Our attempt at an awkward band photo. . . a rousing success. We managed to take the photo even though Mark was having a cow, and Mike was monkeying around. We took pictures of Nick first - he was the guinea pig - but afterwards we decided we should all partake. Drew kept yelling "let meowt!", but we couldn't oblige. David kept spitting at Joey because he was being so cocky, as this was his idea, but in the end, it all worked out.
Like an indulgent meal you might make at the buffet line your freshmen year of college, All the Islands is about taking all the best musical flavors and combining them into one delicious sonic superdish. Twangy banjo, bluesy harmonica, smoky saxophone, stormy cello, crisp acoustic guitar, heartbeat bass and driving drums: mmmm, take a whiff of that musical smorgasbord.
All the Islands is a Minneapolis based folk-pop band dedicated to bringing contemporary power and punch to the wizened folk tradition. The band just released their debut album Modern Man in January 2016, which reads like a timeline into the band’s musical exploration. While the band’s genre is most clearly understood as folk/pop, each track points to a unique influence from jazz to bluegrass to rock. Yet, all the songs maintain their acoustic folk roots. Thematically, the album explores the parallel angst and beauty of living in modern society, with each song offering a unique vignette on the struggles of modern man.
The group started performing together in 2011 as a street gig under the name Bridge Street. After graduating University in 2012 as a political scientist, lead singer Joey Olson moved to Chile and spent a year and a half not using his degree. Instead he spent that time absorbing the complex rhythms of the Salsa, the burning emotion of the Tango and the great stories of Latino folk artists such as Manuel Garcia and Silvio Rodriguez. During this time he walked everywhere with his harmonica -- admittedly he sucked, as one must when playing harmonica. But eventually the soulful vibratos of the harmonica would become an integral part of his musical style. In the summer of 2014, Olson reconnected with guitarist/banjoist (yes, that’s the technical term) Drew Hagmann and began the formation of All the Islands.
Since then the band has taken off locally, playing all over Minneapolis and all the while adding more musicians to their musical archipelago. Drummer Mike Decker and Bassist Nick Spielman joined the band in 2015, ushering in a new tide of groove. Cellist David Skinner and Saxophone player Mark Lee joined the crew later in 2015 and added both punch and drama (musical drama of course). The band is currently spending most of their time brainstorming how they can be more like Nicki Minaj and Kanye West. Unfortunately, not a single productive idea has come of this.
BAND MEMBERS
Joey Olson (Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals) Joey got his musical start in the safe nest of the maternal womb, where his mother would sing him classics like “The Macarena” and “Enter Sandman.” Taking his mother’s musical cue, Joey fashioned a rudimentary one string guitar from the umbilical cord and exited the womb playing the theme from “Jaws.” Unfortunately, youtube didn’t exist yet, or he would be famous. At some point after birth Joey turned 7. At this point, his parents made him take Piano, but they soon regretted it, as Joey would spend hours pounding out obnoxious songs like Henry’s Hennery. Today, Joey’s musical tastes have blossomed, but his actual tastes have lagged far behind, as evidenced by his love of circus peanuts.
Photography by: Veronica McCracken
Nick Spielman (Bass) Nick is no stranger to adversity. He once attended University where 99% of his classmates were bald, including the professor. Having never been the 1% before, Nick ‘receded’ into exile where he reflected and learned a lot about empathy and love. Coming out of that ‘hairy’ experience, Nick started a nonprofit called locks of love for locks of love, where he was in charge of crafting heart shaped locks for the secure transport of high profile hair (Adele, Natalie Portman, Miley Cyrus, Nicholas Cage) through the city. After unprecedented business success, Nick now spends his free time playing the bass and growing his hair longer so he can use it for clothing when the future happens.
Mike Decker (Drums) After a disastrous parachuting accident, Mike literally landed himself in the hospital. Unfortunately, all the doctors in the hospital were busy appealing parking fines at the municipal government. Mike then calmly performed his own surgery, even administering anesthesia to himself. He awoke 5 hours later to a successfully completed open heart surgery. Realizing the power of his subconscious and the fact that he can teach himself pretty much anything, he then went on to learn drums, tai chee, equestrian poetry, speed cooking, curling, icelandic, and dreamweaver. He’s pretty good at them all.
Drew Haggman (Banjo, Guitar, Vocals Wise beyond his years, Drew is considered by many to be the father of modern day dad jokes. If you ask Drew kindly, he has been known to indulge raving fans with humor dryer than the Atacama desert. A man with a penchant for subway, Drew often fantasizes of breaking into the restaurant world with one of his patented sandwiches, like the “Hag N Bag,” a sandwich loosely tossed into a bag for easy transportation (and preparation). So far, there are no “investors,” but it’s still in Beta testing, so he’s not worried.