Features

Sunset Shipwrecks is a new band featuring American Steel’s Ryan Massey and Scott Healy. They recently released their debut album “Communicty” through Lugosi Records, heir own - and recently revived – label. The songs are quite different from American Steel, but definitely worth listening to. Seeing as these guys loathe self-promotion, we did an interview with Ryan to do our small part in getting the word out about these dudes

PRT: First of all, when and how did you start with The Sunset Shipwrecks?

Ryan: We started playing together a couple of years back. Amsteel had been largely dormant as we were all super busy, and then when John left the U.S. to move to Berlin, that pretty much put an end to the band for the foreseeable future (but never say never...). I thought I was done playing in bands, but found I missed the creative process, the camaraderie, and the emotional outlet that it provides. Scott (Amsteel's drummer) was into the idea of jamming a bit, and Sean and Brian (who I had played with in a band called The Reckless Kind) were down, and we had so much fun, we decided to make a record.

PRT: I read somewhere that you had to move out of San Francisco because of the high cost of living and that being pissed off about that made you start a new band. Did things really change that much that fast? Because that would just leave the techies and the tourists.

Ryan: Being evicted from our home of ten years and watching friends and local businesses get uprooted left and right certainly informed some of the lyrical content, but the main impetus for starting the band was needing to play music with other people. I make a living with my recording studio, and while that means I am around music daily, it is not the same thing as creating new material with a group of friends.

As to changes in SF, yes, we have been in a period of absurdly rapid upheaval. But while SF may be the poster child for deepening inequality, eviction, and property as speculation/investment (rather than as housing for people who are part of a community)- the reality is this shit is happening all over the place.

PRT: When I first heard about The Sunset Shipwrecks and found out it was a new band with two of the guys from American Steel, I got excited. But it’s quite different from what you did with American Steel. Aren’t you worried that people will go into your album with the wrong expectations?

Ryan: I don't play music for a living at this point, so I don't have to give a shit. And really, even back when Amsteel was a going concern, toeing the punk rock line was never a priority for us. When we released Jagged Thoughts people hated it because it was such a departure from the first two albums. Years later, I think it may be our most popular record. When we got bored with Amsteel, we went off and did the Communique thing for a few years and then cycled back to Amsteel when that lost it's luster. So changing things up is really nothing new. There are old Amsteel fans who have written me lovely notes about how much they like the new band / album, and there are some that are going to hate it. C'est la vie!

PRT: “Community” is filled with bluesy rock ‘n roll tunes. Is that a sound you’ve always wanted to try your hand at or is it a more recent love affair?

Ryan: I love tons of music from all over the spectrum, but I do adore straight up rock and roll. The joy of playing this music is that I still get to do heavy songs like "Your Love Keeps Me Whole", or "Light The Match", but I also get to offset those tracks with the mellow menace of a tune like "Vengeance Will Be Mine" or a ballad like "Songs Of A Young Man". For me, the heavy stuff hits harder when there are also quiet moments. I love singing and getting to use my voice in a bunch of different ways, rather that always belting and bellowing.

PRT: Having been in a punk rock band and now playing something else… do you think playing punk rock comes with an expiration date?

Ryan: Eh, not really- at least not for everyone. If Joe Strummer was alive, I think the Clash could play 70% or more of their catalog with their heads held high- the music stands up and the themes are broad and intelligent. If Minor Threat (rad though they were) were to get back together, I think that would be embarrassing- those are clearly the songs of a younger man.

PRT: You released “Community” through your own label Lugosi Records. Is it a comfortable position to control both the business side of things as well as the creative side or does it increase the stress levels?

Ryan: I have a deep loathing of self promotion, so I would honestly much prefer to hand a record over to someone and let them have at it. But people aren't clamoring to put out albums by new bands who are unlikely to do a ton of touring, and I felt compelled to put this thing out into the world, so the DIY route was the way to go.

PRT: How did you go about luring Kevin Army out of retirement to help produce the album?

Ryan: Kevin was really a mentor to me when I was both learning how to be in a band, and when I was first getting serious about being a recording engineer. We have stayed in touch over the years, and when I broached the subject to him about working together again, he was excited to get back to the studio. At some point soon, I am going to be helping him record a solo album as part of the deal we worked out for taking on The Shipwreck's album, which should be a blast!

PRT: You played your first show on June 3. How was it to take The Sunset Shipwrecks from the rehearsal space and the studio to the show?

Ryan: It was awesome! I hadn't played out since the last Amsteel show a couple of years back, and it was great to shake the rust off. All of the guys in the band are such rad musicians that I didn't need to stress about how we were going to sound, I just stood up there and let it rip.

PRT: Any other shows or tours lined up for the near future?

Ryan: We'll be playing the Eagle in SF on September 29th, and I'm hoping to do some limited western US jaunts this coming fall.