June Panic

June Panic
June Panic live at the Secret Location in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the early 2000s.
June Panic live at the Secret Location in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the early 2000s.
Background information
Born1976/1977
OriginGrand Forks, North Dakota
GenresIndie rock
Years active1990–present
LabelsSecretly Canadian

June Panic (born June G. Preuss;[1] 1976/1977)[2] is an American singer-songwriter from Grand Forks, North Dakota.[3] He has collaborated with musicians such as Heidi Gluck[4] and LonPaul Ellrich (formerly of Marmoset).[5]

Musical career

June Panic first began performing and recording in 1990, and released his early material on cassette tape on his own label 3 Out of 4 Records.[6][7] He was the first artist ever signed to Bloomington, Indiana-based record label Secretly Canadian, after cofounder Chris Swanson returned to his hometown of Fargo, North Dakota, and heard Panic playing at a strip mall.[8] His 1995 album Glory Hole was reissued by Secretly Canadian in 1996, as their first release.[6] The album was 28 songs in length, and drew inspiration from the 28 categories of ancient Tibetan yogic practices.[9]

In 2002, Panic went on tour with the Impossible Shapes and Songs: Ohia, and later toured Europe with the Impossible Shapes and Jens Lekman.[10] He is a mainstay of the Fargo music scene, regularly performing with artists from outside of the city, including Bon Iver,[11] Low and Haley Bonar,[12] and David Bazan.[13] Panic was a performer at the 2008 Tanned Tin Festival in Castellón, Spain.[14]

June Panic has appeared on several compilation albums, including the 2007 Secretly Canadian compilation SC100, featuring 18 artists signed to the label covering songs by one another. Panic contributed a cover of "Fruitful Weekend" by Danielson Famile, while Nikki Sudden covered Panic's song "Seeing Double".[15]

In 2007, Secretly Canadian released a triple album called Songs From Purgatory containing 48 songs he had originally recorded on a four track and released on cassette between 1991 and 1996.[7][16] The master tapes, located in Panic's parents' basement in Grand Forks, were damaged in the 1997 Red River flood. Panic was successfully able to salvage material from these tapes, which appeared on Songs From Purgatory, featuring mastering by Kramer.[7]

Musical style

Panic plays every instrument on his releases.[17] His lyrics often contain intentionally twisted or idiosyncratic imagery, a trait noted by reviewers.[18][19] He has been described as a "literati folk rocker".[20]

Personal life

June Panic has stated that he "essentially grew up overseas", due to his father being in the military.[21]

Panic's wife is also a musician, who plays under the name June Panic's Wife.[2] He has been described as a "born-again queer" by Gregg Shapiro of the Bay Area Reporter.[22]

Discography

Various Artists Compilation Appearances

  • Tractor Tunes Volume 1 (2001)[23]
  • Tastemakers (Essay Records, 2006)[25]
  • Acuarela Songs 3 (Acuarela Discos, 2007)[26]
    • "Everyone is Saying Hello Again"
  • SC100 (Secretly Canadian, 2007)
    • "Fruitful Weekend" (Danielson Famile cover)

References

  1. ^ "ALL GIRLS". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "June Panic (and his wife) play The Hub on Friday". Grand Forks Herald. 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  3. ^ Hennen, Chris (2016-03-24). "HPR goes to SXSW to meet with two indie rock kingmakers". High Plains Reader. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  4. ^ Lawrence, Dale (2020-08-05). "Some Girls rock harder than others". NUVO. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  5. ^ Thiessen, Brock (2008-05-14). "R.I.P. Marmoset's LonPaul Ellrich". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  6. ^ a b "June Panic". Epitonic. Archived from the original on 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  7. ^ a b c "June Panic". Secretly Canadian. Archived from the original on 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  8. ^ Jacobi, Jorie (2018-01-17). "Not So Secret: The Winding Path of Preeminent Record-Label Executive, Chris Swanson". ALIVE Magazine. Vol. 17, no. 1. St. Louis, MO: ALIVE Media Group. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  9. ^ Steinberger, Jillian (2002-11-01). "June Panic – Baby's Breadth CD". Punk Planet. No. 52. Chicago, IL. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  10. ^ Johnson, Seth (2020-08-05). "Impossible Shapes Reunite for Bloomington Music Expo". NUVO. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  11. ^ Morast, Robert (2008-04-14). "The Rail: Wrappers revealing". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  12. ^ "Tour Archive: 2003". trustlow.com. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  13. ^ "April's Upcoming Live Music". The Megascene. No. 2. Fargo, ND: FM Spotlight. 2003-09-01. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  14. ^ Solarski, Matthew (2008-11-06). "Come Plan Full-Band Reunion Show". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  15. ^ Murphy, Matthew (2007-04-24). "Various Artists: SC100". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  16. ^ Jurek, Thom. "June Panic – Songs From Purgatory: The Cassette Recordings Of June Panic 1991-1996". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  17. ^ Nickey, Jason. "June Panic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  18. ^ Bowers, William (2003-03-27). "June Panic: Baby's Breadth". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  19. ^ Nickey, Jason. "June Panic - Glory Hole". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  20. ^ Lamb, John (2009-09-12). "Lamb: A book about Bob". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  21. ^ Schill, Brian (2003-09-01). "June Panic". Punk Planet. No. 57. Chicago, IL. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  22. ^ Shapiro, Gregg (2004-10-21). "Queer recording artists in orbit". Bay Area Reporter. Vol. 34, no. 43. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  23. ^ Staker, Brian (February 2001). "Zineland". SLUG Magazine. Vol. 13, no. 146. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  24. ^ "Tractor Tunes Volume #1". Chokebore. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  25. ^ "Various Artists - Tastemakers". NAIL. Portland, OR: Allegro Media Group. February 2006. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  26. ^ Shaul, Aaron (2007-01-12). "Acuarela Songs". Ink 19. Retrieved 2021-03-14.