"A minutely examined and revelatory emotional upheaval, a view of a failed romance sung with meditative grace" - The New York Times
“Heartbreaking and stirring” - 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
One of “4 Singer-Songwriters You Need to Know” – Rolling Stone Magazine
Johanna Warren is a multi-instrumentalist and producer who began her career as a singer/songwriter in the Brooklyn-based psych folk band Sticklips. The group released two albums before disbanding in 2012, and after a stint performing backup vocals for Iron & Wine, Warren self-released her debut solo album, Fates, in 2013. The album prompted her to tour nationally under her own name, and since then, she’s led a nomadic existence, calling cities across the United States home for short periods of time.
Over the past few years, Warren has toured alongside Mitski, Julie Byrne, and Marissa Nadler, but a life on the road hasn’t slowed her output. In 2015, she released her sophomore album nūmūn to acclaim, propelling her to the forefront of artists to watch in the second half of the decade. Warren dedicated the spellbinding collection of acoustically-driven songs to the phases of the moon and to the divine feminine -- forces of great power and consequence that are all-too often overlooked.
The following year, Warren announced a twin set of albums released on her own label Spirit House, which promoted a radically inclusive, artist-friendly ethos. Each of the songs on Gemini I corresponds with a song on Gemini II, which debuted later, in 2018. The two albums are in conversation with one another, offering up a character sketch of dueling personalities vying for acceptance. To contrast nūmūn, which was rendered using a simple palate of acoustic instruments, the arrangements on Gemini I and II integrated a wide array of instrumentation and more palpable percussion, furnished with help from a small cohort of Warren’s longtime collaborators.
Following the release of Gemini II, Warren embarked on her extensive Plant Medicine Tour, during which she invited local herbalists, farmers, and activists to come and share resources with attendees about alternative remedies. In the spare moments between tour stops, Warren recorded her latest album in studios across the United States. Entirely self-produced, Chaotic Good is Warren’s first album for Wax Nine/Carpark and it is her boldest to date, finding her in a state of transition as she introduces listeners to a new phase of her artistry.
Lyndsay Stone:
Lyndsay Stone is a singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist living in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She began studying voice and classical violin at the age of seven while being raised on the east coast by a folk singer and a blues-rock guitarist. Stone continued to play in small classical ensembles through college, until at age 20, she and two close friends formed folk trio Lilting Forward in Saratoga Springs, NY. Consisting of songwriter/guitarist Melissa Chilinski and banjoist Sasha Milan, the group performed local intimate venues in the Capitol region and were commended for their powerful three-part harmonies and delicate instrumentation. Stone was struck by the experience of feeling completely seen on stage, and how the band’s vulnerable art invited an atmosphere of pause and presence. Lyndsay felt a profound connection to Chilinski’s poetic, intelligent, and catchy songwriting and was quickly inspired to explore it herself. Stone picked up an acoustic Ovation guitar that same year and wrote her first song, “Storm”. Now, seven years later, Stone continues to tap into a very deep well of complex emotions and malleable thoughts that are eager to be shown.
After finishing her degree in Philosophy on the east coast, Stone uprooted herself on a cross- country move to California, intentionally shaking up her foundation so she could see what was underneath. Between yoga ashram work exchanges and organic farming, Stone wrote songs that depicted the chaos and disarray of being entirely alone, yet entirely new. She uncovered the haunting truth that no matter how far you travel, you are there, and what you need to learn will follow you across borders.
Eventually settling in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Stone began to collaborate and record with sound engineer/singer/songwriter Eric DeAratanha, mastermind behind Harmony United Studios. Her debut album, Feather, came out in June of 2019, and has been applauded as “poetic”, “emotionally kinetic”, “haunting”, and “giving”, and is readily available on Spotify, Amazon, and Apple music.