Calvin Johnson performs from his album Calvin Johnson and the Sons of the Soil. Based in Olympia, Washington, Johnson established K, a locally oriented media outlet, in 1982 and in 1993 founded Dub Narcotic, a recording studio, in which he has documented the work of the Somehow Is and Never Was, such as Mirah, the Blow, Versus, Built to Spill, Fitz of Depression, Make- Up and Little Wings. It has also been the incubator of many Johnson's experiments in collaboration and self- expression, such as Beat Happening, Halo Benders and Dub Narcotic Sound System. Recently, Johnson has been touring as a solo artist with last year's release Before the Dream and now this year's album Calvin Johnson and the Sons of the Soil.

Joining Calvin Johnson at Aurora will be Julie Doiron, performing from her album Woke Myself Up. Doiron started playing guitar (later switching to bass) in the band Eric's Trip at age 18. Shortly before the band's break- up in 1996, she released a solo album under the name Broken Girl, which followed two previous 7" EPs under that name. All of her subsequent material, however, has been released under her own name. In 1999, Doiron recorded an album with the Ottawa band Wooden Stars, which was the first time she had worked with a band since the end of Eric's Trip. She was honored with a Juno Award for Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars in March of 2000. She has appeared as a guest musician on albums by The Tragically Hip, Gordon Downie and Herman Düne, and has also released a split record co-credited to the alternative country band Okkervil River.