Being a singer-songwriter is not easy. Like many creative pursuits, songwriting requires a level of craftiness and ingenuity that can be hard to capture.

Colorado-based musician Todd Anders Johnson likes to find his creativity in nature. An avid snowboarder and mountain athlete, Johnson captures this creative process in his new short film titled, “Northward”.

The nearly 15-minute film mainly delves into the story behind his band Salem, which Johnson started in the mid-2000’s as a drummer and singer. 

“I started playing in Seattle and branching out throughout the Pacific Northwest,” Johnson said. “I had already been going to Alaska with music so I started booking these amazing tours up in (Alaska) since it was such an easy flight from Seattle.”

Johnson’s tour stops throughout Alaska not only introduced him to the breathtaking terrain throughout the mostly rural state, but it also set him up for subsequent tour stops throughout the U.S.

“I did this momentous six-week tour,” Johnson said. “I did a two week thing on the East Coast from Maine down to Augusta, Georgia ,and then two weeks straight to Alaska from there and then two weeks from Seattle to Colorado.”

It was on the Seattle to Colorado tour that got Johnson hooked on the Centennial state and everything it has to offer. In addition to falling in love with the natural beauty on display throughout the state, Johnson also found a group of skiers and snowboarders that could perform the music he had written throughout the years.

“I would book shows back in the Northwest and I would fly back and just play with my own guys,” Johnson said. “And then I would still do my Alaska tours where I could bring whoever up there.”

With bandmates that he could rely on, Salem continued to tour across North America and became a mainstay in the snowsports industry.

“We played the X Games, but also we did the Grand Prix I think at Copper,” Johnson said. “We did the River Run Rocks at Keystone. Stuff at Sun Valley, Grand Targhee, Jackson and then some stuff in British Columbia. We really turned into this powder band with some great backcountry skiers and snowboarders.”

With songs titled, “Harvest”, “Northward”, “Timeless”, and “Terra”, Johnson has often drawn back on his experiences in the Colorado and Alaskan backcountry for inspiration while navigating the song writing process.

Johnson was originally going to integrate himself and the story of Salem in a longer film project focusing on glaciological research and sustainability, but decided to go in a different direction and carve out a spot for the story of the band in its own film.

“Hopefully it comes across as getting inspired by a place like Alaska or Colorado for that matter,” Johnson said. “Having the ability to travel with music and appreciate these places. I wanted to put that out there and see if that may be able to help elevate the story of me and my boys.”

As the film shows the band on the snowy peaks in the Chugach Mountains, Johnson wants viewers to also be taken aback by the beautiful scenery that surrounds the town of Valdez, Alaska. 

“Valdez — Thompson Pass is really amazing because you can just splitboard up from the car,” Johnson said. “There is a flag and a landing pad for a helidrop where people are spending 1,200 bucks a day. You can kind of lap it and boot pack it. It is a magical place.”

Beyond drawing on nature for his creative pursuits, Johnson also remains socially-conscious in everything he does. This has led to Salem playing numerous benefit concerts over the years, including an upcoming show on Jan. 11 at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge that will benefit the Rocky Mountain Mustang Refuge in Fairplay.

“I sure wish I could tour sustainably all the time,” Johnson said. “It is nice to be able to do some of those. My favorite event we have ever done was one where I coordinated with this guy who had a veggie-oil powered shuttle bus. I booked a tour from Colorado to Seattle. … I have been trying to do that kind of thing.”

Outside of the show on Jan. 11, Salem also has two shows scheduled in Alaska in early April. The first will take place on April 4 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Wood Center and the second will take place at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar in Talkeetna on April 10. 

To watch “Northward”, visit YouTube.com. For more information on Salem and Johnson, visit RisanBrands.com. Johnson’s film on glaciological research, Cresta Alta, is set to be released in the new year.