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 Former Holopaw member MICHAEL JOHNSON, aka APE SCHOOL, figures if the resources are at your feet, use them. As he tells NINA BERTOK, his occupation as a teacher by day has certainly had its advantages when it comes to being a rockstar by night – and that doesn’t just apply to the free use of classroom instruments.
“In terms of access to facilities and musical equipment, being a music teacher is amazing,” he laughs. “I don’t have to pay for studio time like other people and I spend all my time working with musical gadgets and instruments. It’s kind of handy and perfect timing because everything is going to hell in terms of the economy in the U.S.”
As Johnson jokes, much the same applies to the young and impressionable minds under his care at a downtown Philadelphia university.
“Because they’re all, like, 10 years younger than me it’s been interesting to see this new generation’s take on music and how much I disagree with it,” he laughs. “It’s way more fun to steal ideas and tricks from them! I have the ability to lead the weirdo kids down into other bands and everybody kind of wins. It’s fun to play with drunk people on stage, but teaching and working with kids at 32 years of age is really rewarding and fun to see how much of an impact I can have on them. I’m like the crazy guy in the office that likes cool stuff.”
And as much as Johnson has made an impact on his students, they have had just as much input into his own music under the moniker Ape School, he claims.
“I’m doing a lot of things with this kid called Schott Churchman who is also recording his own stuff,” Johnson announces. “He’s kind of like the offspring that Black Sabbath and Leonard Cohen would have – his music is very evil but heartwarming at the same time. It’s pretty intense stuff but it’s a lot of fun working with him and making the sounds in both of our brains come out of our mouths. The majority of this album [self-titled] is just me but Scott is now also a part of the band when we play live. I actually used to teach him but he graduated a couple of years ago and he’s a strange kid with a real dark, harmonic sense. A couple of times here and there I’ve also been known to pull out some blurry-eyed kid studying for an exam out of bed to do some saxophone stuff too, so…”
Exploring pop’s extreme side all the while maintaining the rock & roll glory, Ape School is Johnson’s second solo project following 2008’s Love To Make Music To.
“I never intended for it to be a world-wide release or anything,” he claims. “None of the songs took longer than a day or two to make and the music itself is just stuff I’d be mumbling on the way to the studio and just humming over the top of it like a girl. I was very dedicated to making the most disorienting sounds I could possibly conjure with instruments I stumbled upon. If anything, I’ve gained a greater understanding of musical tools – I guess people will either appreciate it or not.”
APE SCHOOL is out now through Counter/Ninja Tune/Inertia. www.myspace.com/apeschool
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