Alain Johannes
Alain Johannes Mociulski is a Chilean-American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, whose primary instruments are guitar and bass. He is a founding member of several bands, including the alternative rock group Eleven, and has been involved with acts such as hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, PJ Harvey, Chris Cornell, Arctic Monkeys, Mark Lanegan and The Desert Sessions, both as a musician and as a producer.
Alain Johannes is a nephew of Chilean nueva ola musician Peter Rock. He was born in Santiago. He was married to Natasha Shneider from 1987 until her death in 2008.
Career
In his teen years, Johannes formed the band Chain Reaction with Hillel Slovak, Todd Strassman, and Jack Irons.This band was later renamed What Is This. Todd Strassman was replaced by Flea, who was replaced, upon leaving the band, by Chris Hutchinson.
In 1987, Johannes and Natasha Shneider formed the band Walk the Moon, which released one self-titled album on MCA Records. Reportedly, Chris Hutchinson and Jack Irons played on some of its tracks.
Eleven was formed in 1990 and released their debut album Awake in a Dream in 1991, which included the pop based singles "Rainbows End" and "All Together". They followed this with regular releases Eleven in 1993, Thunk! in 1995, Avantgardedog in 2000, and Howling Book in 2003.
Johannes was the only other contributor on the 1996 debut album by Jason Falkner, Jason Falkner Presents Author Unknown. He was also a significant contributor to Chris Cornell's 1999 solo album, Euphoria Morning as a guitarist, writer and producer. He also toured as part of Chris Cornell's band in support of this album alongside Natasha Shneider, Greg Upchurch and Rick Markmann, who also comprised Eleven's line-up at the time. He mixed and played on Jack Irons' first solo record, Attention Dimension, released in 2004, and he co-wrote on Danish stoner rock outfit The Royal Highness.
In 2005, he joined Queens of the Stone Age to play guitar as well as bass on Lullabies to Paralyze. He had previously guested on Lullabies' predecessor, Songs for the Deaf, having also co-written the track "Hanging Tree" during one of The Desert Sessions. He would participate in the tour for the album and appears on the live DVD, Over the Years and Through the Woods in the main concert. Johannes once again contributed a main role to Lullabies' follow up, Era Vulgaris, but he opted to concentrate on Eleven with Natasha Shneider, and the pair bowed out of touring before the album's promotion started.
In 2007, Johannes became a part of Brody Dalle's post-Distillers effort, Spinnerette.
In August 2009, he joined Them Crooked Vultures, with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme and former Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones. Johannes contributed guitar, bass, keyboards, and backing vocals on their 2009–2010 tour, often playing his own solo guitar section during the set.
In late 2008, a song he co-wrote with Shneider, Time for Miracles, was recorded by Adam Lambert and used in the movie 2012.
On October 5, 2010, he released his solo debut album Spark, a tribute to the late Natasha Shneider.
On September 5, 2012, Jimmy Eat World announced that he would be a producer/engineer on their 8th studio album.
In 2013, he became a player in Dave Grohl's Sound City Players project, writing and recording a song for the album, and playing a major role in the live performances.
On November 11, 2014, he released his second solo album, Fragments and Wholes Vol. 1, drawing inspiration from the death of his parents as well as that of Natasha Shneider.
Johannes began working with PJ Harvey in 2014. From 2016 to 2017, Johannes was a part of PJ Harvey's touring ensemble for her world tour in support of her album The Hope Six Demolition Project. He also played on the album itself.
In 2015, he was the producer of K's Choice album The Phantom Cowboy, and Edith Crash's Partir.
In 2016, he composed and performed the soundtrack for the Ubisoft game, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands.
In 2020, his third solo record Hum was released on Ipecac Records to favorable critical reviews
On September 3, 2022, Them Crooked Vultures reunited for a performance at Wembley Stadium in honour of Foo Fighters' late drummer Taylor Hawkins and again on September 27, 2022 at the Kia Forum for the second tribute show.
