A few years ago Johnny Solomon was a fixture in the tight knit Twin Cities music scene, forming the angular indie pop band Friends Like These and touring extensively, he received critical praise from far flung sources that looked like the beginning of a promising career. The rising success masked his struggle with addiction and mental health problems, and quickly eclipsed his career, landing him in jail and treatment facilities across the country. By the end of that whirlwind he had retreated to a small town across the border in Wisconsin where he assumed his music days were over.
But when he moved out of the city his demons followed him and he spent his nights writing and recording what he thought would be his eulogy, songs about lost love and lost chances, He recruited some friends to come out and put it all to tape. Calling his new band Communist Daughter, they released their debut album “Soundtrack to the End” in 2010. As they gained national attention Johnny put all of it on hold and checked himself in to rehab one more time.
In 2012 Communist Daughter returned with a clear eyed John, including his now wife Molly Solomon, bassist Adam Switlick, Steven Yasgar on Drums, Al Weiers on guitar and Dillon Marchus on keys. They put out an EP “Lions & Lambs” and began touring the country again and gaining national attention.
By 2014 they had entered the studio to spend the next 2 years crafting their sophomore release. Working with Producer Kevin Bowe (Replacements, Meat Puppets) they recorded in and out of studios trying to capture the deeply personal songs in a much more deliberate style. Going from studio to bedroom to studio again they created an album with 11 songs running the gambit from high peaks to dark lows. They took the finished tracks to Nashville where Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Benjamin Booker) put the final mix together, and then had Heba Kadry (Future Islands, And You Will Know Us…) master the final product in NYC.
2016 will see the release of their highly anticipated sophomore album “The Cracks That Built The Wall.’ And look for a clear eyed Communist Daughter to return to the road for tour dates all over the country.