Joshua Strawn (born 1976), known professionally as Joshua Strachan, is a songwriter, record producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist.

Biography

Joshua Strachan was born in a suburb of

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

, grew up and currently resides in

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It lies in Southwest Virginia, along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanok ...

. In Roanoke, Strachan met

Jeremy Kolosine Jeremy Kolosine, born Emin Jeremy Kolosine on November 12, 1960 in London Borough of Hackney, Hackney, England, and currently residing in Roanoke, Virginia , is an electronic music performer, recording artist, composer and producer. He is noted as ...

of the seminal

electropunk Electronic rock (also known as electro rock and synth rock) is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock b ...

band Futurisk, who was then playing in a

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such ...

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with dream pop) is a subgenre of indie rock, indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion (music), distortion and effects, a ...

band called Shakespace. Kolosine invited Strachan to join the band, first as a keyboardist, then later as a vocalist and guitarist. Simultaneously, Strachan took up playing bass in the Diplomats. Shakespace recorded one EP and one album, while the Diplomats recorded an EP which was mixed by

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

veteran

Mitch Easter Mitchell Blake Easter (born November 15, 1954) is a musician, songwriter, and record producer. Frequently associated with the jangle pop style of guitar music, he is known as producer of R.E.M.'s early albums from 1981 through 1984, and as frontm ...

. The Diplomats disbanded before the EP was released, and Shakespace disbanded during the recording and mixing of their last album. Strachan moved to New York in 2004, and upon meeting bassist Ryan Rayhill, the two formed

Blacklist Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list; if people are on a blacklist, then they are considere ...

. Blacklist released several recordings on Wierd Records, a label which Strachan was closely involved with from its inception until its conclusion, not only as an artist, but also as a co-thinker and writer. He joined Religious to Damn in 2009, and after Blacklist announced an indefinite hiatus from recording and touring, formed Vaura in early 2010 with

Kevin Hufnagel Kevin Hufnagel is an American musician, based in NYC. He is known for his solo guitar works, for forming the progressive instrumental rock/metal band Dysrhythmia, and for being a member of Gorguts, Vaura, Sabbath Assembly, Veldune, and Byla. ...

, Toby Driver and Religious to Damn drummer Charlie Schmid. In mid-2012, Strachan launched Azar Swan, a collaboration with Zohra Atash, the lead singer and primary songwriter of Religious to Damn. In 2013, he started a solo project called Vain Warr. In 2016, while living in New Orleans he launched the record label Primal Architecture Records which has released music by acts such as Kelly Moran as well as his own projects. Azar Swan's album, ''Savage Exile'', was released in 2017. In the summer of 2019, Blacklist reformed to play a festival show in Brooklyn, NY and alluded to a possibility of future releases and performances. In the winter of 2019 Desolation Colony, an electronic project with Justin Vial, played its first show opening for Italian composer

Fabio Frizzi Fabio Frizzi (born 2 July 1951) is an Italian musician and composer. Born in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists o ...

in New Orleans. In late 2020, the debut LP by The Red Window entitled ''Afterlife'' was released, a collaboration between Strachan and former Shakespace bandmate Jeremy Kolosine. In mid 2021, Strachan released "Deerstalking" by Meridiane, a project with

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

artists

Pieter Nooten Pieter Nooten (born 22 January 1961 in Oss) is a Dutch musician and composer best known for his work with Clan of Xymox. Music career Nooten's musical career began in the late 1970s. Starting out as the drummer in a local symphonic rock band, h ...

Clan of Xymox Clan of Xymox, also known as simply Xymox, are a Dutch rock band formed in 1981 best known as pioneers of dark wave music. Clan of Xymox featured a trio of singer-songwriters – Ronny Moorings, Anka Wolbert, and Pieter Nooten – and gained ...

and

Warren Defever Warren Defever (first name often spelled Warn; born April 30, 1969) is a musician and producer, originally from Livonia, Michigan, and now based in Detroit. He is most known for his chameleonic project His Name Is Alive, though he is active in num ...

