Rose City Band to Release New Album Garden Party in April

Rose City Band reveal the joyous new album Garden Party, due out April 21st. The band are also announcing the first legs of U.S., U.K. and European tours. Listen now to shimmering first single "Chasing Rainbows." On the song, singer and guitarist Ripley Johnson and pedal steel guitarist Barry Walker weave radiant guitar melodies into a wash of texture and twang, swinging from country-rock roots into psychedelic technicolor displays.

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.

Recorded at Johnsons' Portland home as well as The Center for Sound, Light, and Color Therapy 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.

Recorded by Songwriter Johnson primarily as a solo endeavor, the recordings nonetheless capture the twists and bends of a fully realized ensemble. 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. In live performance the songs expand opening up for the players to shine. Rose City Band features 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 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.

Listen to the new single here: