Hi, I am Chris. I run plan-it-x and I write songs too:
Okay, it's not my real name. My real name is Chris Johnston, but in 1994 I started a band called Operation: Cliff Clavin and people started calling me Chris Clavin and it sort of stuck. There is a Matty Pop Chart song I could quote about that syndrome. Operation: Cliff Clavin, or OPCC for short, was a political pop punk band from Indiana. We did a lot of touring and released two full lengths and a lot of EPs. OPCC introduced me to the world of the underground, DIY music scene and I am forever grateful. We had a lot of line-up changes and broke up in 1999. I was in a few more punk bands after that and eventually started an acoustic band with OPCC bass player, Hannah Jones. We were called Ghost Mice. We toured a lot and toured five times in Europe which further expanded my view, and love of the underground, DIY music scene.
Despite my constant touring and recording, I still had time to write more songs than I had room for on records. Some of these songs were too personal to use in a band, or too simple. So, I just started recording them for fun in my spare time. Sometimes, I would stay up late and record a whole album in one night while everyone in my house was asleep.
My Idea for recording is to record quickly and keep the 1st or 2nd take. My songs are simple and sometimes sloppy. But, I think they are pretty to the point and true. I record them all myself with a microphone plugged into my computer.
A friend of mine, named Spoonboy, who was living with me when I started recording these stray songs, ask me if I would ever be into releasing them. I said, no. Then, he asked me if I would be angry with someone if they bootlegged my recording on a tape label release without my permission. I said, not really. Then, he asked me, if, someone was to bootleg my records, would I rather be known as Chris Johnston, or would I prefer that the bootlegger made up a band name for the release. I said, a band name would be better. A few days later I saw the fruits of his labor. It was a tape with a horrible photo of me on the cover, wearing sun glasses. It was titled, "Captain Chaos".
He managed to distribute a few of these tapes and people seemed to like it, so, I kept writing songs and when I did so, I called them, Captain Chaos songs. At the time, I had just moved into a new house in Bloomington, IN. with Spoonboy and Matty Pop Chart. We called the house, the HOUSE of 1000 DAGGERS. The Tiger paid us a visit and presented us with a shiny dagger as a gift. That reminds me of the other band name idea I had. It was, the HAPPY DAGGERS. It never happened. Anyway, my life was recently getting a much needed uplifting. I had had a rough year the year before and upon returning from a European tour with Ghost Mice, I found things to be going my way again. I had a new house and I was living with two of my best friends for the first time. Punk shows in bloomington were going well and I met a very nice girl who had just moved to town. Yes, I liked her. As a joke, I made a vow to this new friend of mine that I would record six albums for her. They wouldn't be about her, but they would be dedicated to her. I take vows, and jokes very serious. This is how the first six Captain Chaos albums came out. When Crafty Dan of Crafty records heard about my plan, he proposed that I do a boxed set, limited to 50 copies and he would make them. For some reason I agreed. What a better way to fulfill my vow. Since the box sets were going to contain already released albums, I recorded one more album called "your bright eyes are gonna kill me for sure" and made 50 copies of it on CDR. I made stenciled CD cases for them and tried to make the special. This special album was mostly Bright Eyes covers and a few originals. The boxed set came out long after things went bad between me and my romantic interest. But, a vow is a vow and she got her six albums. We're still friends.
My crazy life and bad luck in love led me to move away from my true home, Bloomington, IN. I moved to Olympia, WA. and lived in my bus for 9 months. Then it started raining. It never quit. I moved to Gainesville, FL. where it it always nice there. I decided, that even though my vow had been fulfilled, I would write one more Captain Chaos album. One more attempt. It was called, DIE HARD and it came out as a split with Nice and Friendly. After that, Captain Chaos was done.
I forgot some big parts of the story. Sorry. I'll make a story section sometime. It will include the 2005 Captain Chaos tour. The tour that left home with 2 days notice with Color Blind Joe and Dumpster Jeff. We went west, possibly never to return. I was trying to move on and get past things. We returned. It's a tale of defeat, I guess. But, we did have fun.
Any way, I still had more songs. So, I decided that I'd feel less silly about it if I changed the name. I always thought that Captain Chaos was a silly name for a "band". So, I started playing as Chris Clavin, which brings us up to date.
ALBUMS:
AS CAPTAIN CHAOS
Captain Chaos Cassette Tape
Spoonboy's Tape Label, 2004
Tour CD-R CD-R
Self-Released/chaos records, 2004
(Would later go on to make up the bulk of May All Liars Burn in Hell)
May All Liars Burn in Hell (a.k.a. self-titled) CD
The Scientist and the Duke Records, 2006
This is Cake CD
Crafty Records, April 5 2006
Bloomington, Vol. 1 CD
Big Magic Records, September 15 2006
Ireland CD-R
Valiant Death Records, October 23 2006
The Fool CD
Anti-Creative Records, March 12 2007
For the Devil CD
Fall of the West Records, April 1 2007
Your Bright Eyes Are Gonna Kill Me For Sure CD-R
Crafty Records, April 5 2007
Included in the boxed set.
Nice and Friendly/Captain Chaos Split - Have Fun/Die Hard CD
Sweet Now Records, January 11 2008
Box set
All six of the full-length albums (and a bonus CDR of cover songs) were available in a hand-crafted wooden box set with hand-made art. These boxes were made by Dan Treiber of Crafty Records. Fifty-one of them were made. The first 25 were made out of recycled 99 year old barn wood. The second 26 were made out of recycled 1960 Canadian crate wood. The box set became officially available as of April 5, 2007. It is now out of print.
Compilations
Bella's Birthday CD Digital Album (free!)
Plan-It-X Records, April 5 2005
LIVE! at Bandit HQ CD-R
DIY Bandits, 2006
The Three Dollar Gallon CD
Crafty Records, December 16 2006
Night of the Living Devilock: A DIY Tribute to the Misfits CD-R
Playground's Greatest Records/Pop Monster! Records, 2006
Ponies in a Stable CD
Don't Stop Believin' Records, April 2007
Thanks For The Floor CD
Crafty Records March 2008
AS CHRIS CLAVIN
The Roads Lead Everywhere LP
Crafty Records, June 3 2008
Split with the Mystery Books Cassette Tape
Boom Boom Records 2008
Secrets (Chris Clavin / Sara Cilantro Split) Cassette Tape
Plan-It-X Records, 2009
There are flies us CD-R
Self released, limited to 1 copy, 2009
Split with Madeline Ava Cassette Tape
Plan-it-X Records, November 2009.
