photos by Chad Syme
John Vanderslice has been a singer and songwriter since at least the early 90’s. Of all the places John has lived over the years, San Francisco is where he seems to be settled for the moment and where he seems to fit. It’s also where he first appeared on the music scene with local prog rock band mk Ultra (melodrama at its finest… also the name of a CIA Mind-Control experiment in the 60’s). It was after his third album with mk Ultra that he got involved with writing and recording his own songs and launching his now famous solo career. Forever the purist, retro, analog guy that John is, he of course also owns his own recording studio, Tiny Telephone, where he records all of his own material. In addition to being a cherished member of the KEXP family, John is also an avid photographer. You can view tons of his photos on his website. A man not afraid to throw down on the street either!
To celebrate 10 Years of Tiny Telephone’s birthday, John will be performing a special show with the Magik*Magik Orchestra in a 30-piece configuration on January 30th (that’s tonight!) at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Together they will be performing old classics as well as introducing new songs from an upcoming album currently being recorded. All proceeds from the event will benefit Magik*Magik, the house orchestra of Tiny Telephone. Special guest is DJ Aesop Rock (though there are sure to be others!).
For the session today at Opus Music Ventures studio in Berkeley, John was joined by Sleepytime Gorilla Museum drummer Matthias Bossi, who brought along a very condensed drum kit!
