bands

Johnnytwentythree · Michael Maier · Stephen Imwalle · Joseph Maier · Brianne Maier · Brian Tyree

Lots of music can and has been described as cinematic; stretched out, dynamic, emotive soundtracks for films never made. Johnny 23 make cinematic music, certainly, but the difference here is that the films they score have made the transition from imagination to physical world. Johnny 23 make music for films to make music to and they do; their creative process involves a camera just as much as it does instruments. Says the band ‘When we come up with an idea, it can spark all sorts of visual images in our (videographer) Stephen’s mind and he’ll run out and shoot some images for a song. Sometimes it’s the other way around and a film that Stephen has brought in will elicit all sorts of sounds.’ The five piece from Cincinnati, Ohio are a tight-knit bunch consisting of Stephen Imwalle, brothers Michael and Joesph Maier on guitar and bass respectively, Joseph’s wife Brianne Maier on violin and Brian Tyree on drums and keys. This longstanding intimacy within the group shines out in their work – both recorded and live. ‘The key to our band is how we inspire each other,’ says Stephen Imwalle, ‘We couldn’t make the kind of music we make or generate the kind of feeling we do when we play live without that bond’. Formed from the ashes of Stephen, Joseph and Michael’s high school band, J23 first came together as a five piece in 2002, initially to score Stephen’s short documentary Thirty Pieces Of Silver. The name was adopted from William Burroughs’ dualistic avatar of creativity and destructiveness, a fitting moniker for a band whose songs can wallow in the crashing despair of life but always eventually lead us into the blinding light of hope. ‘We make triumphant rock and roll music but of course there’s darkness in our work as well,’ they say, ‘you can’t appreciate the light without experiencing the darkness’. Johnnytwentythree released their first longplayer, JXXIII, in 2007. Recorded outside of Louisville, Kentucky with Paul Oldham (brother of Will), JXXIII brilliantly encapsulates the band’s feel for fully formed narrative music; a largely instrumental record that is somehow emotional, soothing, terrifying and, ultimately, uplifting all at the same time. It grabs the listener’s attention from the start and refuses to let go.

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