Joe Johnston is a Sacramento recording engineer who runs Pus Cavern, a local recording studio that became a go-to facility for the region's rock, punk, reggae and indie acts.[1][2] Before his engineering career he was an active local musician, playing in Sacramento bands such as 58 Fury and Target in the 1980s.[1]
At a glance
- Runs/owns the Sacramento recording studio Pus Cavern.[1][2]
- A longtime Sacramento musician; played in local bands 58 Fury and Target.[1]
- Engineered or co-engineered records across roughly a decade of Submerge coverage (2009–2017) for many local acts.[3][4]
- Described by bands as exacting, hands-on and easy to work with.[3][2]
Role in the Sacramento scene
Johnston's primary role in Submerge's coverage is as the engineer behind Pus Cavern, repeatedly cited as the studio where local artists tracked their albums.[3][1][2] By 2015 one writer characterized Pus Cavern as "the local alt-music recording Mecca," noting acts ranging from Cake to A Lot Like Birds to The Brodys had recorded there.[5] In a 2013 feature he was called a "master engineer" working at "the legendary Pus Cavern."[6]
His background is in performing. A 2010 article on the Shire Road Pub identifies him as a longtime local musician who played in the up-and-coming local bands Target and 58 Fury at that venue, and explicitly notes that he "now runs the popular recording studio Pus Cavern."[1] Fellow 58 Fury musician Darin Wood is named alongside him in that account.[1]
As an engineer: working style
Bands interviewed by Submerge describe Johnston as demanding but supportive in the studio. Our Hometown Disaster's Brian Lee said Johnston "doesn't let shit slide" and pushed the band to do its best, while vocalist Brad Edison called him "a great guy, smart and easy to work with" who "knows what he's doing."[3] Arden Park Roots credited their growth in part to giving Johnston the time and space to do his job, saying he was able to take his time engineering their second album so that the result was "polished but not over-produced."[2]
Johnston describes his own specialty plainly: "I do mostly loud guitars, drums and bass. That ends up being a lot of rock and punk."[7]
Pus Cavern studio
According to the Sacramento News & Review, Pus Cavern operated for roughly a decade in more basic surroundings on I Street in North Highlands before Johnston moved it in 2001 to its current location in an industrial strip mall just off Orange Grove Avenue, a couple of blocks west of American River College.[7]
The studio's roster extends well beyond the Submerge-documented period. Johnston engineered Cake's debut album Motorcade of Generosity, recorded at Pus Cavern in 1993 and released on Capricorn Records on February 7, 1994.[8][7] Papa Roach, Deftones, and Oleander also recorded demos at Pus Cavern, according to the Sacramento News & Review.[7]
Johnston's wife, Lesa Kinsey Johnston, is his business partner at the studio. According to the Sacramento News & Review, she is described by both as the "bad cop" who handles the studio's financial management.[7]
Recordings (per Submerge coverage)
Across the corpus, Johnston is credited with recording or engineering at Pus Cavern for a wide range of Sacramento-area artists:
- Our Hometown Disaster — The Good Life (2009), the local punk band's full-length debut, recorded at Pus Cavern.[3]
- Arden Park Roots — No Regrets in the Garden of Weeden (2010), recorded over the winter before a tour and released at Harlow's.[2]
- Brown Shoe — The Gift Horse (2011); the Folsom band's fourth album and their third recorded with Johnston at Pus Cavern Studios.[9]
- Jesi Naomi and the Trippers — Earplay (2012), a seven-track EP recorded over roughly three months at Pus Cavern.[10]
- Musical Charis — FOOL$ GOLD (2012), recorded with Johnston at Pus Cavern across about a week of sessions split around a spring tour.[11]
- City of Vain — Shaking Hands With Yourself (2013), the local punk band's seven-song follow-up to American Nightmare, recorded at Pus Cavern.[6]
- Rebel Punk — Love/Hate (2015), the El Dorado Hills band's debut, recorded at Pus Cavern.[5]
- Riotmaker — Welcome to Calirock (2015), the reggae/rock band's nine-song debut, recorded by Johnston at Pus Cavern.[12]
- The Ghost Town Rebellion — Silver and Gold (2017); half the record was done with Johnston at Pus Cavern Recording Studio, the other half by the band at their own studio.[4]
Note: The Brown Shoe item indicates a continuing relationship — by 2011 the band had made three of its records with Johnston at Pus Cavern.[9]