Biography
The quartet Wooden Shjips, bearing an enigmatic moniker, crafts a stripped-down, hypnotic strain of psychedelia rooted in garage traditions yet infused with Krautrock elements. Waves of pulsing, minimal beats submerge their vocals, allowing fuzztone guitars and piercing organs to dominate the sonic landscape. Emerging in mid-2000s San Francisco as a self-reliant endeavor, the outfit initially handled all recording and distribution independently until labels including Sub Pop and Holy Mountain took notice. Their 2011 affiliation with Thrill Jockey marked a shift toward professional studio work, yielding their broadest and most varied recordings to date. After settling in Portland following the 2013 release Back to Land, the band paused activities temporarily before resurfacing in 2018 via the bright and hopeful V. Ripley Johnson, the band's guiding force, divides his efforts between Wooden Shjips and the respected psych-rock project Moon Duo.
The band's formative phase revolved around gathering musicians without formal training to generate novel sounds and inject unfiltered creativity along with eager passion. A stable configuration took shape by 2006, featuring Dusty Jermier handling trumpet and bass duties, Omar Ahsanuddin on drums, Nash Whalen at the organ, and Johnson on guitar and vocals. Their introduction came via the complimentary 10" EP Shrinking Moon for You. Positive acclaim, among which Rolling Stone weighed in, prompted two further singles; "SOL 07" directed its earnings toward the anti-hunger group Food Not Bombs. The occasion of that single's launch coincided with an opening slot for the psychedelic icon Roky Erickson, representing only the ensemble's second live performance overall.
Between March and May 2007, Wooden Shjips committed their debut full-length to tape. Holy Mountain, an avant-garde imprint, issued the self-titled effort, which Johnson and Jermier oversaw under the production aliases Tedrick G. Rippy and Don Rifle. September brought its release, after which they prepared the Sub Pop 7" "Loose Lips." Holy Mountain assembled the initial trio of singles into Vol. 1 during 2008. Dos, their sophomore album, arrived in 2009 under the same pseudonymous production credit. Worldwide touring commenced, encompassing notable appearances at events like All Tomorrow's Parties New York—selected by filmmaker Jim Jarmusch—and Primavera Sound. Numerous singles and EPs followed, frequently produced expressly for road sales. Sick Thirst put out Vol. 2 in 2010, gathering Sub Pop and Mexican Summer material alongside two European tour releases and a Yeti magazine contribution.
Thrill Jockey became their home in 2011 with West, marking the first occasion for studio-based recording and also the initial mastering by Spacemen 3's Sonic Boom. The subsequent year's Remixes 12" involved contributions from Andrew Weatherall, Kandodo, and Sonic Boom. Abandoning the Bay Area for Portland, Oregon's wetter climate, the group revisited their youthful affinities for rhythmic classic rock and ethereal atmospheres on 2013's Back to Land. Johnson thereafter focused primarily on Moon Duo's recording and performance schedule. The 2018 return, V., presented an upbeat and positive collection whose title evoked a peace gesture formed by two fingers.
The band's formative phase revolved around gathering musicians without formal training to generate novel sounds and inject unfiltered creativity along with eager passion. A stable configuration took shape by 2006, featuring Dusty Jermier handling trumpet and bass duties, Omar Ahsanuddin on drums, Nash Whalen at the organ, and Johnson on guitar and vocals. Their introduction came via the complimentary 10" EP Shrinking Moon for You. Positive acclaim, among which Rolling Stone weighed in, prompted two further singles; "SOL 07" directed its earnings toward the anti-hunger group Food Not Bombs. The occasion of that single's launch coincided with an opening slot for the psychedelic icon Roky Erickson, representing only the ensemble's second live performance overall.
Between March and May 2007, Wooden Shjips committed their debut full-length to tape. Holy Mountain, an avant-garde imprint, issued the self-titled effort, which Johnson and Jermier oversaw under the production aliases Tedrick G. Rippy and Don Rifle. September brought its release, after which they prepared the Sub Pop 7" "Loose Lips." Holy Mountain assembled the initial trio of singles into Vol. 1 during 2008. Dos, their sophomore album, arrived in 2009 under the same pseudonymous production credit. Worldwide touring commenced, encompassing notable appearances at events like All Tomorrow's Parties New York—selected by filmmaker Jim Jarmusch—and Primavera Sound. Numerous singles and EPs followed, frequently produced expressly for road sales. Sick Thirst put out Vol. 2 in 2010, gathering Sub Pop and Mexican Summer material alongside two European tour releases and a Yeti magazine contribution.
Thrill Jockey became their home in 2011 with West, marking the first occasion for studio-based recording and also the initial mastering by Spacemen 3's Sonic Boom. The subsequent year's Remixes 12" involved contributions from Andrew Weatherall, Kandodo, and Sonic Boom. Abandoning the Bay Area for Portland, Oregon's wetter climate, the group revisited their youthful affinities for rhythmic classic rock and ethereal atmospheres on 2013's Back to Land. Johnson thereafter focused primarily on Moon Duo's recording and performance schedule. The 2018 return, V., presented an upbeat and positive collection whose title evoked a peace gesture formed by two fingers.
Albums
Singles
