Arlie John Carstens of Juno and Ghost Wars

Genre: Indie rock, post-rock
Origins: Seattle, WA
Label(s): Sub pop, Jade Tree, DeSoto
Sounds Like: A fuller Hüsker Dü mixed with some Jawbox; add The Life And Times and Explosions In The Sky to the mix for slower songs

It's Autumn -- warmly colored foliage, gray skies, cold walks in peacoats. And no musical genre accentuates the season quite like post-rock. So, I'd like to introduce one of my post-rock heroes: Arlie John Carstens, frontman for Juno and Ghost Wars. The man is more writer than lyricist. Yes, there is a difference. Lyricists put words to music. A writer's work stands on its own. Arlie studied english and literature in college, so most of his lyrics take on a narrative quality -- nothing particularly catchy. But he'll use a word or phrase that grabs at you and won't let go.

"Your son's hand stayed warm long after he died."

Juno - L to R: Greg Furguson (drums), Jason Guyer (guitar), Gabe Carter (guitar, keyboards), Arlie Carstens (vocals, guitar)

Describing Arlie and his music is difficult to do without first telling a bit of his backstory. His mother left after he was born, leaving his father and sister to raise him. Arlie's sister died when he was in fifth grade and his other sister left home due to drug use. She remains estranged from the family. Not surprisingly, Arlie was a reserved child growing up and had trouble in school. He eventually sought comfort in alcohol and drugs. Fortunately, one of his teachers recognized his potential and rescued him from his habits. He recovered and enrolled at the University of Washington when he was only 16. He graduated four years later but decided to follow his passion for snowboarding. Arlie became a sponsored snowboarder and also served as the assigned writer for snowboard trips. Between trips, he'd also write for skate and surf magazines, music publications, weekly newspapers, and business and literary journals. However, during all of this, his love of music began nudging him in a different direction.

Arlie formed Juno in Seattle in 1995 but the group didn't release their first LP until 1999. Line-up changes attributed to the delay of the release. Bassists came and went. Among those who contributed were Nate Mendel (Sunny Day Real Estate, Foo Fighters) and Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie). 

Juno sounds like the next logical step for the 90's Seattle grunge movement. If grunge worked 40 hours a week for 50 years, Juno would be retirement -- a time of contemplation and self-actualization. What have I accomplished? Who have I loved? Who have I hurt? Was I a good man? Juno incorporates oft-used post-rock constructs such as experimentalism, epic-sized song building, and the "wall-of-guitars" approach to climaxes; however, they do it with the sort of dreary sentimentalism that can only hail from rainy Seattle. 

In Juno's slower, more contemplative songs, Arlie uses words to form rivers through his music. Sometimes the flow is sparse, meandering. "The Great Salt Lake," the opening track to Juno's debut LP "This Is The Way It Goes And Goes And Goes," begins with a single guitar, atmospheric electronics, and a gentle flow of distorted, crackling words.  Arlie begins to tell the story of a man dealing with the liberation and loneliness that comes with ending a relationship. The rest of the band begin fleshing out the song -- another guitar, bass, drums, keyboards. Once Arlie's lyrics retreat, becoming little more than faraway, low-fi mutterings, the gently ebbing melody sets the mood afloat. Near the end, Carsten's lyrics return. A single guitar remains. Drummer Greg Ferguson plays a constant, accented snare roll. Then the music cuts out and only Carstens remains to deliver his final, cryptic lyrics. The overall sound fits the band's hometown well; picture a lonesome beige bedroom desaturated by gray skies. Rain trickles down the window as the chatter of traffic echoes from the streets below.

"Sit back and relax, where the days murder into dreams. And the nights pass in a blur of unmentionable things."

Shortly after finishing their first album, Carstens had a near death experience. He suffered a snowboarding accident and broke his neck. He blacked out, and when he awoke he found his body below his chin paralyzed. After a hectic ambulance trip, he learned he'd broken four vertebrae. His status fluctuated between critical and stable. He endured two surgeries and seven months of rehab, but he was getting feeling back in his body. The doctors fitted Arlie with a halo, a metal ring attached to the head with screws drilled into the skill that keeps the vertebrae aligned. Arlie wanted to recover in time for the album release and the supporting tour, but that wouldn't be -- both were postponed.

The accident greatly affected Arlie. Listening to their second LP, "A Future Lived In Past Tense," one can hear an increased level of pain, loneliness, and strife in songs like "The French Letter" and "Up Through The Night" but there's also an underlying sense of hope in "When I Was In" and "Killing It In A Quiet Way".

Bassists for Juno came and went. Among those who contributed were Nate Mendel (Sunny Day Real Estate, Foo Fighters) and Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie).

