Wooden Shjips Interview: Ripley Johnson talks of Back To Land gear

Ripley playing his Eastwood '59 reissue

Here at Do You Even Psychedelic? we have always been fascinated by the mysterious Wooden Shjips front man, Ripley Johnson. Often seen to be supporting an array of interesting guitar equipment, we caught up with him to find out about what he used to craft the band's latest sonic outing, Back To Land. 

"Hey Ripley, what gear did you use on the latest Wooden Shjips record, Back To Land?"

"Hey Dan, I used a bunch of different gear on the album, but my main stuff is an Airline '59 guitar (Eastwood reissue), a '68 Fender Twin Reverb, 
a MXR Distortion+ (early 80's), a MXR Phase 100 
(early 80's), a Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man,
a Teese RMC3 wah, and a Klon Centaur. I also used a
1970's Fender Vibro-Champ on the [Back To Land] album. 
None of it is very rare, except maybe the Klon."

Ripley got satisfaction from his Klon Centuar

"Do you use any different gear live? I think I've seen an Ampeg and an SG?"

"Sometimes I play an SG, but otherwise it's the same."

"What type of SG are you playing on the stage?"
"It's an early 60's reissue."

"And did you get the Bigsby put on afterwards as an extra?"

"Nope."

Ripley onstage with his Gibson reissue

"How about amps, is that any different to than in the studio?"

I use a Twin [Reverb] most of the time. In the studio I've tried different things. 
I tend to like the Fender sound.

"Thanks for taking the time for the interview, man"
"No problem, dude."



You can find out more about Wooden Shjips' latest album, Back To Land, here.

Interview conducted by Dan Sharman.

Escape From Black Cloud by Travelling Circle (album review)

Find yourself craving desert rock with a east-coast edge? Look no further than the new Traveling Circle LP, Escape From Black Cloud, ''an alchemy of disparate musical ingredients that will awaken your senses, clear the dormant catacombs of your mind and spin-cycle your neural fabric.'' - Review by Daniel Sharman.

Released in: 2012

Genre: Electric Progressive psychedelia/Desert rock

Record Label: Nasoni Records

Medium: Black Vinyl, Coloured Vinyl

Recorded at: Seaside Lounge in Brooklyn, NY

As of late, I've recently found myself craving some fresh, interesting desert rock to listen to, partly due to my recent interview with Nik Rayne of the fantastic Arizona desert-psych outfit, The Myrrors. To quote Dexter Romweber of the Flat Duo Jets, 'some things come your way when you want 'em', and much to my surprise, they have indeed it seems. 

Now, when I was first contacted by the Circle's drummer, Joshua Schultz, I wasn't quite sure what to expect judging from the band's name and ascetic, but like most bands, the music truly spoke volumes incommunicable by any of it's creators. Travelling Circle is one of those bands truly worthy of the phrase 'you've never heard of them but, you really, really should'. 

When I think Escape From Black Cloud, I think of a mellower, more melody-focused version of a Wooden Shjips LP. The outfit seem to evoke and forge the same sort of lulling, hypnotic vibe and spaced out grooves as the San Francisco four-piece but, by using a different mixture of ingredients.

Driving, sustained guitar leads are lush and plentiful in this album, often becoming the main basis for a songs rhythmic and melodic section, and rightly so, perfectly complementing the airy, falsetto vocals. It is clear that the band's guitarist, and the whole band in general for that matter, put a great amount of thought and care into their 'sound' and set-up, often being very tasteful with the effects imposed on the guitar sections and being sure not to over-expose instruments to modulating devices.

Even though opening tracks such as, Higher and The Candlelight Sway, provide intense, high-calibre bouts of fuzz and volume, later tracks such as, Newborn Shadow, adopt a calmer style, bestowing upon the listener a welcome change in pace and making the later tracks, which share the similar sound of the first two tracks, infinitely sweeter and more enjoyable.

It is also worth noting that most of the songs often tend to indulge themselves in their instrumental sections, normally dwelling on the relationship between the guitar and the drums. The drums, which, may I add, take a welcome approach tonally, not often heard on many rock records, opting for more of a Arabic, exotic sound.

If I had to harbour one complaint about the album, I would comment on the repetitiveness of the vocals, but due to the space-rock inclination of the band, simple lyrics tend to lend themselves to the rest of the music's rhythm section. And, even though the album does start to trail off towards the end, you have to understand, it's that kind of party.