His Name Is Alive His Name Is Alive is an American experimental rock band/project from Livonia, Michigan. After several self-released cassettes, they debuted on 4AD Records in 1990, starting a long run at the label. Throughout the band's long history, leader Wa ...

Influences

Due to the diversity of Strachan's musical endeavors, the influences he has cited span multiple genres, including Scott Walker,

The Comsat Angels The Comsat Angels were an English post-punk band from Sheffield, England, initially active from 1978 to 1995. Their music has been described as "abstract pop songs with sparse instrumentation, many of which were bleak and filled with some form ...

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

and

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

, the

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Wales, Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire (bass guitar, lyrics) and cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, le ...

Ulver Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian Experimental electronic music, experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album ''Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler, Bergtatt'', ...

Blut Aus Nord Blut Aus Nord (; ) is a French black metal band from Mondeville, Calvados, that has incorporated avant-garde music, avant-garde and Industrial metal, industrial elements in its music. History Vindsval began a solo project, under the name "Vla ...

, Comus,

the Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted th ...

Prurient Ian Dominick Fernow is an American experimental music, experimental musician, poet and multimedia artist. He is best known for extreme music released under the stage name Prurient, as well as numerous other aliases including Vatican Shadow, Rain ...

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan (band), Japan. During his time in Japan, Sylvia ...

and

Laurie Anderson Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker whose work encompasses performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting,Amirkhanian, Cha ...

Lyrical themes

When being interviewed for Blacklist in 2009, Strachan described his lyrics as "militantly

humanistic Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

". Though lacking in many overt references, their album '' Midnight of the Century'' alluded to superstition and religion in almost every song, encompassing all three major

monotheism Monotheism is the belief that one God is the only, or at least the dominant deity.F. L. Cross, Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. A ...

s as well as

Stalinism Stalinism (, ) is the Totalitarianism, totalitarian means of governing and Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from History of the Soviet Union (1927–1953), 1927 to 1953 by dictator Jose ...

and

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

which Strachan has called "political superstitions." In an interview for Vaura in 2019, Strachan referenced

cosmic horror Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror, fantasy fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is nam ...

, saying, "The nightmare visions that inspired Sables are simultaneously of an omnicide, and of an end to humanity while human beings still continue to exist materially. Humanity being the word we tend to use to refer to our kindness, our ability to understand one another and allow for the existence of others, our ability to be graceful and make peace.""Hear Avant-garde Post-metal Act Vaura Channel Scott Walker On New Song "Basilisk'"
''Revolver Magazine'' Retrieved 2020-02-19

Non-musical endeavors

Strachan has written about his background in political action and organizing, from a brief stint with

ACORN The acorn is the nut (fruit), nut of the oaks and their close relatives (genera ''Quercus'', ''Notholithocarpus'' and ''Lithocarpus'', in the family Fagaceae). It usually contains a seedling surrounded by two cotyledons (seedling leaves), en ...

in the early 2000s, to being employed by the

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for L ...

and the

Working Families Party The Working Families Party (WFP) is a progressive minor political party in the United States, founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois ...

. While attending The New School, Strachan was active with two philosophical organizations, the Nietzsche Circle and the Foucault Society, both created by

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche became the youngest pro ...

scholar Yunus Tuncel. He also befriended his professor

Christopher Hitchens Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British and American author and journalist. He was the author of Christopher Hitchens bibliography, 18 books on faith, religion, culture, politics, and literature. He was born ...

out of a shared interest in the history of the secularism of the left, and the two were in contact until Hitchens' death in 2011. While living in New York, Strachan worked full time as a social media analyst for ad research firm Competitrack, and part time as a freelance journalist. His writing on politics, music, and culture has appeared in ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'', ''

Talkhouse ''Talkhouse'' is a digital media outlet and online magazine created in 2013 by Ian Wheeler and Tim Putnam. Musicians, actors, and filmmakers share their experiences in their respective fields in personal essays, discuss their peers' work in edi ...

