The Tripwires - Bumbershoot 2010 - John Ramberg 02

The Tripwires - Bumbershoot 2010 - Johnny Sangster 01

The Tripwires are a

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

–based rock supergroup made up of well known local musicians

Dan Peters Daniel Joe Peters (born August 18, 1967) is the drummer for Mudhoney, having played with them since their formation in 1988. Prior to Mudhoney, he joined Bundle of Hiss when he was fifteen years old. He was also briefly the drummer for Nirv ...

, John Ramberg, and brothers Jim and Johnny Sangster, all of whom have been members of bands that include

The Minus 5 The Minus 5 is an American pop rock band headed by musician Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows, often in partnership with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. Band history McCaughey formed the band in 1993 as a side project with Buck, Jon Auer ...

Screaming Trees Screaming Trees were an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington, in 1984 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bassist Van Conner, and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel was replaced by Barrett Martin in 1991. Screami ...

, and

The Young Fresh Fellows The Young Fresh Fellows are an American alternative rock group, that was formed in 1981 in Seattle, Washington, United States, by Scott McCaughey and Chuck Carroll. Tad Hutchison, Chuck Carroll's first cousin, joined for the recording of the gr ...

Formation and early years

Brothers Jim Sangster and Johnny Sangster grew up in

, but spent summers on

Lopez Island Lopez Island is the third largest of the San Juan Islands and an unincorporated town in San Juan County, Washington, United States. Lopez Island is in land area. The 2020 census population was 3,156, though the population swells in the summe ...

, where their parents have resided since 1988. The brothers attended a year of high school on the island, where they formed their first bands, performing at the high school and the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

hall. In 1984, Johnny relocated to

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, where he led the

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

-based The Sharing Patrol until 1997. Returning to

in 1997, he connected with Egg Studios owner

Conrad Uno Conrad Uno is an American record producer and founder of the independent record label PopLlama Records. Uno began his career making his own music as a teenager in his makeshift basement studio. At the request of his friends, the Young Fresh Fellow ...

, who enlisted Johnny's engineering assistance. After recording 4 albums with The Model Rockets, John Ramberg had begun work on a solo album with drummer

Bill Rieflin William Frederick Rieflin (September 30, 1960 – March 24, 2020) was an American musician. Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s mainly for his work as a drummer with groups (particularly in the industrial rock and industrial metal scen ...

(

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

, Ministry,

). In 2006, those sessions, with the contribution of the Sangster brothers, evolved into the formation of the group The Tripwires.

Releases

The first The Tripwires album ''Makes You Look Around'' was released in 2007 on the Paisley Pop label and featured support from

Scott McCaughey Scott Lewis McCaughey is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter and the leader of the Seattle and Portland-based bands The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5. He was also an auxiliary member of the American rock band R.E.M. from 199 ...

and technical help from

Kurt Bloch Kurt Bloch (born August 28, 1960) is an American songwriter, guitarist, engineer and record producer. Music career Bloch is best known as songwriter and lead guitarist of Fastbacks, and is a member of The Young Fresh Fellows. Record Production ...

. Reviewers praised the album, calling it melodic but powerful pop, bright and propulsive, filled with melodic hooks. A second album, ''House to House,'' was released in 2009 on the Spark & Shine label, featuring production by Johnny Sangster and engineering by Sangster and Jon Erwie. The album was described in reviews as explosive power pop. In 2014, a third album ''Get Young'' was released, this time on the Folc Records label. It was recorded by

Jack Endino Jack Endino (born Michael M. Giacondino; 1964) is an American producer and musician based in Seattle, Washington. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands including Mudhoney, ...

(

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially ...

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age ...

Afghan Whigs The Afghan Whigs are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were active from 1986 to 2001 and have since reformed as a band. The group – with core members Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), and John ...

) and produced by Johnny Sangster. The album was released via

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

. Reviews were positive, citing similarities to Squeeze and

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

, and describing the music as

pub rock Pub rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the early to mid-1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, which incorporated roots rock, pub rock was a reaction against the expensively-recorded and produced progressive rock ...

for a new generation. A 2017 EP ''Fat City Let's Go!'' was released on ten-inch vinyl and digitally via Folc/Bandcamp. The EP cover features art by Jeremy Eaton.