If you find yourself, like me, yearning for a sizeable dose of solid, refreshing, effects-friendly desert-space rock, look now further than Escape From Black Cloud. Not only will this LP keep you entertained for a healthy 35 minutes, it's title track Higher has a vast amount of re-playability.

Critics Comment:  This album exceeds expectations in nearly all areas, begging the question, why is this the first we've heard of Travelling Circle? Get ready for a fully-stereo, fuzz driven thrill ride that will sit snugly into your Sunday evening and beyond...and yes, it's true bypass.

You can read Do You Even Psychedelic?'s interview with the band here!

You can find the whole of the new album here!

Like the band's Facebook page to keep up with events here!

Drone Head - The Janitors (album review)

After Drone Head's release on Cardinal Fuzz Records on the 24th of June, D.Y.E.P catches up with the Swedish duo's latest sonic outing.

In the past, psychedelic music used to be a bit of an obscure obsession. I remember those driven pre-digital days, traipsing across town and dale in search of the latest EVA '60s garage comp, the hours spent lusting after the ridiculously expensive in-store used copy of Kaleidoscope's Beacon from Mars at the local hip record emporium, or the excitement I'd feel hearing "Tomorrow Never Knows" getting a rare spin on the radio. But with the dawning of the internet all that has changed, with today's generation becoming spoiled for choice; music of a psychedelic persuasion(in addition to just the original '60s stuff) is hard to miss any more and, as the sold out crowds at Tame Impala's US tour bear witness, it all suddenly threatens to become a bit too predictable. 

Music of a psychedelically inclined nature is what Sweden's, The Janitors, deliver in spadefuls. Their new double-LP Drone Head (Cardinal Fuzz, CFUL008), pairs the duo's two 2012 EP's Head Honcho and The Worker Drone Queen into one glorious gate-fold package on white vinyl. Hailing from Stockholm, this duo play what they claim is "Swedish evil shoegaze boogie woogie and stökpsych a go go!" Now my Swedish is a bit rusty these days, but last time I checked, stök roughly translates as "mess." Although I'm not entirely sure what mess-psych is, based on repeated listens to the menacing beauty that is Drone Head, I'm fairly certain these boys are fully cognizant of the messy and messed up legacies of their preferred musical genre. Indeed, they create a convincing and recognizably "psych" sound on this record, and one that fans of the likes of Spacemen 3 and Wooden Shjips will feel instantly familiar with.

Other reviewers have also taken note of the dark edge to this duo's distorted sound, their penchant for overdriven fuzz and reverb, the booming and sinuous throb of the low end that anchors the buzzing whip of the chainsaw whine throughout each of the record's songs. Take note: if you like your psych-rock heavy and dark, with a bit of demonic quarter-speed Bo Diddley pounding through the wash and wave of the froth and fuzz, then there's much to like here. Take the booming drum-driven intro of a song like "Strap Me Down" for example; its propulsive howl, perfectly timed pauses, and horror-echo vocals are so pitch-reminiscent of the epic psych melodrama of the Angels that you'll be sucked in from the outset. The song ends with a swirling, crashing tide of hypnotizing technicolored shimmer that puts me in mind of the sort of 'we-have-lift-off' opus that is the Austin Fab Four's luminous speciality. The last song on Drone Head is "Nevereverism," surely an homage--surely?--to the tune of nearly-the-same name on Directions To See A Ghost, and as it builds from a deliciously menacing stomp into a shredding, sparkling, guitar driven whirl we're snaking our way to the back of the blue bus and beyond. 

Listening to this, and tracks like the magisterial "A-Bow," all twelve-and-a-half elemental minutes of it, I'm dragged up that familiar kaleidoscopic psych-rock road right to the top of Holy Mountain, and it's clear that The Janitors ride their influences for all to hear. There are a few surprises on this record. The "Strssmmnt Remix" of "Coming Down" for instance, strays from the tried and tested formula of most of the rest of the songs for a slow hybrid burn that fuses electronica and shoegaze and puts me in mind of some of the more fanciful Tame Impala Innerspeaker remixes. And although I say "few surprises" like it's a bad thing, for a lot of psych-rock fans of course, 'few surprises' isn't a bad thing at all. We are after all fans of psychedelic rock. We enjoy its signature moves.

