Spot on: Johnny Foreigner
Johnny Foreigner return with their third album proper, “Johhny Foreigner vs. Everything”, released through Alcopop! on November 7th. Speaking about their new album, guitarist and singer Alexei says: “We are bursting with excitement to be able to start talking about our wonderful record. It was made this spring and summer in our hometown by our old friend Dominique James, and will be released november 7th on Alcopop. it’s going to be called Johnny Foreigner vs Everything.
“We started writing it two years ago, and staggered recording and mixing over 5 months. the title came first. This is the first full length record we’ve made without a grammy – nominated producer, without contracts and new york and professionals. the biggest challenge we’ve faced as a band, and the worst thing about leaving the world of corporate-funded labels, was knowing that sooner or later we’d come to this point; having to make a way better record for a way worse budget… and i’m beyond proud to say that i think thats exactly what us and dom have achieved. we’ve made the record that sounds like we do in our heads.”
Under the pressure of recording an album on a budget but with as supportive a fanbase as ever, “Johnny Foreigner vs. Everything” will more than satisfy those fans and hopefully make them many new ones. A tracklisting full of small victories, Johnny Foreigner might feel like they’re at war, but right now they’re only winning their battles.
What’s the story behind the name of the band?
The name was something that happened before I joined the fold. It was Lex’s vision inspired by (and I’m not so eloquent as Lex is when describing this, but…) a phrase used by his (misguided) elderly neighbours to describe people coming from overseas and put in their words, ‘taking all the jobs’. What his neighbours didn’t realise was that in time, these people would no longer be outsiders but in fact would eventually be people they would rely on, regularly, within the community. I guess in our early beginnings we were outsiders, loser indie kids in a scene of fashion bands. And I suppose we’d like to think that on some level we’re not so much the outsiders anymore.
I probably should have made something up about how my uncle is actually called johnny foreigner or something. Yeah I’ll go with that one!
The best records of all times in the whole wide world?
We’d argue over our favourite Pavement album so I’m going to make an executive decision and say Brighten The Corners; the Owls album we can agree on; Jun would probably say something by Algernon Cadwallader, Lex would say, hmm, some Longpigs album or something and I will go with a Deerhoof album but I argue with myself all the time about which is best.
As a child who did you want to be like?
She-Ra, Peter Buck, Blossom Russo.
What’s the most embarrassing record in your collection?
I have Clannad and Wishbone Ash records. I went a bit crazy on the discount section in the music store I used to work at. I just wanted to have a really eclectic music collection to be honest; I grew up listening to both but had grown out of them by the time I started working there. I think I took eclecticism a little too far.
A book/song that changed us
I don’t think we’ve all read the same book before… Lex and I have swapped a few, but that’s about it. I still have his copies of Kevin Sampson’s Powder, Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records (signed, no less) as well as a few band/ artist biographies that he lent me over the years. I hope he doesn’t read this. Actually it’s fine, he got red wine all over my copy of Cider With Roadies, so I consider pinching his books compensation. A song though… that’s tricky. Let’s say Holy Fucking Ghost by Owls. We were all pretty young and quite possibly musically stunted when that album came out (c’mon, Wishbone Ash! Argh) and I think that album probably improved our collective musical taste by like, at least 80%.
Our favourite place
Again, that be a toughie. I guess when we went to Cape Town, we were pretty humbled by Clifton Beach. HOW CAN SOMEWHERE BE SO PRETTY! THE MOUNTAINS! THE OCEAN! I think we get humbled by most places that aren’t our own city. We’re pretty small-town like that.
What influences would you say was present in your music?
More bands than I think I could list, and non musically speaking, I think the same things that influenced the music when we first started, probably. The standardised answer back then was: ‘girls, gin and the dehumanisation of the city centre’ but now with 4 years of touring thrown in for good measure.
What process do you go through when you write your music?
Lex brings a verse and chorus in; Jun and I add our bits. Or Jun may have some beats or whatever, which Lex and I will add to. I’m sorry that’s a really boring answer, huh. Ok, so we have this big pot and we put random words and notes in and depending on the sequence we pick them out in…
Are you seeking fame or fortune, birds or something altogether different?
Hmm, naa. I don’t think we’d still be doing this if we were after these things. The indie genes we have mean we’re content to meet like minded people into the same sorta bands as us and to play fun shows; the hippy genes mean we’re in our element when travelling to new cities/ countries/ continents, especially if we get to spend time checking out our new surroundings. We’re simple people really. Love creating music. Love to travel. Guess you could say we kinda lucked out that we have had the chance to do both as much as we have.
How would you describe your sound in one sentence?
When we first started out, someone described us as sounding something like ‘a couple having an argument outside a nightclub’. I kinda like that. it’s stuck with me. That or woooshjuhjuhjuhjuhahhhhhhh. What? That’s a word!
johnny foreigner
no gin: no show!
