By Jillian Locke

Music. Spoken word. Graphic design. Writing. Video. Meet Duncan Wilder Johnson, Massachusetts’ number one punk-rock metalhead workaholic. From his band Bring the Knife to his 16 year career in Spoken Word to his CD art designs to his upcoming Sam Black Church documentary…well, to say Johnson’s got a lot on his plate is a grand understatement.

“I take on a lot of stuff, and I take it all very seriously. I follow the Black Flag ethos: Do it for real, do it hard, work your ass off – no one’s gonna do it for you,” Johnson proclaims. “Sure, some people might help you here and there, but you are the driving force of your life.”

Driving force is something that courses in abundance through Johnson’s pulsating punk-rock veins. In fact, punk-rock was what started the long, winding road to Johnson’s multi-faceted, multi-media mission. “Hardcore punk rock is essentially my first love.” This passion took him from his first shows in the gymnasium at St. John’s Gym in Clinton to Mass College of Art, where he discovered his next love ~ the almighty Spoken Word.

“For the past 16 years, performing Spoken Word has never not been a challenge. It is difficult every single time I attempt to do it…and every time I continue to learn. The thing that you’re going for in performance, whether it’s with a band or spoken word, is just trying to create a connection with the audience and have this synergy going that I assume I am the main source of; when they’re locked in, that fuels me back. That’s what I’m trying to create in both scenarios.”

Johnson fronts the metal band Bring the Knife, a filthy, grinding, glorious conglomeration of driving punk beats and slicing metal riffs. “The Eurythmics, Billy Idol, Blondie ~all of those hooks are in me and the Knife.” The new album is due out in early fall (CD release party TBA), but in the meantime, check out BTK at The Rose Bud in Davis Square in Cambridge on August 13th!

So, Spoken Word? Check. Band? Check. Johnson has also gone on to create album art for some of his hardcore and punk heroes, including The Unseen (Explode), Tree (No Regrets, No Remorse), and Sam Black Church (For We Are Many, The Best Of Sam Black Church), the latter of which is the subject of his next great undertaking: “Video is my new favorite thing, and I’m currently working on a documentary about Sam Black Church. It will

be completed and in my hand by January 15th, 2012.”

Other upcoming releases include “The Worst of Duncan Wilder Johnson,” a compilation spanning his Spoken Word career, which should see the light of day early next year, and his first book, Dude, Your Band Sucks. Check out www.thrashachusetts.com for all release dates, and don’t forget to take in an evening of fine punk spliced metal with Bring the Knife on August 13th!