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Garden Party

by Rose City Band

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Garden Party available in a limited quantity of Clear with Purple LPs. LP version includes a digital download card.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Garden Party via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $23 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Garden Party available in a compact Disc. Comes with a limited Rose City Band sticker in the Garden Party art style.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Garden Party via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

  • Limited Glow In The Dark Vinyl LP
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Garden Party in a limited quantity of Glow In The Dark LPs. This version includes a digital download card.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Garden Party via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • Limited Trans Blue Vinyl LP
    Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Garden Party available in a limited quantity of Translucent Blue Vinyl LPs. Trans Blue LP includes a digital download card and a Rose City Band sticker.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Garden Party via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
Gone out to blaze a path Brought it in and you take it back Finding a way of our own Rolled down to see the creek Reel it in and you take a peek Throw it out and pray for our soul > And you sing high in a low song > Spaced out and chasing rainbows Down on the losing side And he weren't afraid to ride Playin on the side of the road Gone in the dead of night Say a prayer and put in a light 'Fore I can pay all I owe > And you sing high in a low song > Spaced out and chasing rainbows Tour ‘round the world and back Throw it out and you blaze a path Wanderin' a dream all our own Inside you’re feeling bleak And he weren’t afraid to speak Findin' our way after all > And you sing high in a low song > Spaced out and chasing rainbows
2.
Breaking the ice And so cold in the wake of Captive of rain and Sun, wild is the rose > Feel bad for the break up > Long on the side of the road > Feeling the rise > A slow rolling low > Wanting to ride and > Slow burn, lo But if you want to ride It's alright I'm plenty grateful Feeling of pride and Faith, all you will know > Born south in the grapevine > Warned of the fire in their eye > Flee with the sun and > Roll all alone > Wanted and riding and > Say so long Moon on the rise a Grey fog, moves Upon it all Feeling the slide of the Dream, light in your eyes > Feel bad for the break up > Long on the side of the road > Feeling the rise > a slow rolling low > Wanting to ride and a > Slow burn, lo
3.
Garden Song 03:08
In the morning Hide your eyes and cry Open windows, feed the birds Then we'll go out > Hear the song > On the wind alight On the brighter and Older side of life In a garden we’ll Grow the sun on the inside > Feel the love > And the stars align
4.
Porch Boogie 06:51
Blue skies for a while No rain on a sunny day We plant ourselves on the porch In the right way Feel low in the rain So high on a sunny day we’ll see those birds flying by On a bright day > Feel the sun > Open my eyes > Called down off the road > Full of life > Up on the home > Like some wild rose No love for the road New flowers bloom today Don't mind if I sit here alone Til the next day > Feel the sun > Break up the rain > Take a load off your bones > And dream free > Nap in the day > Like some wild rose
5.
Out in the fog Too fallen to say What I know now It’s starting to fray With Saturday gone We carry along And ride in the wake In sight of it all > We’re starting to break > While on the road > To run in the sun > Ride in the rainbow > Too sorry to stay > Fall for the right one > Feel like I could break > Under the right song
6.
Mariposa 07:18
My soul In a sweet game Want love To live again Feel flows In a new way Flowers bloom and love decays Why fly? Here in the wind What’s gone Comes back again This life Pass in a flame Longer nights And slow days High, low We float in between Lost hearts Below it seems My my What a sweet rose Spring forth In from the cold
7.
Reeling From a sad goodbye It is a lonely life One love And a light so fine They say it's only right Wheelin' To the end of life It is a slow decline The lightning Fills the starless sky Down on the hill we climbed In the sun >Wow, you're so high > Reelin' through the day > Ride to midnight > On this moonlight highway Wanderin' On a moonlit night It’s such a lovely life Forces In the wind and sky I am the ocean wide And the sun
8.
El Rio 06:02
The light on the southern ground Forlorn, rain inside But I love the morning vibe In the sun and light En el rio Lost in the hazy day Child Moon on the rise Fires on the mountain side Smoke in every eye The wheel always spinning round In the sign of fire Walking the foggy road Wallows in the mire En el rio

