Salem music is an amalgamation of urban, hip-hop, jazz, and Afro-Cuban idioms. Infused with diverse lyrical content, Salem music has a unifying socially conscious theme. Salem not only represents the musical voice and perspectives of composer, drummer and vocalist, Todd Anders Johnson, but also integrates active pursuits in the processes of social change.
Salem has release the group’s debut studio record, \"as it is above, so it is below\" which was recorded at Far n Away Studios in Boulder, Colorado. The first track, Northward, was mixed at Outkast’s Stankonia Studios by Grammy winning mix engineer and Outkast studio manager, John Frye. The CD was mastered by Grammy- winning audio mastering engineer, David Glasser at Airshow Mastering in Boulder, Colorado.
Salem music was featured as a soundtrack in the latest Warren Miller ski and snowboard film tour of “Playground” and featured a Salem song in \"Off the Grid\". Todd Anders Johnson and Salem were also featured in Modern Drummer magazine in the “On the Move” column in the November 2006 edition. Todd is an Ayotte Drums endorsed artist and is also endorsed by cutting edge snowboard and ski manufacturer, Lib-Tech. Todd is also endorsed by sports gear manufacturers Mountain Hardware, Native Eyewear and Mountainsmith.
Salem performed the nation’s largest ski and snowboard events this year at ESPN’s Winter X 12 Games, the Jeep King of the Mountain in Sun Valley, and US Freeski Open events in Copper, Jackson and Alaska. Salem has performed alongside acts such as Sweatshop Union, De La Soul, Stanton Moore, Bone Thugs n Harmony, Rebirth Brass Band, The Meters, Tab Benoit, The Motet, Zilla and Steve Earle. Salem festival performances include the Seattle Folklife Festival, Seattle Hempfest Mainstage, on the Mother Jones stage, Anchorage’s Live After Five Series and the Southeast Alaska State Fair.
Interviews and reviews about Salem have been featured in PLUM TV in Telluride. Radio and print reviews and articles have been featured in Sun Valley and Nantucket, Telluride Daily Watch, Sun Valley, Jackson, Breckenridge, Winter Park, Steamboat Springs, Colorado Music Buzz Magazine, Nantucket’s Independent and the Inquirer and Mirror, Boston University’s Daily Free Press, Portland Maine’s Phoenix, The Anchorage Free Press, Homer News, Fairbanks Daily News Miner, Juneau Empire, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, the Lewiston Tribune and the Northwest Jazz Chronicle.
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