Rose City Band – Sol Y Sombra

Description

Rose City Bands music is sun-kissed timeless country rockwhose seemingly effortless momentum carries the joy ofits creation without ignoring the darkness pervading our
consciousness. Led by guitarist/vocalist Ripley Johnson,the music of Rose City Band is rooted in his love ofprivate press records of the mid to late 70s. The band, inaddition to Johnson, features pedal steel guitarist BarryWalker, keyboardist Paul Hasenberg and drummer JohnJeffrey who enmesh a keen sense of rhythmic drive andmelody with gentler, sumptuous atmospheres. Nuancedperformances and interplay between players unfurl likedesert flowers splashing color onto an arid landscape.

The ensembles buoyant moments still glide with ease,but there is room to revel in respite of the shade of adark cloud. Across the album, Johnsons tasteful guitar
interjections and soothing voice are met in kind with theversatile playing of Walker, Hasenberg, and Jeffery, withspecial guest performances by synthesist/vocalist, Sanae
Yamada. Album closer The Walls perfectly capturesthe bands explorative and expansive songs, Hasenbergssoulful organ driving the album to an emotionally catharticconclusion.

Throughout his prolific career with Wooden Shjips, Moon Duo and now Rose City Band, Johnsons music has consistently centered around exploration anddiscovery. Sol Y Sombra imbues his penchant for space and resplendent tonality with a denser amalgam of hisinfluences through a delicate balance of the somber andthe serene, of subtle evolutions and familiar sounds, Sol Y Sombra makes for a holistically joyous experience,
finding solace in both sun and shade.

Tracklist

1. Lights on the Way
2. Open Roads
3. Rolling Gold
4. Evergreen
5. Sunlight Daze
6. Radio Song
7. Seeds of Light
8. La Mesa
9. Wheels
10. The Walls