The ‘Man in the Shadows’—Esteemed Songwriter, Producer, and Multi-Instrumentalist, Alain Johannes 

The musical great who founded indie LA band ELEVEN and sprinkled his magic on Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, and more came to the LifeMinute Studios to discuss his long and fascinating career and perform a few songs

From The LifeMinute.tv Team

December 7, 2024

He’s the ‘man in the shadows,’ ‘the closer,’ the guy who sprinkles fairy dust and turns great into f*ing awesome. He is singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Alain Johannes. He’s a self-taught musical genius. But don’t take his word for it ‘cause he won’t tell you that. But if you dig hard enough, ask other legendary musicians, and take a good listen, you’ll learn for yourself.

Alain Johannes was born into a musical family—his parents and uncles were all hugely accomplished singers and musicians in his native Chile. So it was only natural that this singer, songwriter, master multi-instrumentalist, and record producer would follow in their footsteps.

He came to America at age 12 without knowing a single word of English. By age 17, he was fluent in the language and fronting a high-school band called Anthym. Their name, later changed to What Is This?, famously appeared on the nationally televised American Bandstand with Dick Clark. The band's core members included Hillel Slovak (guitar), Jack Irons (drums), and Michael Balzary (aka, Flea on bass), the three of whom, would later account for three-fourths of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' original lineup.

The real turning point in Johannes’s life and career came when he met and married his soulmate of 25 years, Natasha Shneider. The duo would become one of the most powerful and dynamic musical pairings of our time, recording their first album together under the moniker Walk The Moon in 1987.

A few years later, their band, Eleven, was born, adding drummer Jack Irons (RHCP, Pearl Jam) back into the fold and, at various times, Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam) and Greg Upchurch (3 Doors Down). The group released five records through 2003 (Awake in a Dream, Eleven, Thunk, Avantgardedog, and Howling Book) while also touring extensively as an opening act and backing band for esteemed acts such as Soundgarden, Queens of the Stone Age, Candlebox, and Chris Cornell as a solo performer. Their partnership with Cornell would blossom when they went on to play a major role in writing and producing his first solo effort, Euphoria Morning, in 1999.

At the same time, their record label asked them to postpone the release of their latest and arguably most important album, Avantgardedog, so that they could back up Cornell on his Euphoria Morning tour. This was one of the first times the group’s talent was somewhat overlooked by record company execs. It played a pivotal role in preventing Eleven from truly achieving their richly deserved mainstream breakthrough.

2008 proved to be an unbearable year for Alain, with a string of untimely deaths. First, his beloved Natasha lost her battle with cancer, and shortly after, he lost both of his parents and his uncle Peter.

Through so much devastating loss, he’s persevered as a solo artist, recording three albums so far—Spark, a special tribute to Shneider, Fragments and Wholes, Vol. 1, and Hum. Currently, he is working on Fragments and Wholes Vol. 2 and an album with his Alain Johannes Trio that includes the single "Luna A Sol" with Faith No More’s Mike Patton on vocals.

Alain remains a sought-after record producer, having recorded for everyone from Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees), Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age, Adam Lambert, No Doubt, PJ Harvey, and Arctic Monkeys to newer acts such as Lost Satellite, The Devils, Earl of Hell, and many others, imprinting his own unique and undeniable sound and style to every project.

In 2019, he created the soundtrack to Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon video game. His work can also be heard as a touring member and songwriter on Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions and Them Crooked Vultures (Homme, Dave Grohl, and John Paul Jones), as well as a pivotal member of Sound City Players for the Dave Grohl documentary showcasing the history of the famous Sound City Studios in Los Angeles.

To this day, Eleven’s large following of loyal fans follow Alain all over the globe to hear songs from his impressive catalog. In 2023, he celebrated the 20th anniversary of Eleven’s final studio album, Howling Book, with a special collector's edition vinyl reissue.