John Haughm

John Haughm
Haughm at Suomenlinna in Finland, 2019
Haughm at Suomenlinna in Finland, 2019
Background information
Born (1975-09-14) September 14, 1975 (age 51)
Ellensburg, Washington
OriginPortland, Oregon
GenresProgressive metal, black metal, doom metal, death metal, post-rock, folk metal, ambient
OccupationsMusician, songwriter, graphic designer
InstrumentsGuitar, bass, drums, keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
Years active1990–present
LabelsThe End, Vendlus, Profound Lore, Eisenwald Tonschmiede, Anthem, Dammerung Arts
Member ofAgalloch
Formerly ofPillorian, Sculptured
Websitehaughm.bandcamp.com

John Haughm (/hɔːm/; born September 14, 1975) is an American musician and artist. He is most known for being the founder, guitarist, and vocalist of the band Agalloch, and later Pillorian. He is also a designer who has created packaging and merchandise for several record labels and bands, including every project in which he has performed.

Early life

John Haughm was born in Ellensburg, Washington,[citation needed] and grew up in Butte, Montana, where he played in several metal bands as a teenager.[citation needed]

Career

Agalloch and Sculptured (1996–2016)

Haughm and Walton moved to Portland where they met Don Anderson, guitarist of Sculptured, and found that they had "tremendously similar taste in music and cinema". Haughm founded Agalloch in January 1996, and had a brief stint in Sculptured, performing as the drummer on Apollo Ends.

Solo work (2011-present)

In 2011, Haughm began releasing experimental solo work and later ambient collaborations with Daniel Menche and Mathias Grassow. In 2014 his solo aesthetic shifted to a more cinematic and surrealist Western theme, heavily inspired by Ennio Morricone, Cormac McCarthy, the “Dead Man” film and soundtrack, the desolation of the Nevada desert, and Haughm’s time growing up in Montana. Between 2015 and 2024 he released three 19th century period piece albums known collectively as his “nomad trilogy” as well as several other releases in this aesthetic. His solo live performances are heavily layered multimedia presentations including video projections showing old surreal films from the 19th and early 20th century as well as Haughm’s own visuals collected from the desert and ruins of the Old West. Additionally on stage, Haughm dresses like a nomadic outlaw character utilizing several layers of antique clothing from the late 1800s.

Pillorian (2016–2019)

After Agalloch split in 2016, Haughm formed Pillorian with Stephen Parker and Trevor Matthews. This band was much more aggressive musically and more active as a touring act than Agalloch. They released Obsidian Arc in March 2017 and performed 100 shows in support of the album, including two American and two European tours between spring 2017 and summer 2018.

In February 2019, Haughm was criticized by his most recent former Agalloch bandmates for posting a sarcastic antisemitic comment on Facebook while paying tribute to the late Swiss actor Bruno Ganz. Both Parker and Matthews left Pillorian, leaving Haughm as the band's only remaining member.

Pillorian disbanded on February 28, 2019. In his apology letter, Haughm stated that his own comment was "insensitive, juvenile, reprehensible, and thoughtless to say the least." Haughm also signaled that Pillorian, despite having a second album completely written and ready to record, was retired as a band. In January 2020, an interview with Don Anderson indicated that he and John had mended their friendship and that Haughm regretted making the comment.

Post-Pillorian and Agalloch's reunion (2019–present)

In 2023, Agalloch reformed to play a few select shows and festivals.

Discography

With Agalloch

Solo

Collaborations

Film scores

With Sculptured

With Pillorian

With Art of the Black Blood

With BEAST

With Allerseelen

With Nest

With Nothing

With Nostalgia

With Obsidian Tongue

With Andy Winter

References

  1. ↑ Schafer, Joseph (September 16, 2016). "Introducing Pillorian (Ex-Agalloch, Uada)". Invisible Oranges. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  2. ↑ Rosenberg, Axl (28 February 2019). "Former Members of Agalloch Condemn John Haughm over Anti-Semitic Comment, Pillorian Guitarist and Drummer Quit Band". MetalSucks. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  3. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (1 March 2019). "Agalloch's John Haughm apologizes for anti-Semitic remark". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  4. ↑ Rosenthal, Jon (2020-01-21). "Former Agalloch Guitarist Don Anderson on 'The White' & 'The Grey' Reissues, Repairing His Relationship with John Haughm and a Live Performance Video With Panopticon's Austin Lunn". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  5. ↑ Shadows, Em (2023-04-18). "Agalloch Reunite for Prophecy Fest, Will Play "Limited Shows"". MetalSucks. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  6. ↑ Wilhelm, Andrew. Agalloch's John Haughm Releases Solo 7-inch Archived 2011-12-19 at the Wayback Machine crustcake.com. 30 September 2011. Retrieved on 22 January 2012.