Pat Johnson

Pat Johnson has been writing, recording, and performing his own
remarkable style of music since the early 1990s.  His first release,
under the name Wellsprings of Hope, teamed him with such diverse
musical icons as Chris Cacavas (Green On Red), Ralph Carney (Tom Waits)
and Penelope Houston (Avengers).  Pre-dating the Alt  Country movement
by several years, Pat's songs for the Wellsprings ran the gamut from
rustic and rowdy to smooth and soulful. The british magazine Bucketful
of Brains commented that The Wellsprings of Hope "Phonograph" CD
"drilled down into the bedrock source of American roots music, far
below the fickle roots of fashion…" and the Guardian's Kurt Wolff wrote
that  Johnson "has red-dirt country and roots-rock blood pumping
through his veins."

The Wellsprings split in 1993 after another single and several
contributions to various tribute compilations, including Conmemorativo:
A Tribute to Gram Parsons on Rhino Records.  Johnson continued to write
and record with Penelope Houston and others before relocating to
Germany, where he recorded the stunning Mooner LP.  Critics across
Europe wrote that Johnson had earned a place in the pantheon of great
songriters that includes Leonard Cohen and Van Morrison.  His soulful
singing brought home Mooner's theme, that of the wandering soul in an
increasingly hard edged world.  He toured extensively around Germany
and Scandinavia, performing solo acoustic sets that kept audiences
enthralled.

Upon his return to San Francisco, and after a subsequent tour of Europe
with a handpicked band of jazz musicians, Johnson returned to the
studio to record Invisible Juan.  Hearkening back to his late eighties
work with art rockers Royal Trux, Pat exchanged his roots music
influences for a more experimental sound.  Combining lo-fi electronics
with Dylanesque song imagery, the result was very original sounding,
but nearly impossible to duplicate onstage.

Between 1999 and 2001, Pat kept a very low profile, dedicating his time
to songwriting and rarely performing, except with longtime collaborator
Penelope Houston, or as part of The Rusty Nails, a rowdy country rock
band he formed with Pete Gowdy (The Sugar King Boys) as a way to "stay
true to my country roots." In 2002 he formed The Maydays, with Gowdy,
Alec Palao (The Sting Rays, The Sneetches) and Ron Silva (The
Crawaddies).  A full fledged rock band with strong 60s influences, The
Maydays first single on Flare Records features two Johnson originals
and has drawn critical praise from across the pond and at home alike.

Early in 2004 Runt Records will be releasing a retrospective CD
containing tracks from all periods in Pat Johnson's recording career,
many never before released in the USA.  Included in the collection will
be four newly recorded tracks featuring John Hofer (Mother Hips), Mike
Theriau (The Loved Ones, Mover) and Gene Parsons (The Byrds, The Flying
Burrito Brothers).  Pat plans to continue performing solo acoustic, and
will be touring with a band in the later part of the year.