Band members

* John Ramberg, vocals and guitar. Ramberg led

bands Stumpy Joe and The Model Rockets. He has also performed with

The Minus Five The Minus 5 is an American pop rock band headed by musician Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows, often in partnership with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. Band history McCaughey formed the band in 1993 as a side project with Buck, Jon Auer a ...

and Neko Case & Her Boyfriends. * Jim Sangster, vocals, bass and guitar. Sangster has also performed with

, The Picketts, Fun At The Zoo,

Mark Pickerel Mark Pickerel (born March 12, 1968) is an American musician best known as the original drummer for the alternative rock band Screaming Trees. He is also an active session musician and has released several solo albums as a singer/guitarist. Biog ...

and His Praying Hands, Roy Loney and the Longshots, and Thee Sgt. Major III. * Johnny Sangster, vocals and guitar. In addition to his work with The Tripwires, Sangster has played with Mark Pickerel and his Praying Hands, Model Rockets,

Maggie Björklund Margrethe "Maggie" Björklund is a Danish guitarist and singer-songwriter who composes, plays, and sings music in the folk and alternative country genres. She began her career playing electric guitar in the female band The Darleens and briefly for ...

, The Basements, Cobirds Unite, Dear John Letters, and Steve Turner and His Bad Ideas. *

, drums. Pickerel is best known as the original drummer for the

. He also leads the band, Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands. In 2012, Mark Pickerel amiably parted ways with the band, and

(

Mudhoney Mudhoney is an American rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the demise of Green River (band), Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner (guitari ...

) took his place on drums. *

, drums. Over the course of his career, Peters has also drummed with

and

Other projects

The Sharing Patrol

In the early 80s, Johnny Sangster (guitar, vocals) and Jonathan Stibbard (drums) formed The Sharing Patrol in

. Henrik Tuxen (bass) joined in 1984 when Johnny and Jonathan moved to

. The band released four albums before Sangster returned to Seattle in 1997. The Sharing Patrol recorded for

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...

and toured

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

, and the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Stumpy Joe

John Ramberg (lead vocals, guitar) led this

-based band. Other members included Mark Hoyt (lead guitar, vocals), Christian Wilson (bass, piano), and Scott Russell (drums). They released one album: ''One Way Rocket Ride To Kicksville!'' in 1991.

co-produced, engineered, and mixed the recording.

The Model Rockets

John Ramberg led this Seattle-area band, which still performs on occasion. In 1993, when Stumpy Joe disbanded, several ex-members formed a new band: Glory Stompers. The name was already taken, so they changed the name of the band to The Model Rockets. Initially, The Model Rockets consisted of John Ramberg (guitar, lead vocals), Grant Johnson (guitar), Boyd Remillard (bass), and Graham Black (drums). In 1994, Johnson was replaced by Scott Sutherland (Chemistry Set). Their debut album, ''Hilux,'' (Lucky Records) was produced by

(

). A second album, 1996's ''Snatch It Back and Hold It'' (C/Z) was followed by a tour of Spain. In 1998, The Model Rockets released ''At El Sol / Sold Out.'' This album was recorded live in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. 2003's ''Pilot County Suite'' was their most recent recording.

Sangster Family Band

Jim and Johnny Sangster have performed occasionally as part of the Sangster Family Band, which includes their mother Patsy, their father John (now deceased), Jim's two children, and Johnny's three children.

Sangster Meets Benson/Benson Meets Sangster

In 2002, Johnny Sangster recorded one album with Robb Benson (Dear John Letters,

Nevada Bachelors Nevada Bachelors were an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1997. The band's lineup consisted of Robb Benson (vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboard), Mike Squires (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Ben Brunn (bass, backing vocals). ...

). The ''Sangster Meets Benson/Benson Meets Sangster'' album was described as an experimental pop collaboration.

case/lang/veirs tour

In 2016, Johnny toured as guitarist with

Neko Case Neko Richelle Case ( ; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case's singing voice has been described by contemporaries and critics as a "flamethrower", "a pow ...

kd lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang (stylised in all lowercase), is a Canadian pop (music), pop and Canadian country music, country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards ...

, and

Laura Veirs Laura Pauline Veirs (born October 24, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. She is known for her folk and alternative country records and live performances as well as her collaboration with Neko Case and k.d. lang o ...

in support of their

case/lang/veirs case/lang/veirs is a Canadian-American supergroup consisting of Neko Case, k.d. lang, and Laura Veirs, formed in Portland, Oregon in 2013. The group launched with a June 2016 eponymous album, followed by a 19-city summer 2016 tour. History T ...

album.

Crackle & Pop! Recording Studio

Johnny Sangster works as an audio engineer operating the Crackle & Pop! recording studio in

, with partners Andrew Smith and Scott Masoner.

Discography

The Tripwires

;LPs * 2008: ''Makes You Look Around'' (The Paisley Pop Label pop020169) * 2009: ''House to House'' (Spark & Shine) * 2014: ''Get Young'' (Folc Records FOLC033) ;EPs * 2017: ''Fat City Let's Go'' (House Frolic/Folc Records FOLC062) ;Singles * 2016: ''The Tripwires / Phantom Ships'' – "Paper Crown" / "There's This Girl" (Tym Records TYM 041) ;Compilations * 2014: ''More Super Hits of the Seventies!'' – Track 19, "2-4-6-8 Motorway" (Mike Shell) * 2015: ''We Want To Be Black Vol. 4'' – Track A1, "

C'mon and Swim "C'mon and Swim" is a song by Bobby Freeman, written by Thomas Coman (record producer), Thomas Coman and Sylvester Stewart (later known as Sly Stone) and produced by Stewart. It reached No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100, U.S. pop chart in 1964 and No. ...

