For a number of years, he was a ubiquitous presence on the local scene playing gigs and hosting a radio show. Since vacating Milwaukee, John Kruth has divided his time between NYC, Pasadena, CA and Croatia with his wife, the painter Marilyn Cvitanic. That is until the pandemic hit. The multi-instrumentalist, journalist and biographer graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1979 and has used the lockdown to get back to visual arts.
How has the lockdown affected your creativity?
Despite the on-going horror of the current times things have been good, in a strange way. I almost feel guilty saying this, but the lockdown has been a fantastic time as far as getting old projects finished and having the time to write and record new music.
I've also gotten back into expressing myself visually as well—drawing and painting a series of Yard Signs for Pandemic Times with quotes from William Blake, Dylan Thomas, Michael McClure and Gustav Flaubert as well as various song lyrics and a few political slogans.
I post them in our front yard (we’re currently been living in Pasadena, CA) for all to see and they are generally appreciated until I painted one based on John & Yoko’s “War Is Over” billboards, which brought the wrath of some Trump/Maga goons with orange spray paint.
Do you have a routine or schedule for staying in practice or working on new material?
Coffee, check email/news, walk the dog, yoga, then either record or paint signs. I've also had enough time to finally improve my fiddle playing. In the meantime, I've recorded enough songs—playing all instruments myself—for two future albums: One album of songs (which Milwaukeean Jeff Hamilton is currently mixing) and one album of instrumentals. It’s been a fun learning experience. And I've been blessed to share this time with my more-than-wife, the wonderful painter Marilyn Cvitanic and our pug, Kooper.
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Are you making plans for when you can resume playing in front of people again?
Just before this phase of the orange nightmare began I had formed a great improvisational group called the Illustrious Ancestors with Willie Aron (of The Balancing Act) on keys/guitar, Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven) on guitar, pedal steel guitarist Joel Martin and the formidable rhythm section of Dave Soyars (bass) and Perry Ostrin on drums. We’d played a handful of great gigs in LA, but like everyone else, have been waiting for better days to resume our sonic/shamanic healing rituals once more.
To read more stories of Milwaukee musicians dealing with lockdowns, sheltering in place and more, click here.
To read more stories by Blaine Schultz, click here.
