The Rose City Band

Stereo, 14 May

Ripley Johnson’s previous musical projects, Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo, have been variously described as ‘experimental’, ‘minimalist’, drone rock, and ‘spacey psychedelic rock’, all terms that, providing you are in tune with them, draw you willingly to his current incarnation, the Rose City Band.

In the run up to their appearance at Stereo in Glasgow, the latest release, Sol y Sombra, was on heavy rotation and, to be honest, getting into the country rock feel of the tracks proved a bit of a challenge.

Replaying tracks from their earlier albums reflected a continuation of the work in the early musical projects mentioned above, each of which had been a pleasure to listen to.

Was the latest direction one that would be as enjoyable when played live?

I needn’t have worried. While interaction between Ripley Johnson and the audience was minimal, the music the band created in the basement venue was sublime for all to hear.

The country feel may have been present, however the set proved to be a series of extended psychedelic jams with each band member coming into their own during each if the songs. Keyboards, pedal guitar, bass, drums all accompanying the dulcet tones of Ripley when singing or his guitar picking when sliding into instrumental mode.

From a vantage point that enabled a view of everyone on the floor, it was clear that everyone was in awe of the musicianship emanating from the stage. Like a calming sea, heads bobbed, hips swayed, toes tapped, and the end of each song was met with the crash of loud applause.

When attending gigs, you always hope, maybe even expect, that the acts in front of you will add something different to the music we may be familiar with coming out of our musical systems/devices. Some may disappoint on the live stage while others give a glimpse into variations of songs that were not apparent when recorded in the studio.

The Rose City Band exceeded all expectations on the night. The set list had songs that were dissected and brought to life again with a totally different complexion to them. Musicianship at its finest.

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Support Act Sons of Sevilla

As stated previously in this blog, we may buy tickets for the ‘headline’ act, but often the event is as memorable for the support act(s) and what they bring to the proceedings.

It was no different when the Sons of Sevilla took to the stage and produced an immaculate set of songs that had a strong 70s feel to them. The harmonies throughout are a key aspect of what draws you into their music. There’s a confidence about the band reflected in how each song has been structured to highlight the vocals of the brothers Henry and Reuben Smith who form the backbone of the band.

As a warmup to the Rose City Band, they literally hit all the right notes and already looking forward to the next time we see them in town.