In May 2024, Alain was playing with Masters of Reality. He was also their support act, solo on stage with his cigar box guitar. Johannes also toured across Europe with a selected band from countries he played in forming his backing band, allowing him to play Eleven and Desert Sessions songs in his sets. In the UK leg for example, Alain's backing band were Earl of Hell, who also opened for him on the tour. Along with past collaborator Chris Goss, Alain contributed the Jethro Tull song "Aqualung" from the 1971 album Aqualung to the tribute album Aqualung released through Magnetic Eye Records in December 2024. The song followed the original arrangement but was done in the a cappella format using voices performing the instrumentation along with various electronic percussion noises. It was favorably reviewed as being like a "nightmare" scored with surrealist music.
Selected discography
Throughout his career Johannes has worked with a wide range of artists and bands in various genres as a musician, record engineer and producer.| Band or artist | Album | Year | Credits |
| Addie Brik | Wattsland | 1984 | Vocals, guitar, production |
| What Is This? | Squeezed | 1984 | Vocals, guitar |
| What Is This? | What Is This? | 1985 | Vocals, guitar |
| What Is This? | 3 Out of 5 Live | 1985 | Vocals, guitar |
| Thelonious Monster | Baby, You're Bummin' My Life Out in a Supreme Fashion | 1986 | Flute, saxophone |
| Walk the Moon | Walk the Moon | 1987 | Vocals, guitar, saxophone, programming, percussion, e-bow |
| Eleven | Awake In A Dream | 1991 | Guitar |
| Sun 60 | Only | 1993 | Guitar |
| Melissa Ferrick | Massive Blur | 1993 | Guitar |
| Eleven | Eleven | 1993 | Guitar, vocals |
| Eleven | Thunk | 1995 | Guitar, percussion, horn, sitar |
| Jason Falkner | Presents Author Unknown | 1996 | Guitar |
| Gouds Thumb | Gouds Thumb | 1996 | Guitar |
| Dalbello | Whore | 1996 | Guitar |
| Chris Cornell | Euphoria Morning | 1999 | Guitar, bass, backing vocals, theremin, mandolin, clarinet, tabla, production, mixing |
| Queens of the Stone Age | Rated R | 2000 | Mixing |
| Eleven | Avantgardedog | 2000 | Guitar, vocals, producer, engineer |
| No Doubt | Return of Saturn | 2000 | Recording |
| The Desert Sessions | Volume 7 & 8 | 2001 | Guitar, fiddle, harmonium, saxophone, vocals, clavinet, udu, mixing |
| Live | V | 2001 | Sitar, production |
| No Doubt | Rock Steady | 2002 | Additional engineer |
| Queens of the Stone Age | Songs for the Deaf | 2002 | Organ, piano, guitar, theremin, lap steel guitar |
| UNKLE | Never, Never, Land | 2003 | Remixing |
| Matt Costa | Matt Costa | 2003 | Mastering |
| The Desert Sessions | Volume 9 & 10 | 2003 | Guitar, bass, flute, vocals, mandolin, e-bow, keyboard |
| Mondo Generator | A Drug Problem That Never Existed | 2003 | Engineer, mixing, mastering |
| Eleven | Howling Book | 2003 | Guitar, vocals |
| Mark Lanegan Band | Bubblegum | 2004 | Guitar, bass, drums, organ, keyboards, vocals, mixing, production |
| Sugarcult | Palm Trees and Power Lines | 2004 | Additional guitar |
| Jack Irons | Attention Dimension | 2004 | Banjo, flute, guitar, saxophone, vocals, sarod, engineer, mixing, marxophone, santoor |
| Janubia | Mother Tongue | 2004 | Mixing, mastering, additional instrumentation |
