B.A. Johnston
Birth nameChristian
BornHamilton, Ontario, Canada
GenresComedy
Occupation(s)Musician, performance artist
Websitewww.bajohnston.ca

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.[4] 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.[5] 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)

  • Bury Me at Make Out Creek (2001)
  • In Situation Bad (2003)
  • Love Letters to the Girls in My High School Art Class (2003)
  • My Heart Is a Blinking Nintendo (2005)
  • Call Me When Old and Fat Is the New Young and Sexy (2006)
  • Stairway to Hamilton (2008)
  • I Was a Young Man Once (2009)
  • Thank You for Being a Friend (2010)
  • Hi Dudes! (2012)
  • Mission Accomplished (2013)
  • Shit Sucks (2015)
  • Gremlins III (2017)
  • The Skid Is Hot Tonight (2019)
  • Werewolves of London, Ontario (2022)
  • Argos Suck (2023)

Singles, Splits, & EPs

  • Songs About a Stewardess (2005)
  • B.A. Johnston & The Moby Dicks (2011)
  • B.A. Johnston featuring The Magnificent Sevens (2011)
  • B.A. Johnston Supreme Quarantine 7” Split w/ The Burning Hell (2020)

References

  1. ↑ Ritchie, Matthew (12 April 2012). "BA Johnston's '80s music". The Coast Halifax. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  2. ↑ "B.A. Johnston Mission Accomplished". Exclaim!, By Farah Barakat, September 3, 2013
  3. ↑ Rockingham, Graham (15 March 2017). "Donair sauce runs in B.A. Johnston's veins". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Interview: Why Shit Sucks for BA Johnston". Electric City Magazine. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 Spencer, Lukas (18 September 2017). "The finest folk in Hamilton". The Silhouette. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  6. ↑ Webb-Campbell, Shannon. "Heart act to follow". The Coast Halifax. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  7. ↑ "B.A. Johnston: still broke, still trying". The Journal, Queen's University, November 24, 2006 Meghan Harrison
  8. ↑ "The National Top 50 For the Week Ending: Tuesday, October 26, 2010". !Earshot.
  9. ↑ "B.A. Johnston Jimmy Jazz, Guelph ON, April 6". Exclaim!, By Vish Khanna, April 7, 2013
  10. ↑ "B.A. Johnston Pat's Pub, Vancouver BC June 9". Exclaim!, By Alan Ranta, June 11, 2012
  11. ↑ "B.A. Johnston, Remi Royale and Robots!EVERYWHERE!! at Irene’s – Ottawa". Grayowl Point, April 8, 2012. by Erin Red
  12. ↑ "B.A. Johnston Is Canada's Answer to G.G. Allin". Noisey. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  13. ↑ Murphy, Sarah (17 February 2015). "B.A. Johnston 'Shit Sucks' (album stream)". Exclaim!. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  14. ↑ "Shit Sucks - Polaris Music Prize". Polaris Music Prize. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  15. ↑ "B.A Johnston Gremlins 3". Exclaim!, By Blake Morneau, March 1, 2017
  16. ↑ Wheeler, Brad (16 March 2017). "Is this schmo the new Stompin' Tom Connors?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  17. ↑ Slingerland, Calum (February 15, 2022). "B.A. Johnston Maps Out 2022 Canadian Tour Dates". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022.
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