group is out to heat up the dance floor, with ambitious touring plans for 2011 and beyond.
Numbers was recorded in Craig’s basement studio and at a small lake house on the Oregon Coast. Final tracking was done at Cloud City in Portland, Oregon and was engineered by Justin Phelps (Mars Volta, Bob Weir and Ratdog, Dead Kennedys, Chris Isaak, Cake). Numbers was released nationally on August 30th, 2011 on Loophole Records with a national tour to follow. Also notable, "Soon" from Craig’s 2009 EP Umlaut will appear in the forthcoming feature film, Tucker & Dale vs Evil slated for a Sept 30th release. His song "Ticking" was also featured in the Tommy Hilfiger "Meet the Hilfiger's" campaign.
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