Artist Spotlight: Arlie John Carstens / Juno / Ghost Wars
Chris Jr.
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.