| Masters of Reality | Give Us Barabbas | 2004 | Editing |
| Eagles of Death Metal | Peace Love Death Metal | 2004 | Piano, vocals, engineering, mastering, mixing |
| Queens of the Stone Age | Lullabies to Paralyze | 2005 | Bass, guitar, flute, marxophone |
| Queens of the Stone Age | Over the Years and Through the Woods | 2005 | Bass, guitar, backing vocals |
| Millionaire | Paradisiac | 2005 | Mixing, recording |
| Eagles of Death Metal | Death by Sexy | 2006 | Mixing |
| Wires on Fire | Wires on Fire | 2006 | Saxophone, mixing, mastering, engineering |
| Queens of the Stone Age | Era Vulgaris | 2007 | Bass, guitar, fiddle, marxophone, mixing |
| Silverchair | Young Modern | 2007 | Slide guitar |
| Hilary Duff | Dignity | 2007 | Mixing |
| Puscifer | V is for Vagina | 2007 | Guitar |
| Spinnerette | Ghetto Love (EP) | 2008 | Bass |
| Eagles of Death Metal | Heart On | 2008 | Horn, engineer |
| The Gutter Twins | Saturnalia | 2008 | Recording |
| Kelly Clarkson | All I Ever Wanted | 2009 | Guitar |
| Nosfell | Nosfell | 2009 | Producing, mixing, guitar, marxophone, bass, cigfiddle |
| Spinnerette | Spinnerette | 2009 | Production, mixing, engineer, bass, guitar, cigfiddle |
| Arctic Monkeys | Humbug | 2009 | Engineering |
| Them Crooked Vultures | Them Crooked Vultures | 2009 | Recording, backing vocals |
| Alain Johannes | Spark | 2010 | Recording, producing, mixing, guitars, vocals, bass |
| Manna | Shackles | 2011 | Producer |
| Mark Lanegan | Blues Funeral | 2012 | Producing, engineering, mixing, guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals |
| Sound City | Reel to Real | 2013 | Bass, vocals on "Your Wife is Calling"; guitar on "Centipede"; vocals, guitars on "A Trick With No Sleeve" |
| Loading Data | Double Disco Animal Style | 2013 | Producer, backing vocals, drums, keyboards, bass, guitars |
| Jimmy Eat World | Damage | 2013 | Producer |
| Brody Dalle | Diploid Love | 2014 | Co-producer, guitars, bass, piano, trumpet, mellotron, slide guitars |
| Alain Johannes | Fragments & Wholes, Vol. 1 | 2014 | Recording, producing, mixing, guitars, vocals, bass |
| K's Choice | The Phantom Cowboy | 2015 | Producer |
| Kazuya Yoshii | "Chōzetsu Dynamic!" | 2015 | Guitar |
| Edith Crash | Partir | 2015 | Producer |
| Kensico | White Sage | 2015 | Guitars, e-bow, cigar box, percussions, recording |
| PJ Harvey | The Hope Six Demolition Project | 2016 | Guitar, handclapping, keyboards, percussion, saxophone, vocals |
| Alain Johannes | Ghost Recon Wildlands OST | 2016 | itaru |
| Mark Lanegan Band | Gargoyle | 2017 | Producer, co-writer, keyboards, guitar, bass, mellotron, synthesizer, percussion, e-bow, vocals |
| Garry Pitcairn | The Gospel | 2019 | Mixing, mastering |
| Aurelia | Sharp Words | 2019 | Producer, mixer, guitar, bass, cigar box guitar, keyboards, percussion, e-bow |
| Big Scenic Nowhere | Vision Beyond Horizon | 2020 | Co-writer, guitar, vocals |
| Patrón | Patrón | 2020 | Producer, engineer, mixer, keyboards, guitar, bass, vocals |
| Alain Johannes | Hum | 2020 | Composer, engineer, mixing, primary artist. |
| Des Rocs | Dream Machine | 2023 | Producer |
| Tarah Who? | The Last Chase | 2024 | Producer, engineer, mixer, guitar, backing vocals |
| Sick Joy | More Forever | 2026 | Producer, engineer, guitar, backing vocals |