Rose City Band – Sol Y Sombra

I have been a fan of the Rose City band since their eponymous debut (2019). I dig their mellow and psychedelic take on country rock. Per the band’s Bandcamp page: “Rose City Band’s music is sun-kissed timeless country rock whose seemingly effortless momentum carries the joy of its creation without ignoring the darkness pervading our consciousness.”

Sol Y Sombra is the band’s fifth album, and it is similar to their prior albums, although the band is better at its craft. The music reminds me of the mellow and spacey side of the Grateful Dead; The War On Drugs is another good reference point. It is pleasant enough to be background music and engaging enough for active listening.

Per Wikipedia, “Sol y Sombra is an after dinner or breakfast alcoholic drink (or digestif), consisting of equal parts brandy and anise dulce (sweet anise or anisette) served in a brandy snifter, that is well known in Madrid and Spain generally. The drink’s name comes from the Spanish words for sun and shade and refers to different types of seats one can buy at bullfights. The cheap seats are Sol, and are in the full sun, whereas the most expensive seats are Sombra and are fully shaded. A Sol (Sun) y Sombra (Shadow) ticket has some shade and some sun throughout the day. The drink’s name reflects this, as the drink is a combination of the dark brandy (sombra) and the clear anise (sol).”

Despite the mellow vibe (sol), there is also some darkness (sombra). Per the band’s leader, Ripley Johnson: “With Rose City Band, I’m generally trying to make uplifting music, good time music. This time, I couldn’t avoid the shadow being more of a presence. There’s no getting away from it. The shadow is always there. So, I left it in.”

In addition to guitarist and vocalist Ripley Johnson (Wooden Shjips and Moon Duo), the Portland (aka Rose City) band includes pedal steel guitarist Barry Walker Jr. (Mouth Painter and North Americans), keyboardist Paul Hasenberg, and drummer John Jeffrey (Moon Duo).

I revisited their debut, the album that turned me on to the band, and the recipe is the same five albums into their career – except they are somehow better and deeper.