UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Alumnus Jay Johnson’s latest folk-rock-indie album, “Four Quartets,” touches on travel, philosophy, love and the natural world — essential components of the Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar’s undergraduate education in the College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State.
Johnson, a 2013 graduate who double-majored in history and classics and ancient Mediterranean studies with minors in German and global and international studies, began his educational and musical career in an environment many Penn State first-year students find familiar — East Halls. It was there that he met his randomly assigned roommate, Ryan, who shared a similar interest in music.
The two hit it off, and quickly their dorm room became a common hang-out spot for students in Pinchot Hall to mingle. One student, Matt Potako, who is now a 2013 geosciences graduate, stopped by one day for a quick peek at the room.
“Matt popped his head in, saw some instruments, and was like ‘Oh, we should jam,’” said Johnson.
Since then, Johnson and Potako have been close friends. The two became musically synced, and after their first year, they started a band called The Pool Boys, recording music in a Penn State housing co-op in which Potako lived, called Houseasaurus.
Potako had been involved in the Audio Engineering Society where he learned about analog recording, which he then used to help their band start recording music on four-track analog machines and four-track reel-to-reels. The Pool Boys were an experimental band inspired by the music of the 1960s and classic rock, playing in smaller venues and house shows within State College at the time — and in Philadelphia today.
Johnson's years at Penn State were instrumental to his music today as a solo artist. His album “Four Quartets” showcases various elements and nods toward classical history, culture, and poetry that aligned with his studies as an undergraduate at Penn State.
The summer after his first year, Johnson participated in a faculty-led trip to Rome. Enamored by his cultural experience and supported by Mary Lou Munn, associate teaching professor emerita of classics and ancient Mediterranean studies, Johnson decided to do a semester abroad in Athens, Greece during his second year.
This trip allowed Johnson to explore and experience for himself the history, culture and archaeology of Greece, as well as gain first-hand experience in performing music for others in venues other than State College. In Greece, Johnson performed solo music in small local restaurants called “tavernas.” He said that playing folk music was “part of the Greek culture.”
During this Greece trip, Johnson stumbled across the bouzouki, a popular string instrument in Greece used in local folk songs. He quickly fell in love with the instrument and learned how to play it, promising himself that if he were to ever come back to Greece, he would buy one for himself.
It was fate, and the summer after his third year, Johnson found himself back in Greece, participating in an archeological dig where he received stipends for his work. Saving up four weeks of pay, Johnson completed his promise to himself and bought a bouzouki, which he “has played every day since.” The bouzouki — and 21 additional instruments Johnson knows how to play — are all featured on his album “Four Quartets.”
“I always kinda supplemented my education with digging into the culture and music of the different spots that I visited,” Johnson said. “Without that, I don’t think I would have had this kind of cultural understanding.”
Johnson also said that a philosophy of religion class he took during his fourth year was especially inspiring. In the class, Johnson read passages from philosophers such as John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau, which questioned stoicism and similar topics. One Emerson reading, “Walking,” was particularly thought-provoking for Johnson. Its themes of spirituality in nature heavily influenced several songs on his album, particularly his song, “Through the Storm.” In writing his album, Johnson attempted to mimic this balance between abstractness and deeper meaning.
“I try to use abstract language and really appreciate poetry and philosophy’s weighted language that ideally makes most of it as open as possible, so to that end, I really appreciate the different interpretations of each lyric of the album,” Johnson said.
“Four Quartets” is available to stream on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube. Other musical involvements of Johnson’s include playing bass for the country-western-themed rock band Mandy Valentine and playing guitar for the indie band Three Yards to Dover.