JOHANNA WARREN SHARES GEMINI II STREAM
ALBUM OUT THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16
PLANT MEDICINE TOUR KICKS OFF THIS WEEK
Johanna Warren shared an advance stream of her new album Gemini II today ahead of its February 16 release. The Portland artist's new songs have won praise from the New York Times, Pitchfork, NPR, and more for their intimate sense of warmth and empathy, and Hype Machine premiered the stream, calling it "an elegant blend of confessional storytelling and occult symbolism."
Gemini II is out this Friday on Spirit House Records; it will be released on vinyl as a double LP with its companion record Gemini I. The LP is available for pre-order here.
PRAISE FOR GEMINI II:
"A view of a failed romance sung with meditative grace and intimations of heartache." - New York Times
"Johanna Warren makes folk music that is at once heady and relatable, weaving the realities of heartache through mystical rituals and pastoral imagery." - Pitchfork
"The spirit that animates much of Warren's music and philosophy [is] an enduring belief that we can be better, despite the hurt and despair we put each other and ourselves through." - NPR
"[Warren] poured her very essence into the tracks, filling them with references to the occult and mysticism that are part of her every day existence." - Consequence of Sound
JOHANNA WARREN ON TOUR:
Johanna's Plant Medicine Tour kicks off this Saturday in her hometown of Portland -- Warren will collaborate with local herbalists and biodynamic farmers in each city to talk about their work. Each performance will involved an element of guided sound healing meditation. Warren is a certified Reiki master and will also be offering Reiki classes and private healing sessions in select cities.
2/17: The Old Church - Portland, OR
2/19: Old Nick's - Eugene, OR
2/21: Oberon's - Ashland, OR
2/22: The Argus - Chico, CA
2/19: Old Nick's - Eugene, OR
2/21: Oberon's - Ashland, OR
2/22: The Argus - Chico, CA
2/23: Shady Coffee - Sacramento, CA
2/24: House show (1000 Siesta Way) - Sonoma, CA
2/24: House show (1000 Siesta Way) - Sonoma, CA
2/25: Soma House - Berkeley, CA
2/27: The Mermaid House (416 Mott Ave.) - Santa Cruz, CA
3/02: House show (416 E. Valerio St.) - Santa Barbara, CA
3/03: The Hi Hat - Los Angeles, CA
3/07: Grateful Desert - Joshua Tree, CA
3/07: Grateful Desert - Joshua Tree, CA
3/08: Aphrodite Temple ((3128 N 41st Pl.) - Phoenix, AZ
3/09: House show (446 E. 1st St.) - Tucson, AZ
3/09: House show (446 E. 1st St.) - Tucson, AZ
3/10: Santa Fe Oxygen Bar - Santa Fe, NM
3/11: Desert Archaic (324 N. Broadway) - Truth or Consequences, NM
3/13-17: SXSW - Austin, TX
3/19: The Mudlark Theatre - New Orleans, LA
3/19: The Mudlark Theatre - New Orleans, LA
3/21: Mammal Gallery - Atlanta, GA
3/23: TBA - Nashville, TN
3/24: The Landing - Asheville, NC
3/25: Nightlight - Durham, NC
3/27: Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar - Charlottesville, VA
3/27: Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar - Charlottesville, VA
3/28: Holy Underground - Baltimore, MD
3/29: House show (2620 W. Master St.) - Philadelphia, PA
3/30: Trans-Pecos - Brooklyn, NY
3/31: Chapel of Sacred Mirrors - Wappingers Falls, NY
4/01: Spotty Dog - Hudson, NY
4/02: House show (145 Brooks St. #3) - Boston, MA
4/01: Spotty Dog - Hudson, NY
4/02: House show (145 Brooks St. #3) - Boston, MA
4/03: Apohadion Theater - Portland, ME
4/04: The Light Club - Burlington, VT
4/05: Open Way Farm- East Montpelier, VT
4/06: Fox Trot Herb Farm - Ashfield, MA
4/07: Jimmy Dolan's Grave (365 Hamilton) - Albany, NY
4/08: Rainbow Body Yoga - Red Hook, NY
4/09: The Shark Tank - Rochester, NY
4/10: Nickel City Frets - Akron, NY
4/11: Mr. Roboto Project - Pittsburgh, PA
4/12: House show - Oberlin, OH
4/13: TBA - Detroit, MI
4/14: TBA - Chicago, IL
4/15: Rozz Tox - Rock Island, IL
