The album Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston will be out in May.
Indie rock luminaries Built to Spill have announced an 11-track tribute album to the late Daniel Johnston. The Boise band, led by guitarist and vocalist Doug Martsch, performed a couple of shows as Johnston’s backing band in 2017. These performances – in Portland, Vancouver and Seattle – were Johnston’s final ever shows.
“Built To Spill was invited to play a few shows as Daniel Johnston’s back up band. This is what those rehearsals sounded like,” Built to Spill wrote on Facebook. The album was recorded in 2018 and features a stripped down version of the Built to Spill lineup.
Drummer Steve Gere and bassist Jason Albertini back-up Martsch, while guitarist Jim Roth oversaw the recording. The record’s first single ‘Bloody Rainbow’ can be streamed now.
Watch: Built to Spill – Bloody Rainbow
https://youtu.be/ycfp_AKY4jU
Johnston passed away in September 2019 at the age of 58. Heart attack is the believed cause of death. Many artists paid tribute in the wake of his passing. Nick Cave covered ‘Devil Town’ during the Washington D.C. leg of his Conversations With tour. The National also had a go at ‘Devil Town’, inserting it into their original ‘Not in Kansas’.
Wilco performed a version of Johnston’s indie classic ‘True Love Will Find You in the End’ at a Berlin concert. Earlier this year, Wilco side project Tweedy released a vinyl-only recording of Johnston’s final Chicago gig. Tweedy were Johnston’s backing band for October 2017 performance.
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Listen: Daniel Johnston & Tweedy – Worried Shoes
“There is and was only one Daniel and to be able to work with him and help present his music was a huge honour for me and the band, one for which we are all very thankful,” said Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. Proceeds from the release go to the Hi, How Are You Project, which aims to “inspire new conversations around mental health issues.”
