June Panic Horror Vacui CD

Live Recording

June Panic: Jeb Banner, LonPaul Ellrich, Vess Ruthenberg, Bill Cameron, Melinda Briggs, Josh Seib, Finn Swingley, Ben Swanson, Charity Helderman, Greg Backus.
Recorded in Indianapolis, Indiana and Fargo, North Dakota between 1998 and 1999.
Personnel: June Panic (vocals, guitar); Vess Ruhtenberg (guitar, slide guitar, drums); Jeb Banner (guitar, piano, tambourine); Charity Helderman (cello); Bill Cameron (piano, organ, Farfisa, vibraphone, drums); Josh Seib (piano); Finn Swingley (organ); Ben Swanson (vibraphone); LonPaul Ellrich (drums, shaker).
Audio Mixers: June Panic; Vess Ruhtenberg; Jeb Banner.
Recording information: Indianapolis, IN (08/1998-08/1999).
Photographer: June Panic.
It's virtually impossible to listen to June Panic's Horror Vacui (or any of his records, for that matter) without immediately drawing a comparison to Bob Dylan, both sonically and thematically. That's not to say that Panic is by any means a Dylan ripoff, though. Like Dylan, Panic's voice is extremely nasal and his pensive lyrics instantly qualify him for troubadour status, but Panic has a presence of emotional exhaustion while Dylan might typically be more optimistic and hopeful. Although Dylan stays in the position of observer, Panic intentionally plays the role of "he who has been done to." The leadoff track, "Do Not Let Them Fool You," penned originally by Bertolt Brecht, acts as an appropriate tone-setting ballad of drinking and drudgery, where Brecht and Panic examine the ideas of birth, afterlife, and the time spent in between. From beginning to end, Horror Vacui is a mystifying record from one of America's sharpest singer/songwriters. Panic has a knack for examining the most basic behavior of humankind with depth, truth, and sincerity. ~ Ken Taylor
Junior Panic (aka June Panic) is one whiny S.O.B., and that's a compliment. His moody folk-pop gravitates to the three big obsessions of art through the ages: love, death and God. And it's pretty cool stuff, too.
Jangly acoustic guitars backed up by a rockin' little rhythm section put these tunes across with relaxed confidence. While most of June Panic's music calls to mind Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man," there's also some killer pop that must've made June a millionaire in some parallel universe (most notably, "David Poe"). There's even a knockout rendition of Brecht's, "Do Not Let Them Fool You." What else would you expect from a guy in the middle of his postgraduate work in philosophy?

Magnet (6-7/00, p.86) - "...The sensation is a warm and welcoming one....an enchanting Palace-like folk. Gentle touches of vibes, cello and organ accent Panic's electric-guitar twang, acoustic flutterings and ponderous lyrics..."