Julian Koster
| Julian Koster | |
|---|---|
Julian playing the banjo at ArthurFest 2005 (signature lamb-lamp seen in background)
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Julian Koster |
| Born | July 26, 1972 |
| Genres | Psychedelic folk, indie folk, lo-fi |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels |
Elephant Six Merge Orange Twin Bar/None Kindercore |
| Associated acts |
Neutral Milk Hotel The Music Tapes Major Organ and the Adding Machine Olivia Tremor Control Chocolate USA of Montreal |
| Notable instruments | |
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Fender Precision Bass Kay N-2 Lowrey Wandering Genie |
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Julian Koster (born July 26, 1972) is an American musician and storyteller. A member of the Elephant 6 Collective, he is the leader of The Music Tapes, a member of Neutral Milk Hotel and a former member of Chocolate USA. He is known for his heavy use of the musical saw in recordings, even releasing The Singing Saw at Christmastime, his only true solo album, in 2008.
In 1989, Koster formed Miss America with Liza Wakeman, Alan Edwards, Paul Wells and Keith Block. After legal threats from Miss America, they became Chocolate USA. Chocolate USA released two albums on Bar/None before disbanding to follow other projects.
Koster joined Jeff Mangum, Scott Spillane and Jeremy Barnes to record the second Neutral Milk Hotel album, In the Aeroplane over the Sea, on which he played bass, banjo and singing saw. The success of the album, however, took its toll on Mangum, and the band went on shortly after its release. In 2013, the full band, including Koster, reunited for a lengthy worldwide tour extending into 2014.
After Neutral Milk Hotel, Koster began to concentrate on his own solo project, The Music Tapes, for which he contributed banjo, singing saw, chord organ, and vocals, among other instruments. 1st Imaginary Symphony For Nomad was released in 1999. Koster, together with Brian Dewan, recorded the story album 2nd Imaginary Symphony For Cloudmaking, which was distributed by Koster on CD but never officially released. After this, nothing was released by The Music Tapes until 2008, when Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes arrived, followed by extensive touring (including the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour) and an unprecedented level of public appearance by the formerly reclusive Koster.
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