We’re getting pretty excited for the upcoming Horse Feathers show at Cafe Montmartre on Saturday, September 29th. In our excitement we got in touch with opener Johanna Kunin to associate ourselves with her music (we recommend Clouds Electric) and have her participate in our ongoing 5 Questions with Muzzle of Bees feature.

You grew up in the Mid-West in Minnesota, did you ever venture to Wisconsin during those years, and, if so, what did you do?

First of all, I have to say that the Midwest is without a doubt my favorite place on Earth. I lived in Minneapolis until I was 20, so the Midwest will always feel like home. As for Wisconsin, well, my first Madison experience also happened to be my first road-trip experience sans parents. When I was 16, a few freshly-licensed friends and I drove through Wisconsin bumping the Beastie Boys the whole way. We were probably acting like total idiots, so thanks, Wisconsin, for putting up with me at my most immature.

We’re big fans of Horse Feathers, whom you’ll be supporting on their upcoming tour and stop in Madison at Cafe Montmartre on Sept. 29th. Were you aware of their music prior to tour?

Yes! They are from Portland, OR, a town that I find myself hanging out in more and more these days. Its music scene just seems to be getting better all the time, and it’s only a couple hours south of Seattle, so bands down there practically feel like neighbors. And it’s tough not to notice a neighbor who is so damn good at making music!

What was the last show you went to see, as a fan? Also, who’s at the top of your list as far as concerts you’d want to see?

I had a great time last weekend at Music Fest Northwest in Portland. Jeremy Hadley, who is backing me up on this tour, played with his other band, Velella Velella, which I really love. That band always reminds me how much I love to dance! I also saw Dat’r, Copy, Dan Deacon, Loch Lomond, and Jason Lytle of Grandaddy — amazing shows one and all. As for artists I’d most like to see live, Elvis Costello tops the list for sure.

Could you lend some information on the recording process of Clouds Electric? Where and how was it recorded, and were there any lessons learned that you’ll apply towards future recording sessions?

Clouds Electric came about sort of by accident, or as the result of an accident. In 2000, a few years before I even started writing songs, I was hit by a car while crossing the street in Seattle, which left me with a number of unsightly bruises and, five years later — right when I found myself making the record — with just enough settlement money to hire my musical dream-team to record with (I think there’s a cliche involving lemons that would aptly sum that up!) Tucker Martine recorded and produced Clouds Electric entirely in his basement, with the exception of the piano tracks which were done in yet another Seattle basement on Wayne Horvitz’s ungodly beautiful Steinway. I don’t think that making a record is ever easy, but I do think, relatively speaking, that making Clouds Electric was kind of a breeze. I got to watch a parade of immensely talented musicians come through the studio and bring unexpected new life to the first songs I ever wrote. It was one of the most magical experiences of my life. I think if anything the most important thing I learned was the value of being choosy about who you work with, and then allowing those people the freedom to create — knowing when not to get in the way.

Finally, you currently reside in Seattle, what are going to be some of the places/things you’ll miss most while you’re touring the country over the next month?

Well, at this time of year, when Seattle’s season of Seasonal Affective Disorder is rapidly descending, getting out of town for a while is more or less an escape! But most of all I will miss my piano and my cat: two things that would definitely get more and more sour if taken on the road.

Myspace: Johanna Kunin
Photo Credit: Philip Kramer