John Roderick is an American musician, writer, podcaster, and politician. He is currently the lead singer and guitarist in the bandThe Long Winters, was formerly a touring member of the band Harvey Danger, and co-hosts the podcasts Roderick On The Line, Road Work, Omnibus, and Friendly Fire.
Early life
Roderick was born in Seattle, Washington to David Roderick, a former Washington State Representative, and Marcia. The family moved to Anchorage, Alaska in 1971. In 1973, David and Marcia divorced, and Marcia took the kids back to Washington, but moved back to Anchorage shortly after. Roderick graduated from East Anchorage High, and moved to Seattle shortly after graduation.
Roderick's first major band was The Western State Hurricanes, which he started while attending the University of Washington. The band enjoyed quick success, playing their first show at Seattle venue the Breakroom in May, 1998. The band split after failing to sign a deal with Sub Pop Records.
Harvey Danger (1999–2001)
After the disbanding of The Western State Hurricanes, Roderick was offered a spot to play keyboard in popular Seattle band Harvey Danger. Roderick played with the band until they went on hiatus in April 2001.
The Long Winters (2001–present)
Along with former Harvey Danger singer/songwriter Sean Nelson, Roderick founded the indie rock band The Long Winters in the wake of Harvey Danger's breakup. Roderick penned the band's first album, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm, in 2001 and released the album on Barsuk Records. The band since released two more albums, When I Pretend to Fall and Putting the Days to Bed, and one EP titled Ultimatum. The band still plays shows, playing at the inaugural Upstream Festival in 2017.
Podcasts
In September 2011, Roderick began co-hosting Roderick on the Line, a podcast with Merlin Mann. On August 13, 2015, Roderick released the first episode of his second podcast called Road Work, with co-host Dan Benjamin. On September 7, 2017, HowStuffWorks announced a new show entitled Omnibus, co-hosted by Roderick and former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings. They pick topics they fear might be lost to history and discuss them. The first episode was posted on December 7, 2017. On January 12, 2018, Roderick, Adam Pranica, and Benjamin Ahr Harrison started the Friendly Fire podcast, a weekly podcast about war films. The song 'It's A Departure' from the Long Winters record Putting The Days To Bed acts as the theme song for the podcast My Brother, My Brother, and Me. Roderick himself has appeared on the program.
Musical collaborations
Roderick frequently collaborates with other musicians. Roderick, along with collaborator Sean Nelson, provided vocals on Death Cab For Cutie's album Transatlanticism. He collaborated with Jonathan Coulton for Coulton's album, Artificial Heart, released in September 2011, as well as the duo’s Christmas Album, One Christmas at a Time. Roderick also co-wrote some songs on Aimee Mann's 2017 album Mental Illness.
Political career
Roderick became a founding member of the Seattle Music Commission in 2010, appointed to the position by former Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. Encouraged by the former mayor, Roderick announced his candidacy for Seattle City Council Position 8, one of two city council positions that represent the entire city. Roderick came in 3rd place in the city-wide primary, winning 15.90% of the vote. Roderick still sits on the Seattle Music Commission, advising city officials on policies affecting Seattle's music community.
Personal life
Roderick currently lives in Seattle with his daughter. In 2017, Roderick was honored with the position of King Neptune for the 2017 Seattle Seafair. Roderick graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington after three decades of undergraduate study.
