Golden Smog

Golden Smog began as a casual, alcohol-fueled covers outfit that slowly coalesced into an informal roots-rock collective drawing players from Soul Asylum, the Replacements, Wilco, the Jayhawks, Run Westy Run, and the Honeydogs. The project first assembled in the Minneapolis region during the late 1980s, positioning country-rock as a counterpoint to the punk and hardcore styles then prevalent throughout the Twin Cities; over time the group settled into a regular if infrequent presence at neighborhood venues, typically performing just a few times each year. Personnel shifted constantly, yet vocalist Kraig Johnson of Run Westy Run and guitarists Dan Murphy of Soul Asylum and Gary Louris of the Jayhawks remained the steadiest participants. Performances usually followed a chosen theme that matched the outfit’s playful origins—one evening featured only Eagles material, while another, promoted as “Her Satanic Majesty’s Paycheck,” focused on the Rolling Stones.

In 1992 the collective issued its first recording, the five-track covers EP On Golden Smog. The final selection, Thin Lizzy’s “Cowboy Song” delivered by Soul Asylum roadie Bill Sullivan, stayed true to the original lighthearted approach, whereas the remaining cuts adopted a more disciplined stance aligned with the members’ principal work; those participants were essentially Johnson, Murphy, Louris, Jayhawks bassist Marc Perlman, ex-Replacements drummer Chris Mars, and Soul Asylum vocalist Dave Pirner, who handled Bad Company’s “Shooting Star.” The 1996 album Down by the Old Mainstream surprised observers by consisting almost entirely of new songs written expressly for the project. Johnson, Murphy, Louris, Perlman, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, and Honeydogs drummer Noah Levy took part, each performing under an alias to satisfy contractual constraints; the resulting set revealed a more reflective ensemble enjoying the freedom to step outside their regular commitments. Weird Tales appeared in 1998, after which the group remained silent until Another Fine Day surfaced in 2006, its sound noticeably removed from earlier efforts owing to the long interval between releases. Blood on the Slacks followed the next year.