But isn't that surely a part of the problem of the aforementioned main-streaming of psych, it running the risk of becoming a set of musical cliches (reverberated vocals here, drone bliss-out there, backwards guitar bit over yonder, nirvanayada, yada), sonic transcendence rendered as corny cosmic shorthand? Holy Mountain as theme park. But also, wasn't it ever thus( . . . The Black Angels, Spacemen 3, and Wooden Shjips, after all . . .)? Or just maybe I'm one Binson Echorec shy of becoming a psych cynic? For all that, however, I'll always ever be the sucker for the epiphanic psychedelic catch phrase, and The Janitors do these up in style, and then some--and with heart too, it must be said. Simply put, if you love the flourishes of heavy psychedelic drone-esque spacerock and shoegaze then you'll absolutely love this record too.

Critics Rating: ★★★ - Good, no new suprises here, but ticks all the boxes for someone looking for straight up fuzz-heavy, drone rock to relax to at the end of a long day.


Written By Grow Fins (Phil Dickson) on 19:38, 13/08/2013.

Band Case File: Wooden Shjips

Ripley Johnson playing
his Eastwood Airline 3P.

Can space-rock also sound earthy? Listen to Wooden Shjips, the linchpins of the current San Francisco psychedelic scene, and the answer is definitely in the affirmative. The band's three albums show a great example of how Sci-Fi synthesisers, fuzz drenched guitars, driving bass-lines, pumping drum beats and reverb'd vocals can come together to make the freshest sounding space rock in years.

The facts about the band you need to know:

Who plays what?:

Ripley Johnson(second from left) - Guitar and Vocals
Omar Ahsanuddin(far left) - Drums
Dusty Jermier(far right) - Bass
Nash Whalen(second from right) - Keyboard/organ

Where do they come from?

San Francisco, U.S.A

What is their specific style?

Psychedelic rock, but more specifically, drone and space rock.

For fans of:

Psychic Ills, Suicide, Moon Duo and The Black Angels.

Their labels?

Their main labels include Holy Mountain, Thrill Jockey and Sick Thirst.

Some of their less used labels include Subpop, Mexican Summer and The Great Pop Supplement.

What have they released?

3 studio albums: Their self-titled debut(2007), Dos(2009) and West(2011).
They have also released several 10 and 7 inch vinyl singles, as well as two tour albums pressed only on vinyl.
In addition to the albums mentioned, Wooden Shjips have collected said vinyl singles onto two albums, 'Vol.1' and 'Vol.2', compilation albums which are more widely available and are available on formats such as CD and digital download.

(For a more complete Discography go here)

Time for the important part, the music; some of my personal favourites:

Black Smoke Rise from the album West (2011).















A Great track with a rhythm guitar so dripping with fuzz; it's enough to make your eyeballs melt! Also note the great backing synthesiser melody, which fattens up the track and really gives it a feel of elevation. Stick around until 1:27 for a soundscape seemingly comprised of laser beams which have been gathered, allowed to build up energy and then re-released as sound using just a Farfisa. It is safe to say, the sonic soloing from Nash and his keyboard, is enough to make up for the belated hypnotic mangling of Ripley Johnson.

Flight from the album West(2011).















Another stunner from the same album as Black Smoke Rise. This ethereal track once again taps into ideas of weightlessness and levitation, whilst at the same time showing the bands interest with themes and motifs such as exploration, an interest they have cited before as an inspiration behind West. The album taking it's name from the idea of the first white American settlers moving West to explore the Americas.

Down By The Sea from the album Dos(2007)

A song from Wooden Shjips that really lives up to their name, sailing down the river of your consciousness and dropping anchors at the heart of your mind. Much like a ship(or in this case a Shjip) lost out at sea on a stormy night, this track starts calmly and unsuspecting, going through 2 minutes and 48 seconds of peace before even the first note of a solo is played. Continuing with the sea metaphor, the track proceeds to slowly work its way up into a insane fuzz frenzy, much like the increasing wrath of rain, wind and thunder of a monsoon on a cold winter's night. This volatile, orgiastic solo progresses to dominate the rest of the song for the tracks remaining seven minutes, really making you feel as if you were in the centre of a storm, superb.

Just some other stuff worth knowing:

- Wooden Shjip's guitarist, Ripley Johnson, is in a great psychedelic two-piece, Moon Duo.
- The band have appeared at the AustinPsychFest, which is run by The Black Angels.
- Wooden Shjip's have a fantastic show on KEXP, currently on YouTube.
- Nash Whalen uses AceTones and Farfisas to record with, vintage organs that he processes     electronically. Onstage he plays an Alesis.

By Dan Sharman, 21:36, 25/07/2013.