A Johnson worth knowing

Amidst the rubble of high school hardcore bands and primitive lyricists, Holly Johnson stands out as a sophisticated and brilliant alternative to mediocre music. Her edgy vocals and “guerilla” tactics have made her a household name for underground Boise music fans.

Coming from a musical family (her father played in a traveling bagpipe band) Holly became interested in performing at a young age.

“It just sort of called me,” she said. At age five, she played fiddle in a youth group called the Junior Jammers.

By age eight she had fine-tuned her piano skills. At 12 she picked up the guitar and began performing at coffee shops and local talent shows. Playing always felt natural to Johnson, and she never felt she needed to make a decision to create music – it was a progression as basic as learning to walk.

Playing her first official show at age 17 with Dear Nora at the

CD Merchant, Holly has since performed at a multitude of

house shows with local and national bands.

Her favorite experience thus far was opening for Xiu Xiu and her idol, Devendra Banhart, a few years ago. Though only four people made it to that show, it was still an amazing

opportunity and one regarded as a pretty “big deal” for this

Idaho native.

Holly’s performances are always unique, as she has never written down her lyrics in there entirety. While each song has a specific theme, Johnson’s lyrics are adjusted each time to fit her mood allowing her emotions to be laid out for the audience. It’s an indispensably healing experience for Johnson. “Basically the audience becomes my therapist,” she said. “Free therapy.”

The tone of her songs is often dark and deals with personal issues such as past relationships and experiences. Holly also incorporates political and social messages in her music. Recently she wrote a song about the unbalanced statistics of Iraqi civilians and American soldier deaths due to the current conflict in Iraq. Sickened by this, she dares her listeners to stop ignoring major world issues and take a stand against apathy. Still, much of what she writes remains abstract and gives the listener a sense of ambiguity.

“It’s the idea of disconnecting and connecting,” she said. This raw, humanizing sound has left many to compare her to Indie-rock goddess PJ Harvey.

Though a valid comparison, Holly is more likely to list George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Sonic Youth and Neil Young as her greatest musical influences.

Creating impromptu lyrics with such depth and complexity comes naturally to this ex-Boise State English major.

In high school, she was published through Albertsons college and even participated in a writing program there through the Whittenberger Foundation. Her writing and artistic talents

are near boundless as she seems to have gotten involved in many local projects.

In fact, in April 2001 she wrote a CD review for The Arbiter on behalf of her fianc

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