Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales (2001)

"Mudfootball (For Moe Lerner)" by Jack Johnson

Zee Avi signed to Brushfire Records, a label created by Jack Johnson and named for his debut album Brushfire Fairytales, released in 2001 on Everloving Records.

Jack Johnson proves a clever songwriter, building up memorable images and wordplay intertwined into rolling rhythms.  The lyrics are suffused with enough film language repurposed for metaphor to remind the listener he's not too far removed from film school, and he's not removed at all from his home state of Hawaii and his love of surfing.  They anchor the album both musically and philosophically in a new iteration of surf music.

Here is the discography surrounding Jack Johnson's debut album:

Brushfire Bootleg (2000 bootleg)

Bubble Toes (2000 single)

Loose Change (2000 compilation song)

Middle Man (2000 single)

Brushfire Fairytales

Maybe This Christmas (2001 compilation song)

Radio Tracks (2002 promo EP)

Flake (2002 single)

Live (2002 live single)

The September Sessions (2002 soundtrack)

Thicker Than Water (2003 soundtrack)

"Inaudible Melodies" by Jack Johnson

"Flake (live)" by Jack Johnson

"Moonshine" by Jack Johnson

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Arma Angelus - Where Sleeplessness Is Rest from Nightmares (2001)

"We Are the Pale Horse" by Arma Angelus


This time we'll follow Racetraitor band members Daniel Binaei and Andy Hurley to their next band Arma Angelus.  Bassist Pete Wentz is here, too, but he's not playing bass for this band (he's the lead singer) and we're still not yet to the band he's most famous for being in.  Binaei, Hurley, and Wentz were all members of Arma Angelus from its inception, but only Wentz was a member when the band recorded their only album Where Sleeplessness Is Rest from Nightmares in 2001.

Here is the complete Arma Angelus discography:

The Personal Is Political (2000 demo)
The Grave End of the Shovel (2000 EP)
Chicago Arise from the Ashes (2001 compilation song)
Ascend from the Darkness (2001 compilation song)
Where Sleeplessness Is Rest from Nightmares
Covered in Blood (2002 compilation song)

Arma Angelus's Last Show


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Busdriver - Memoirs of the Elephant Man (2001)

"Party Pooper" by Busdriver


Freestyle Fellowship's crew are all members of the LA based open-mic workshop Project Blowed.  Another member is Busdriver, who joined Project Blowed at the age of 16.  He released his debut album Memoirs of the Elephant Man in 2001 on Afterlife Recordz.

Here is the discography surrounding Busdriver's debut album:

Walking Dead (2000 single)
This Machine Kills Fascists (2001 demo)
This Machine Kills Fashion Tips (2001 compilation album)
Get On the Bus (2001 single)
Memoirs of the Elephant Man
Party Pooper (2002 single)

"Overshadow" by Busdriver


"Painkillers" by Busdriver


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The Strokes - Is This It (2001)

"The Modern Age" by The Strokes


RCA Records A&R man, Steve Ralbovsky, signed Kings of Leon among many other artists in his career including the kings of the 2000s New York rock scene, The Strokes.  The two bands also shared a photographer in Colin Lane, and a similar career trajectory that started with major promotion of their early recordings first in the United Kingdom before heading back to the United States.  The debut album by The Strokes, Is This It, released in 2001.

Here is the discography surrounding The Strokes's debut album:

The Strokes (2000 demo)
Live at Arlene's Grocery (2000 live bootleg)
Live at Brownie's (2000 live bootleg)
Live at WFMU Radio Station (2000 live bootleg)
The Modern Age (2001 EP)
The Peel Sessions (2001 John Peel Sessions)
Hard to Explain (2001 single)
Live on KCRW (2001 Radio Session)
Is This It
Last Nite (2001 single)
The Strokes (2001 promo)
Live on Osaka on Air (2002 live bootleg)
Live at Zepp (2002 live bootleg)
Live in Amsterdam (2002 live bootleg)
Live in Reykjavik (2002 live bootleg)
Someday (2002 single)
This Is Legal Radio Sessions (2002 radio sessions compilation)

"Someday" by The Strokes


"Last Nite" by The Strokes


"New York City Cops" by The Strokes


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Kings of Convenience - Quiet Is the New Loud (2001)

"Parr-À-Pluie" by Kings of Convenience


Gomez co-produced their debut album with engineer Ken Nelson.  The album's success marked the beginning of a string of other high-profile successes for Nelson.  This included albums by Badly Drawn Boy, Coldplay, and the next stop on the tour, Norway's Kings of Convenience.  Kings of Convenience released their debut album Quiet Is the New Loud in 2001.

