New Music: Johnny Sandler, Clothes Lines 

Bassist and composer Johnny Sandler released Clothes Lines, a collaborative album of 21 instrumental pieces.

The pieces move between solo bass and collaborations, with Sandler bringing the instrument forward as melody, harmony, and rhythm. The album takes its name from a sound that stayed with him since childhood: the resonance of his mother’s clothesline when he plucked it growing up in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

John Bechdel, a childhood friend and keyboardist for Ministry, contributed synthesizers and atmosphere to three tracks. Other musicians with ties to central Pennsylvania also took part in the recording.

After touring internationally, Sandler stepped away from that chapter of his career for nearly twenty years, but kept making music privately while raising a family. A serious health crisis in 2021 prompted him to begin recording and sharing his work, leading to Lanterns to Hear By in 2024 and now Clothes Lines.

On stage, Sandler performs on electric bass, sometimes incorporating prepared rhythm tracks, ambient sounds, or field recordings. He is available for interviews about the new album, composing for bass, and his return to recording.

Visit online at johnnysandler.com/