4/16: TBA - Milwaukee, WI
4/17: The Train Station - Appleton, WI
4/19: The Smokestack - Dubuque, IA
4/21: The Zoo Bar - Lincoln, NE
4/22: Velcro Cat - Denver, CO
4/25: TBA - Salt Lake City, UT
4/26: The Lighthouse - Ogden, UT
4/28: Lower Crossing Farm - Missoula, MT
5/01: TBA - Tacoma, WA
5/02: Abbey Arts Presents - Seattle, WA
5/03: Alternative Library - Bellingham, WA
5/04: House show (4812 Emerald Ct.) - Port Townsend, WA
5/05: TBA - Bainbridge Island, WA
5/06: TBA - Olympia, WA
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Photo credit: Marlee Meghan Banta
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MORE ON JOHANNA WARREN:
When asked what motivates her to make music, Johanna Warren responds immediately: "Music is vibration; it's a direct way to affect matter. A song is a way to journey into places of discord and then resolve back into harmony." The Portland songwriter/multi-
Last year, Warren also released Gemini I, the first of a pair of conceptually connected albums written and recorded in the throes of a rocky romantic relationship with another artist. "All the songs on both records are about a complicated three-year relationship with a Gemini man," she says. "It was very much a 'twin flame' situation. We were working with bright light and intense shadow." As a way to process this emotional chaos, Warren began to write in earnest as a form of self-therapy. Eschewing the more abstract lyricism of her earlier work, she began to create a suite of confessional songs about the blessing and the curse of romantic love.
The albums that resulted, Gemini I and Gemini II, are moody, bewitching records packed with layers of occult symbolism and personal mythology. Every song on Gemini I has a corresponding "twin" on II, linked by melodic motifs, lyrical content or production choices. Rather than the DIY recording setups that Warren and engineer/producer Bella Blasko had used previously, the Geminis were tracked at Dreamland studios in upstate New York. There, equipped with a sudden wealth of instruments and more sophisticated technology, Warren who arranges and play nearly everything on her records, felt free to explore. This spirit of experimentation is evident on the records. The songs retain the hushed warmth of previous releases Fates and numun, while expanding Warren's sonic landscape in all directions.
Last year, Warren also released Gemini I, the first of a pair of conceptually connected albums written and recorded in the throes of a rocky romantic relationship with another artist. "All the songs on both records are about a complicated three-year relationship with a Gemini man," she says. "It was very much a 'twin flame' situation. We were working with bright light and intense shadow." As a way to process this emotional chaos, Warren began to write in earnest as a form of self-therapy. Eschewing the more abstract lyricism of her earlier work, she began to create a suite of confessional songs about the blessing and the curse of romantic love.
The albums that resulted, Gemini I and Gemini II, are moody, bewitching records packed with layers of occult symbolism and personal mythology. Every song on Gemini I has a corresponding "twin" on II, linked by melodic motifs, lyrical content or production choices. Rather than the DIY recording setups that Warren and engineer/producer Bella Blasko had used previously, the Geminis were tracked at Dreamland studios in upstate New York. There, equipped with a sudden wealth of instruments and more sophisticated technology, Warren who arranges and play nearly everything on her records, felt free to explore. This spirit of experimentation is evident on the records. The songs retain the hushed warmth of previous releases Fates and numun, while expanding Warren's sonic landscape in all directions.
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