Pus Cavern is a Sacramento recording studio that served as a go-to tracking and engineering home for the city's local rock, punk, reggae and indie bands across the late 2000s and 2010s.[1][2] It is closely identified with engineer/owner Joe Johnston, a longtime Sacramento musician who runs the studio.[3][2] According to a Sacramento News & Review profile, the studio remained active into at least early 2025, when it hosted live recording sessions.[4][5]
At a glance
- Recording studio in Sacramento, CA.[1]
- Run by engineer Joe Johnston, himself a veteran local musician.[3][2]
- Characterized by Submerge as "the local alt-music recording Mecca."[2]
- Cited as a recording site for Cake, A Lot Like Birds and The Brodys, among many local acts.[2]
- Additional engineers documented working at the studio include Eric Broyhill and Matt Pedri.[6][7]
- Johnston's wife and business partner Lesa Kinsey Johnston handles the financial side of the operation.[8]
Role in the Sacramento scene
Across more than a half-decade of Submerge coverage, Pus Cavern recurs as the recording destination of choice for a broad cross-section of Sacramento-area bands, spanning funk/jam, punk and Oi!, reggae/rock, pop-rock, indie pop and heavy/metal acts.[1][9][6][10][11][12][13][7][14] Submerge described it as "the local alt-music recording Mecca where everyone from Cake to A Lot Like Birds to The Brodys has laid down tracks."[2]
Johnston describes his specialty as loud guitars, drums and bass — a focus that translates mostly to rock and punk sessions.[8] During the studio's early years at its original location, he had his hand in nearly every major local demo of the era; according to the News & Review, those sessions included early recordings by Papa Roach, the Deftones, and Oleander.[8]
History and locations
According to a Sacramento News & Review profile of Joe Johnston, Pus Cavern operated for approximately a decade at its original location on I Street in North Highlands, just off Watt Avenue, before moving to its current address in 2001.[8][15] That first space was inside a warren of practice rooms for local bands; Johnston described it as "Dirty and grimy" — essentially a warehouse shared with rehearsal studios.[8]
The move in 2001 marked a transition from what Johnston called ramshackle surroundings into a dedicated recording facility.[8][15] The implied founding date is approximately 1991, placing the studio's origins in the same early-1990s Sacramento underground that produced many of the bands whose demos Johnston recorded there.[8]
Joe Johnston and engineers
The studio is principally associated with engineer Joe Johnston, repeatedly credited as the person who recorded or engineered sessions there.[1][3][11][12][13][2][14] Johnston is a longtime Sacramento musician: he and Darin Wood were members of the band 58 Fury, an up-and-coming local act that played the Shire Road Pub, and Submerge notes that Johnston "now runs the popular recording studio Pus Cavern."[3]
Johnston's wife, Lesa Kinsey Johnston, is his business partner and oversees the financial side of the studio, according to the News & Review.[8]
Other engineers documented working at Pus Cavern include Eric Broyhill, who engineered Madhouse Disciples' self-titled debut at the studio (with Mike Erickson of Pressure Point producing),[6] and Matt Pedri, who tracked both of Horseneck's 2013 EPs there and had previously worked with Armed for Apocalypse and Will Haven.[7]
Documented sessions (from Submerge coverage)
- ZuhG — recorded their album ZuhG Life at Pus Cavern Studios; the Roseville/Sacramento four-piece released it in spring 2009.[1]
- Our Hometown Disaster — recorded their full-length debut The Good Life (out Oct. 10, 2009) at Pus Cavern, working with Joe Johnston.[9]
- Arden Park Roots — recorded their second full-length, No Regrets in the Garden of Weeden, over the winter ahead of its July 9, 2010 release, with Pus Cavern's Joe Johnston engineering.[10]
- Madhouse Disciples — recorded their self-titled debut at Pus Cavern; Eric Broyhill engineered and Mike Erickson (Pressure Point) produced.[6]
- Hero's Last Mission — recorded part of their debut LP Stay on Course at Pus Cavern (the remainder at the band's home), released May 2011.[11]
- Jesi Naomi and the Trippers — recorded their debut EP Earplay over roughly three months with Joe Johnston at Pus Cavern, released January 2012.[12]
- Musical Charis — recorded FOOL$ GOLD with engineer Joe Johnston at Pus Cavern over about a week, split before and after a spring tour; released Oct. 11, 2012.[13]
- Horseneck — recorded both 2013 EPs (Belly Full of Blood and The Worst People Ever) at Pus Cavern with Matt Pedri; The Worst People Ever was mixed by Dance Gavin Dance's Josh Benton.[7]
- Rebel Punk — recorded their debut album Love/Hate at Pus Cavern with Joe Johnston; released Jan. 31, 2015.[2]
- Riotmaker — recorded their debut album Welcome to Calirock with Joe Johnston at Pus Cavern, released around Feb. 2015.[14]