B.A. Johnston Explained

B.A. Johnston
Birth Name:Christian
Birth Place:Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Genre:Comedy
Occupation:Musician, performance artist

Christian Johnston,[1] known professionally as B.A. Johnston, is a Canadian comedic musician and performance artist based in Hamilton, Ontario.

Career

Johnston was born and grew up in Hamilton, Ontario.[2] He began touring around Canada in 2002, performing songs that are often comedic in nature and include pop cultural references to sports teams, junk food, and video games.[3] [4] Accompanying himself on guitar and keyboard, he performed as the character B.A. (Bored Again) Johnston who lives at home with his mother.[5] By birth, his name is Christian Johnston, but in high school was given the nickname “Bored Again Christian". It stuck over the years and became his stage name.[6]

By 2006 Johnston had recorded four albums of original songs, completing a cross-country tour travelling exclusively by Greyhound bus before beginning to tour in an old station wagon or mini-van.[7] Johnston's 2010 album Thank You for Being a Friend appeared on the !Earshot National Top 50 Chart.[8] Since that time he has continued touring extensively across Canada year-round, mainly performing in clubs and bars.[9] [10] [11] In 2014, Noisey compared him to American singer, songwriter GG Allin.[12] His ninth album Shit Sucks was released in 2015 and was a long list nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize. Exclaim! magazine described it as "simplistic synth-pop and aggressive acoustic folk."[13] [14]

In 2017 a collaboration between Johnston and Sawdust City Brewing Company resulted in the launch of Olde B.A. Johnston's Finest Malt Liquor. That year his album Gremlins III, a mixture of folk and punk music, was released through Wyatt Records.[15] That year a feature article about Johnston in the Globe And Mail acknowledged his polarizing status in the Canadian music scene, noting that for some he is a "modern-age Stompin' Tom Connors."[16] However, unlike Connors, Johnston's references to life in modern-day Canada are exaggeratedly irreverent and unromanticised, featuring ironic swipes at large Canadian institutions like Foodland, No Frills, and Tim Hortons.

As of 2022, Johnston continues to tour across Canada, performing his energetic and humorous show.[17]

Discography

Albums (CD, LP)

Singles, Splits, & EPs

Notes and References

  1. News: Ritchie. Matthew. BA Johnston's '80s music. 19 October 2017. The Coast Halifax. 12 April 2012.
  2. https://exclaim.ca/music/article/b_johnston-mission_accomplished "B.A. Johnston Mission Accomplished"
  3. News: Rockingham. Graham. Donair sauce runs in B.A. Johnston's veins. 19 October 2017. The Hamilton Spectator. 15 March 2017.
  4. News: Interview: Why Shit Sucks for BA Johnston. 19 October 2017. Electric City Magazine. 4 March 2015.
  5. News: Spencer. Lukas. The finest folk in Hamilton. 19 October 2017. The Silhouette. 18 September 2017.
  6. Web site: Heart act to follow. Webb-Campbell. Shannon. Shannon Webb-Campbell. The Coast Halifax. en. 2019-04-02.
  7. https://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2006-11-24/arts/b-johnston-still-broke-still-trying/ "B.A. Johnston: still broke, still trying"
  8. http://www.earshot-online.com/charts/index.cfm?intChartTypeID=101&dWeekOfID=2010-10-26 "The National Top 50 For the Week Ending: Tuesday, October 26, 2010"
  9. https://exclaim.ca/music/article/b_johnston-jimmy_jazz_guelph_on_april_6 "B.A. Johnston Jimmy Jazz, Guelph ON, April 6"
  10. https://exclaim.ca/music/article/b_johnston-pats_pub_vancouver_bc_june_9 "B.A. Johnston Pat's Pub, Vancouver BC June 9"
  11. https://grayowlpoint.com/2012/04/08/b-a-johnson-remi-royale-and-robotseverywhere-at-irenes/ "B.A. Johnston, Remi Royale and Robots!EVERYWHERE!! at Irene’s – Ottawa"
  12. News: B.A. Johnston Is Canada's Answer to G.G. Allin. 19 October 2017. Noisey. 2 April 2014. en-ca.
  13. News: Murphy. Sarah. B.A. Johnston 'Shit Sucks' (album stream). Exclaim!. 19 October 2017. 17 February 2015. en.
  14. Web site: Shit Sucks - Polaris Music Prize . Polaris Music Prize . October 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220120054718/https://polarismusicprize.ca/album/shit-sucks/ . January 20, 2022.
  15. https://exclaim.ca/music/article/b_a_johnston-gremlins_3 "B.A Johnston Gremlins 3"
  16. News: Wheeler. Brad. Is this schmo the new Stompin' Tom Connors?. 19 October 2017. The Globe and Mail. 16 March 2017.
  17. Web site: B.A. Johnston Maps Out 2022 Canadian Tour Dates . Exclaim! . February 15, 2022 . Calum . Slingerland . https://web.archive.org/web/20220215230616/https://exclaim.ca/music/article/b_a_johnston_maps_out_2022_canadian_tour_dates . February 15, 2022.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "B.A. Johnston".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.