Biography
Emerging after Rodan's abrupt end in late 1994, June of 44 carried forward guitarist Jeff Mueller's restless creative drive by drawing on an array of geographically scattered collaborators to issue a rapid succession of stylistically diverse albums. Across its brief initial existence the group explored angular math rock, the broader sonic palettes of post-rock, and, on the 1999 release Anahata, the integration of samples, loops, and electronic elements. The project disbanded in 1999 following an intense five-year period of activity, then reconvened in 2018 and issued the collection Revisionist: Adaptations & Future Histories in the Time of Love and Survival in August of 2020.
After Rodan's sudden collapse in late 1994, Mueller sustained Louisville's math-rock lineage through June of 44. Together with peers such as the For Carnation and Slint, the band forged loud, dissonant, intricate guitar rock that balanced cerebral intent with visceral impact. The ensemble soon gravitated toward the developing post-rock movement, incorporating electronics, sampled loops, and chamber-jazz accents from strings, trumpet, and vibraphone alongside its core guitar textures. Mueller joined forces with Lungfish's Sean Meadows, who moved from bass to guitar, bassist and trumpeter Fred Erskine, previously of the Dischord acts Hoover and the Crownhate Ruin, and drummer Doug Scharin, an alumnus of the pioneering slowcore outfits Codeine and Rex. The group's name derived chiefly from the month of letters exchanged by erotic-fiction authors Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin; that same month also marked Mueller's mother's birth and Meadows's grandfather's military service. Because the members resided in separate cities, they first gathered in New York to record; Quarterstick, Rodan's former label, released the resulting sessions in summer 1995 as the debut album Engine Takes to the Water. Given the brief preparation time, the material closely echoed Rodan's sharp riffs, wide dynamic contrasts, and changing meters.
On the follow-up Tropics and Meridians in 1996, June of 44 asserted itself as a leading experimental indie act with a more cohesive realization of its debut's approach. Meanwhile Scharin launched the solo endeavor HiM, exploring dub-inflected experimental post-rock and maintaining a high recording rate, frequently aided by Erskine. Meadows initiated the Sonora Pine alongside Tara Jane O'Neil, another of Mueller's former Rodan bandmates, and the pair issued two albums between 1996 and 1997. Erskine concurrently contributed to the blues-oriented, D.C.-based the Boom. These separate pursuits, often more restrained in character, gradually informed June of 44's own output, beginning with the transitional 1997 Anatomy of Sharks EP.
Four Great Points, released in 1998, marked the band's further embrace of experimental methods, foregrounding Scharin's electronic interests and Erskine's trumpet work. That same year Scharin introduced another avant-garde outlet, the eclectic Out in Worship, also known as Out of Worship. The fourth June of 44 album, 1999's Anahata, extended the direction of its predecessor by amplifying jazz influences and sampling techniques while featuring notable input from violin and viola player Julie Liu. Later in 1999 the group contributed to the EP In the Fishtank, part of a Konkurrent series that supplied limited complimentary studio time to noteworthy European-touring bands; the release became the final June of 44 offering for nearly two decades. Shortly afterward the band dissolved. Meadows promptly pursued the Letter E and the solo project Everlasting the Way, while Erskine performed trumpet with Abilene and took on additional sideman roles. Scharin sustained HiM and also collaborated with Loftus and Mice Parade. Mueller later rejoined Rodan guitarist Jason Noble in Shipping News.
In 2018 June of 44 reunited for its first performances in almost twenty years. The following year the members began new recordings, several of which revisited earlier compositions that Mueller believed had not received their strongest recorded expression at the time. In August of 2020 the band issued Revisionist: Adaptations & Future Histories in the Time of Love and Survival, an eight-song album comprising remixes, re-recordings of older material, and previously unreleased tracks from the group's 1990s tenure.
After Rodan's sudden collapse in late 1994, Mueller sustained Louisville's math-rock lineage through June of 44. Together with peers such as the For Carnation and Slint, the band forged loud, dissonant, intricate guitar rock that balanced cerebral intent with visceral impact. The ensemble soon gravitated toward the developing post-rock movement, incorporating electronics, sampled loops, and chamber-jazz accents from strings, trumpet, and vibraphone alongside its core guitar textures. Mueller joined forces with Lungfish's Sean Meadows, who moved from bass to guitar, bassist and trumpeter Fred Erskine, previously of the Dischord acts Hoover and the Crownhate Ruin, and drummer Doug Scharin, an alumnus of the pioneering slowcore outfits Codeine and Rex. The group's name derived chiefly from the month of letters exchanged by erotic-fiction authors Henry Miller and Anaïs Nin; that same month also marked Mueller's mother's birth and Meadows's grandfather's military service. Because the members resided in separate cities, they first gathered in New York to record; Quarterstick, Rodan's former label, released the resulting sessions in summer 1995 as the debut album Engine Takes to the Water. Given the brief preparation time, the material closely echoed Rodan's sharp riffs, wide dynamic contrasts, and changing meters.
On the follow-up Tropics and Meridians in 1996, June of 44 asserted itself as a leading experimental indie act with a more cohesive realization of its debut's approach. Meanwhile Scharin launched the solo endeavor HiM, exploring dub-inflected experimental post-rock and maintaining a high recording rate, frequently aided by Erskine. Meadows initiated the Sonora Pine alongside Tara Jane O'Neil, another of Mueller's former Rodan bandmates, and the pair issued two albums between 1996 and 1997. Erskine concurrently contributed to the blues-oriented, D.C.-based the Boom. These separate pursuits, often more restrained in character, gradually informed June of 44's own output, beginning with the transitional 1997 Anatomy of Sharks EP.
Four Great Points, released in 1998, marked the band's further embrace of experimental methods, foregrounding Scharin's electronic interests and Erskine's trumpet work. That same year Scharin introduced another avant-garde outlet, the eclectic Out in Worship, also known as Out of Worship. The fourth June of 44 album, 1999's Anahata, extended the direction of its predecessor by amplifying jazz influences and sampling techniques while featuring notable input from violin and viola player Julie Liu. Later in 1999 the group contributed to the EP In the Fishtank, part of a Konkurrent series that supplied limited complimentary studio time to noteworthy European-touring bands; the release became the final June of 44 offering for nearly two decades. Shortly afterward the band dissolved. Meadows promptly pursued the Letter E and the solo project Everlasting the Way, while Erskine performed trumpet with Abilene and took on additional sideman roles. Scharin sustained HiM and also collaborated with Loftus and Mice Parade. Mueller later rejoined Rodan guitarist Jason Noble in Shipping News.
In 2018 June of 44 reunited for its first performances in almost twenty years. The following year the members began new recordings, several of which revisited earlier compositions that Mueller believed had not received their strongest recorded expression at the time. In August of 2020 the band issued Revisionist: Adaptations & Future Histories in the Time of Love and Survival, an eight-song album comprising remixes, re-recordings of older material, and previously unreleased tracks from the group's 1990s tenure.
Albums
