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De psychedelische rock van Rose City Band roept de wijd open ruimtes van het Amerikaanse westen. Het project van de veelgeprezen gitarist en zanger Ripley Johnson (Moon Duo en Wooden Shjips), reikt verder dan de studio en leeft samen als een live ensemble. 'Garden Party' is een viering van de zomer en alles wat die met zich meebrengt. Vrijheid, tevredenheid en vreugde waren de bronnen voor de liedjes. Van de zwevende gitaarsolo's tot de stuwende ritmes, de elegante pedal steel-lijnen tot de orgelgrooves, het nieuwe album heeft alles tot in de kleinste details vastgelegd. En bij een tuinfeestje past deze plaat als gegoten. Het is de vierde plaat van Ripley Johnson en kornuiten onder deze naam – en verwacht vooral veel van hetzelfde: een dikke veertig minuten psychedelische Americana met fluistervocalen, lapsteel en een overvloed aan uitstekende maar ietwat richtingloze gitaarsolo’s. Nee, op het muzikantschap valt niets aan te merken. Het droomkeyboardje in Porch Boogie is om je vingers bij af te likken, de overweldigende vriendelijkheid van het toch wel knappe gitaargeweld in Mariposa is indrukwekkend. Meer... |
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Maar net als na al dat geniale gelul over hoe klein we eigenlijk zijn en hoe groot het universum wel niet is, man, blijft de luisteraar van Garden Party toch wat onbevredigd achter, al is het maar omdat dit album wel érg veel lijkt op de vorige drie – overigens net zoals al die gesprekken over het universum, weetjewel.
Op het juiste moment en de juiste plaats kan zo’n gesprek zomaar levensveranderend zijn, en anders is het slechts een fijne besteding van een lome, psychedelische middag. Rose City Band Biography by Fred Thomas Psychedelic country jam band Rose City Band is the project of Wooden Shjips/Moon Duo guitarist/vocalist Ripley Johnson. He worked with indie giant Thrill Jockey to reissue the band's 2019 self-titled debut after a self-released pressing quickly sold out. From there, Johnson's unassuming recording project grew into a prolific and evolving band, touring and frequently releasing increasingly rich-sounding albums like 2021's naturalistic Earth Trip and 2023's summery and live-sounding Garden Party. The band's fifth album, Sol y Sombra, arrived in 2025 and further refined their cosmic country sound. Referencing Johnson's home of Portland, Oregon, Rose City Band first appeared in May 2019 when their self-titled album was released with very little background information surrounding it on the boutique label Jean Sandwich Records. The seven-song set was a mellow mix of hazy, textural space rock and Grateful Dead-indebted cosmic country, and the 1,000-copy pressing sold out quickly despite the lack of information available about the group. When Thrill Jockey picked it up for reissue early the next year, Ripley Johnson gave an interview where he revealed that he hadn't just produced the album, but sang and played most of the instruments, filling out the sound with help from a rotating cast of friends. Thrill Jockey reissued the album and plans were made for a follow-up to be released sometime in the spring or summer of 2020. A second album, Summerlong, surfaced in May 2020, and had even more of a country accent than the debut. Still exploring the midway between psychedelia and country-folk, Johnson filled out his spare instrumentals with pedal steel, jaw harp, and mandolin. For his third album, Earth Trip, he worked with pedal steel guitarist Barry Walker as well as producer Cooper Crain, who mixed Johnson's home-recorded material. The album was released in May 2021, and its content focused on themes of natural beauty and finding hope and solace in nature. At this point Rose City Band was no longer just a studio project -- a live iteration of the band had begun playing shows and touring internationally. The live lineup included Johnson and Walker, as well as keyboardist Paul Hasenberg, bassist Dewey Mahood, and drummer Dustin Dybvig. Though Johnson's fourth album, Garden Party, was mostly tracked solo, Johnson tapped into the same energy Rose City Band found on-stage for its songs about summertime and the great outdoors. The album included guest appearances from Moon Duo bandmates John Jeffrey on drums and Sanae Yamada on synths, along with contributions from members of the touring band. Garden Party was recorded with John McEntire and released on Thrill Jockey in April of 2023. Sol y Sombra arrived in January of 2025. The album continued the evolution of the Rose City Band sound, with even more intricate arrangements focusing on masterful pedal steel playing and tight vocal harmonies amid the usual spaced-out Americana sounds. |