'' as well as in feminist publications such as '' BUST'', and ''Slutist.''

Discography

With Shakespace

*''Air Sign Orange'' EP (2000,

Happy Couples Never Last Happy Couples Never Last was an American independent record label founded in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1998 by Clark Giles. According to Giles, the label started when he saved up money to take his girlfriend on a trip, however they broke up and Gi ...

) *''This Sleeping Heart'' album (2001, self-released)

With the Diplomats

*''Kindly Put Your Trousers On'' EP (unreleased, 2000)

With Blacklist

*''Blacklist'' EP (2006, self-released) *''Solidaire'' EP (2007 Wierd Records) *'' Midnight of the Century'' album (2009, Wierd Records) *''Disorder'' single (2020, self-released) *''Afterworld'' album (2022,

Profound Lore Records Profound Lore Records is a Canadian independent record label founded in May 2004. The label primarily focuses on releasing extreme metal and experimental albums. It "began as the 'hobby-like venture' of a few friends but, over the past six year ...

) *''Arms of a Cross'' single (2023,

) *"The Witching Hour" single (2024, aufnahme + wiedergabe)

With Religious to Damn

*"Falls Down Again" single (2010, M'Lady's Records) *''Glass Prayer'' album (2010, M'Lady's Records) *"Lovely Day" single (2012, self-released)

With Vaura

*''Selenelion'' album (2012, Wierd Records) *''The Missing'' album (2013,

) *''Sables'' album (2019,

) *''Vista of Deviant Anatomies'' album (2022, Primal Architecture Records)

With Azar Swan

*"Amrika" single (2012, self-released) *"Lusty" single (2013, self-released) *"In My Mouth" single (2013,

Pendu Sound Recordings Pendu Sound Recordings was an independent record label used by aTelecine, Chelsea Wolfe, Azar Swan, Mater Suspiria Vision, White Ring (band), White Ring, Talibam!, Von Haze, and others. The label, also known as Pendu Sound, was started by Todd B ...

) *''Dance Before the War'' album (2013, Handmade Birds) *''And Blow Us a Kiss'' album (2014, Zoo Music) *"Variations" remix 12" single (2015, Handmade Birds) *"The Golden Age of Hate" single (2017, Primal Architecture Records) *''Savage Exile'' album (2017, aufnahme + wiedergabe) *''The Hissing of a Paper Crane'' album (2019, Primal Architecture Records) *"Empire Grave" single (2019, Adult Swim)

With Vain Warr

*''Deadline Season'' EP (2016, Primal Architecture Records) *"Shadow of the Thresher" (Vain Warr + The Harrow) single (2020, Primal Architecture Records) *''Mausoleum Saturnalia'' EP (2021, Primal Architecture Records) *''Maleficia Carnalia'' album (2021, Primal Architecture Records) *"Sleeping In The Fire" single (2024, Primal Architecture Records)

With The Red Window

*''Afterlife'' album (2020, Primal Architecture Records)

With The Harrow

*"Beyond Stars" (2021, Self-released) – Saxophone performance

With Meridiane

*"Deerstalking" single (2021, Primal Architecture Records) *''To Walk Behind The Sun'' album (2021, Primal Architecture Records)

With Klosterfriedhof

*"Cry Havoc Through the Silent Groves" single (2022, Primal Architecture Records)

With Desolation Colony

*"Desolation Colony" EP (2023, Mannequin Records) *"Those In The Cities Will Be Devoured" EP (2024, aufnahme + wiedergabe) *"The World Is An Open Tomb" single (2024, aufnahme + wiedergabe)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strawn, Joshua Living people 1976 births American multi-instrumentalists Musicians from Des Moines, Iowa