Singer, producer, and elementary school teacher Nils Deweer, alias Johnson McCloud, ignites the question of purpose, understanding, and passion in 2021 Europe with The War Is Over. Taking inspiration from the restrictions of Covid as well as The Velvet Underground, Echo & The Bunnymen and Lush, the track is a heartfelt, straightforward ballad that packs a wallop of emotion. The War Is Over is the titular single from an album due out in July.
Deweer, formerly of the psychedelic underground giant Blue Angel Lounge, carried on with life during a pandemic and recorded his seventh album himself with his band Johnson McCloud & The Doobies. He filmed a documentary about the creative process. (It is in German, but Keine Bange: there are subtitles for English speakers!) The camera accompanies Deweer and offers insights into the musician’s universe. His wife and collaborator Jill Deweer makes an appearance, as well as Andreas F. Arnold, Wehringhauser artist and tour manager of the Blue Angel Lounge, as well as Simon Klein and Dennis Göbel, from Lords of Boom.
The documentary and three music videos were filmed by Björn Leste, founder, and operator of the audio-visual workshop Talklang. At an event organized by the local Pelmke cultural center, Leste and Deweer discovered they had common interests and acquaintances. With the help of an art scholarship from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, they started working together on Johnson McCloud’s new album.
Watch the documentary below:
You can see The War Is Over here:
The War is Over is out July 2021.
Follow Johnson McCloud here:
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