"A Future Lived In Past Tense" reuses many structural elements found on their first LP. "Things Gone And Things Still Here" off their second LP serves a similar role on the cd as "The Great Salt Lake" did on the first. Both are narratives and both utilize soundscapes as a sort of backdrop for the story being told. In this instance, instrumentals are replaced with soft, delayed electronics that emulate a sort of mystical journey to one's future -- specifically, the future of a man as he ages. The man's son uncovers secret letters from his father's past while on a family cruise in the Mediterranean. The 8-minute glimpse into the final years of the old man's life is quite compelling. The track flows seamlessly into the album's tapestry and propells Arlie John above the typical rank-and-file lyricists and frontmen. He becomes a storyteller. At times, Carsten's voice is difficult to make out over the electronics, making "Things Gone" difficult to listen to passively. The song ends with calls from a murder of crows and fluidly transitions into "We Live in Rented Rooms." This song is more upbeat, incorporating Juno's full instrumental arsenal; however, it remains somber and relaxed for the most part. The song eventually builds up to a wall of distorted guitars and ends with a final playing of its melodic chorus.

Of course, not every Juno song is a narrative or a post-rock slow dive. "When I Was In" starts tranquil enough, but the syncopated drum rhythm betrays the peace, hinting at something larger to come. The chorus opens up with a grand swell of distorted guitar and punchy bass. After the second go-around, the post-chorus builds further and then pulls back the bridge. The intensity in Arlie'svoice contrasts with the more apprehensive instrumentals. Then the guitars shift up a gear and join Arlie's vocal intensity for the climax. "You are beautiful," Arlie shouts, repeating until the song's end.

"But as we've all come to find out, it may take more than love to keep the poison down."

Sadly, the members of Juno parted ways not long after the release of "A Future Lived In Past Tense." According to Arlie, part of the band wanted to keep recording new material and touring while the other part weren't so sure. Rehearsing became more difficult and the band lost its drive. Eventually, Arlie decided it was time for him to explore new avenues. So, he packed up and moved to Los Angeles and initiated the collaborative musical project, Ghost Wars.

Juno reunited briefly in 2006 to play two shows in KEXP's annual Yule Benefit in Seattle.Ghost Wars is primarily the brain child of Arlie John and Eric Fisher, however it's strengthened by a multitude of collaborators that include former Juno guitarist Gabe Carter, bassists Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters) and Cory Murchy (Minus the Bear), multi-instrumentalist Morgan Henderson (Blood Brothers) along with many other musicians. Unfortunately the project has encountered some major setbacks. The laptop containing their Pro Tools recordings was stolen in Toronto. The laptop was taken from the tour van while Fisher was on tour in September of 06'. Then the backup hard drive died. Because of this, most of the songs available on MySpace are very rough mixes. This, in turn, makes it difficult to accurately describe Ghost Wars' sound.

However, based on what is available, Ghost Wars sounds more subdued, minimalist than Juno. Songs like "Virginia, Long Exhale" and "dstroyd theswrdofStMchl" are fairly barebones indie-styled while "The Elephant In Your Womb" and "Waves of Blood" fall more on the post-rock side of things, reminiscent of Juno's sound. "Virginia, Long Exhale" stands out as one of the best songs released so far. The delicate, almost nonexistent ride and hihat meshes well with the soft keyboard melody. Goth Joel and Morgan Henderson's clarinets are a particularly nice touch along with Joel's saxophone during the chorus. The brass really adds depth to the feelings of sadness and loneliness that the song portrays. 

"She's someplace now as he's sweating it out, living low, high and dreaming of their forgotten, misplaced schemes.
And in the night, to no one, he screams."

All of the songs have a lot of potential, but sound incomplete since they're rough mixes. However, knowing what Carstens' has achieved with Juno, the first Ghost Wars EP will be something special.

Arlie John Carstens has overcome quite a bit in his life. Family troubles, substance abuse, and a life threatening injury. But the deep, somber grooves he built with Juno benefit from his experiences and the songs still in the works with Ghost Wars will benefit as well.

During Juno's more upbeat tracks, their sound is a mix of Hüsker Dü and Jawbox. Their slower songs are harder to peg, but imagine if The Life And Times slowed their pace and adopted Explosions In The Sky's song structures and you may have a very loose idea. Juno's slower material is even more varied than their faster tracks. Keep in mind, most of Juno's material will not leap out of the speakers at you; catchiness isn't really an attribute of the post-rock genre. Instead, slow-building structures and epic sounding melodies make Juno satisfying. The songs and their subtleties grow on you, eventually fitting like your favorite pair of jeans. I found Juno my freshman year of college and I still find different songs/parts of songs that I hadn't fully appreciated until now. I'll leave you with one of my favorite musicians' quotes. Arlie had the following to say in an interview with Dirty Waves Punk Rock Radio Show: 

"Caring about people, sharing your life with others, and maintaining a sense of humour and curiosity are what makes being alive worth a goddamn. Otherwise, it is nothing but turmoil and doubt. The only way to effect change is to have the heart and the will to create something from that nothing. Perseverance every day." 

Juno - "The Great Salt Lake"

Juno - "When I Was In ________"

Juno - "January Arms"

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more info: www.myspace.com/junomusic

more info: www.myspace.com/ghostwarsmusic