Here is the discography surrounding Kings of Convenience's debut album:

Tom Tids Tale (1996 EP as Skog)
Balance. From the Joy Division Reservoir (1997 compilation song as Skog)
Brave New World (1999 single)
Failure (1999 single)
Toxic Girl (1999 single)
Christmas Two (1999 compilation song)
Kings of Convenience (2000 demo album)
Playing Live in a Room (2000 live EP)
Quiet Is the New Loud
Winning a Battle, Losing the War (2001 single)
Magic in the Air (2001 EP)
Versus (2001 remix album)

"Toxic Girl" by Kings of Convenience


"Winning a Battle, Losing the War" by Kings of Convenience


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Katy Hudson - Katy Hudson (2001)

"Trust in Me" by Katy Hudson


About the same time in the early 2000s, Dr. Luke narrowed down hundreds of demo tapes to two notable ones having to decide on which artist to adopt to his imprint.  He chose Ke$ha for her bravado over Katy Perry (who would go on to work him eventually anyway).

Katy Perry started her music career as Katy Hudson, a Nashville teen singing gospel in her parents' church.  Local musicians spotted her vocal talents and under their tutelage, Hudson learned the craft songwriting and how to play the guitar and recorded demos.  She signed with Christian label Red Hill Records and released her debut in 2001 at the age of seventeen.  Katy impressed Christian rock critics with her songwriting and vocal talents (though both are muddled by her impressions of 90s singer-songwriters), but the album failed commercially selling less than 200 copies.  Soon after the release and accompanying tour, Katy was dropped from Red Hill (as a result of going under) and moved to Los Angeles for new opportunities.

Here is the discography surrounding Katy Hudson's debut album:

Katy Hudson

"Search Me" by Katy Hudson


Katy Hudson Interview


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Casting Crowns - Casting Crowns (2001)

"Blinded Eyes" by Casting Crowns


dc Talk formed at Liberty University, a school with a reputation for funneling student-musicians into the Contemporary Christian Music scene.  One of the these students is Hector Cervantes who was one of the founding members of and lead guitarist for Casting Crowns.  Other members included founder, lead singer, and songwriter Mark Hall, guitarist Juan DeVevo, and violinist Melodee DeVevo.  The band started as a youth worship band in Daytona Beach then moved to Stockbridge, Georgia where Mark Hall and the rest of the band members took roles as youth pastors with the band central to their outreach.  Chris Huffman (bass), Megan Garrett (piano, backing vocals), and Andy Williams (drums) joined the group after the move.  As part of church discipleship and youth outreach, Casting Crowns recorded independent albums as simply a tool of evangelism with no intention of seeking record labels, money, or fame.  The first of these albums was the eponymous Casting Crowns released in 2001.

Here is the discography surrounding Casting Crowns's debut album:

Casting Crowns

"Shadow of Your Wings" by Casting Crowns


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Dragon Tales - Dragon Tunes (2001)

"Dragon Tales Theme"


Bill Dobrow is a session percussionist who played the congas and did finger snaps for the Once Blue album.  He is also credited with arranging music for the Dragon Tales PBS TV show. (Jesse Harris is also co-credited for helping to write the show's theme song.)  Dragon Tales was created by educator and artist Ron Rodecker with Jim Coane helping in development.  The show follows the leads Max and Emmie on their adventures in Dragon Land with their dragon friends Cassie, Ord, Zak and Wheezie.  The first episode aired on September 6, 1999.  Due to show's success, an album was compiled of songs from the show called Dragon Tunes in 2001.

Here is the discography surrounding Dragon Tales's debut album:

Dragon Tunes

"To Fly With Dragons"  Season 1, Episode 1


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