Californian Chuck Johnson (joined by Seattle percussionist/composer Alex Vittum) performs pedal steel-based ambient compositions in support of his new album Sun Glories, and will share the night with the haunting folk elegies of acclaimed Seattle artist Tiny Vipers.
Chuck Johnson is a California-based composer, producer, and musician. He approaches his work with an ear towards finding faults and instabilities that might reveal latent beauty, with a focus on pedal steel guitar, experimental electronics, alternate tuning systems, and composing for film and television. Recordings of his work have been published by Western Vinyl, VDSQ, Thrill Jockey, Temporary Residence, Kompakt, Ghostly, and Three Lobed, among others. In August of 2024 he released his Sun Glories LP, about which Pitchfork said, “By melting his instrument down to a wall of shimmering sound, Johnson has created a blank canvas for just about anything.”
Seattle’s Jesy Fortino has performed under the name Tiny Vipers since her teen years. Honing her craft in punk houses and squats, Fortino’s haunting folk elegies are as sparse as they are dense. While she has shared a stage with the likes of Patti Smith and Damo Suzuki, and has collaborated with Liz Harris (Grouper) as Mirrorring (releasing Foreign Body on Kranky Records in 2012), her artistic identity has remained as elusive and mysterious as her music. It is seldom that we encounter an artist as unique and singular as Tiny Vipers. Her upcoming full-length record is scheduled for release in 2025.