The Upside

Carissa Johnson

Coming off two years of touring throughout the U.S. as a solo acoustic act (and at times accompanied by her band, the Cure-Alls), Carissa Johnson is gearing up for her latest release, aptly titled “A Hundred Restless Thoughts.” This will be Johnson’s first acoustic record since her debut as a solo artist in early 2015.Escaping old patterns, making plans, deconstructing them, learning how to roll with the changes, cannonballing into the deep end with an innate trust in the universe, cultivating a desire for connectedness while fully appreciating an undying love for being in the middle of nowhere… these are just a few of the restless thoughts in a nutshell. Fueled by new experiences, freshly discovered musical influences, and a new pair of boots, Johnson’s “heartening anthemic rock,” “enthusiastically honest songs,” and straight-forward lyrics come to life more than ever in this stripped down, heart-to-heart collection of songs.From the start Johnson has been supported sonically by hard-grooving drums and resonant guitar melodies accompanying her growling bass lines. The singer and her band the Cure-Alls won Boston's legendary Annual Rock and Roll Rumble (previous winners include 'Til Tuesday and The Dresden Dolls) in 2017 and took home the ‘New Act of the Year’ award at Boston's 30th Annual Music Awards the same year. The band also won ‘Rock Act of the Year’ in 2019 at the New England Music Awards and have opened up for national acts such as Damone, Dorothy, Thunderpussy, Orgy, and the Damnwells.This new album brings the same down-to-the-ground honesty that Johnson’s lyrics are known for, but takes a different approach musically. Although it’s an acoustic album, it’s no less lively than her full-band numbers. Incorporating the acoustic guitar, percussion, piano, and even synth-y organ sounds, A Hundred Restless Thoughts captures the energy of Aimee Mann and Jesse Malin, with nods to the styles and storytelling of Brandi Carlile and Sharon Van Etten.The songs were recorded in various churches across the U.S. (West coast, East coast, and the middle of nowhere) by Los Angeles musician/producer Vanessa Silberman. This unique idea sprung from the amount of traveling the two have done, with the recording journey beginning in Oakland, CA and winding all the way back to Johnson’s home town of Andover, MA and Silberman’s new residence & studio in Brooklyn, NY.

The album has eight tracks in total, six of which you’ve never heard before. With this release, Johnson will be embarking on more solo touring as well as more New England hometown shows with her full band, the Cure-Alls.

“A Hundred Restless Thoughts” Album Release Show is at the Burren in Somerville, MA on Wednesday, Dec. 18th 2019

“A Hundred Restless Thoughts” Record will be out and available everywhere on Friday, Dec. 20th 2019