about

Rose City Band’s country psychedelic rock evokes the wide-open spaces of the American west and free spirits who call it home. The project of acclaimed guitarist and vocalist Ripley Johnson, Rose City Band has extended beyond the studio and lives in tandem as a live ensemble featuring some of the finest players in contemporary rock: pedal steel guitarist Barry Walker, keyboardist Paul Hasenberg, bassist Dewey Mahood (aka Plankton Wat) and drummer Dustin Dybvig. Garden Party is a celebration of summer and all it brings: communal gatherings, the respites offered by nature, and an appreciation for even the simplest beauty, from 12-foot sunflowers to a contorted carrot planted in the spring. Freedom, contentment, and joy were the sources for the songs. From the soaring guitar solos, to the driving rhythms, the elegant pedal steel lines to the organ grooves, Garden Party has a live band’s energy captured in exquisite detail.

At its inception Rose City Band focused on what songwriter Johnson calls “porch music”. Recorded largely at Center for Sound, Light, and Color Therapy in Portland and mixed by John McEntire, Garden Party features guest appearances by Moon Duo bandmates John Jeffrey on drums and Sanae Yamada on synths, as well as Rose City Band live performers Hasenberg on keyboards and Walker on pedal steel. With the musicians in his life in mind, Ripley’s porch has opened up for each player to step into. Despite being tracked primarily as a solo endeavor the recordings capture the twists and bends of a fully realized ensemble, and in a nod to bands such as the Grateful Dead it doesn’t stop there. “The songs won’t really be finished until we play them on the road,” says Johnson.

Garden Party’s carefree attitude is layered with subtle turns and melodic gems which push the easygoing spirit towards transcendence. The interplay of Johnson and Walker’s guitars is nothing short of radiant. Opening track “Chasing Rainbows” finds the two casting out lines back and forth, carefully weaving around and through one another before basking into a wash of texture and twang. “Slow Burn” drives Johnson’s signature cosmic sound into the roots of the earth, twisting more grounded phrases and homespun bends around the rollicking rhythm section. Walker’s range as a pedal steel player is on full display throughout with classic licks dancing in tandem with Johnson’s voice. Album centerpiece “Porch Boogie” was written with the live ensemble in mind while Johnson was out on one of his regular walks, with only rhythmic ideas setting the pace for an extended groove that the group could stretch and relax into. The shifts in tone and feel on “Mariposa” and “Moonlight Highway”’s transition into “El Rio” are indicative of the expansive and unexpected directions Rose City Band are able to roam as the players follow one another from tender ballads to folk rambles to loping riffs. The sizzle of “Moonlight Highway” translates the unpredictable and invigorating energy of the band’s road gigs into a song tailor made for dancing, speckled with the gleaming starlight of night drives across the country.

Like all great music, Garden Party taps into the listener's emotional center and takes them to their happy place – their sunny spot. The album is an invitation to recalibrate, a joyous ride where the band’s sounds surround and embrace you. Ripley says it best: “I always like when an album starts in one place, and ends in another.” What a beautiful journey it is.

credits

released April 21, 2023

Ripley Johnson:
Guitars, Vocals, Bass, Piano, Mellotron, Percussion

John Jeffrey: Drums on all tracks, Percussion

Paul Hasenberg: Keys on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Barry Walker: Pedal Steel Guitar on tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7

Sanae Yamada: Synthesizers on tracks 7 and 8

Mixed by John McEntire at Soma Studios.

Mastered for all formats by Amy Dragon at Telegraph Mastering.

Drums and most keyboards recorded by Ryan Oxford at The Center for Sound, Light and Color Therapy.

Pedal steel recorded by Barry Walker. Synthesizers recorded by Sanae Yamada.

Everything else recorded by Ripley Johnson.

Album Artwork & Design by Andrew McGranahan.

All songs by Ripley Johnson.

Sincerest thanks to everyone who helped make this record happen, especially all of the musicians and engineers; our live rhythm section, Dewey Mahood and Dustin Dybvig; Paul Carlin, manager extraordinaire; Bettina Richards and the Thrill Jockey team; and all of the kind listeners out there. Love you all.

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Rose City Band Portland, Oregon

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