" (Folc Records FOLC041) * 2016: ''Super Hits of the Seventies: Hit Explosion!'' – Track 17, "Games People Play" (Mike Shell) * 2017: ''Super Hits of the Seventies: Pure Dyn-O-Mite!'' – Track 15, "Motorcycle Mama" (Mike Shell)

The Model Rockets

;LPs * 1993: Hilux (Lucky Records) * 1996: Snatch It Back and Hold It (

C/Z Records C/Z Records was a Seattle-based punk rock record label established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale. It started with the release of '' Deep Six'', which collected early recordings of what later came to be known as grunge. After ' ...

) * 1998: At El Sol / Sold Out (Impossible Records IMPCD 051) * 2002: Tell The Kids The Cops Are Here (

Not Lame Recordings Not Lame Recordings was a Ft. Collins, Colorado based independent record label specializing in power pop music. History The label was started by Bruce Brodeen in November 1994 in music, 1994Not Lame Recordings (2010)"About us" Retrieved Novemb ...

72) * 2003: Pilot County Suite (Book Records 6) ;Singles * 1994: ''Shapeshifter'' – "Shapeshifter" / "Wallking Out On Love" (Bands We Like BWL 005) * 1996: ''Stick It Out'' – "Stick It Out" / "Waiting For You" (Rock & Roll Inc. R&R inc. 707) * 1996: ''Model Rockets, Tube Top'' (Split 7) – "Model Rockets: World Won't Let Me" / "Tube Top: The Rules" (Collective Fruit CF-7003) ;Compilations * 1994: ''13 Soda Punx – A Top Drawer Compilation'' – Track 12, "Balcony" (Top Drawer Records) * 1994: ''The World Of The Zombies'' – Track 7, "This Will Be Our Year" (Popllama PLCD-85) * 1994: ''Imposible Records Presents Lucky Records'' – Track 16, "New Cinnamon Girl" (Impossible Records IMP-036) * 1995: ''UniverSOnoro Volumen 1'' Track 14, "New Cinnamon Girl" (Boa BOA 10307001) * 1996: ''UniverSOnoro Volumen 2'' – Track 3, "Stick It Out" (Boa BOA 10308002) * 1997: ''English Rose – Tribute To The Jam'' – Track 12, "I Got By In Time" (Alfa ALCA-5198) * 2003: ''One Day In Colour'' – Track 6, "Ugly Jacket" (Grabaciones En El Mar GELMAR169) * 2004: ''Super Charged Flash Light Pops'' – Track 6, "A Notice To Everyone" (Not Lame Recordings) * 2007: ''Little Steven's Underground Garage Presents The Coolest Songs In The World! Vol. 4'' – Track 10, "Dress Up Girls" (Wicked Cool Record Co. WC706) * 2014: ''Souvenirs: Little Gems of Pop Volume II'' – Track 7, "Hitchhiker Jane" (Sound Asleep Records WON 002)

Stumpy Joe

;LPs * 1991: ''One Way Rocket Ride To Kicksville!'' (

PopLlama Records PopLlama Records is an independent record label founded by record producer Conrad Uno in Seattle, Washington, in 1984. After making several of his own demos in his basement studio, Uno would produce The Young Fresh Fellows' debut album ''The Fabu ...

PL66) * 1993: ''Poor, Poor, Stumpy Joe Blow Each Others Heads Off'' (Bands We Like BWL 002)) ;Singles * 1989: ''Daydreams'' – "Daydreams" / "Basket Case" (

Estrus Records Estrus Records is an independent record label from Bellingham, Washington that makes surf, garage and trash rock music. They have released such bands as Mono Men, The Drags, The Mummies, Supercharger, Impala, Man or Astro-man?, the Makers ...

ES-72) * 1991: ''The Estrus 7" Combo Deluxe'' (with Mono Men, Game for Vultures, Marble Garden – "Day Dreams" / "Basket Case" (Estrus Records ESBX2 – ES-72) * 1991: ''Love Plumbin' '' – "Love Plumbin" / "I.W.S.B. (I Want Some Bud)" (PopLlama Records PL7-35) * 1993: ''Sugar And Glue'' – "Sugar And Glue" / "Welcome Back (Kotter's Theme)" (Top Drawer Records TDR V2) ;Compilations * 1992: ''Hodge Podge & Barrage From Japan'' – Track 3: "Proverbial Straw" (1 + 2 Records 021)

The Sharing Patrol

;LPs * 1986: ''Day After Yesterday'' (Sound Of Music SOUND 104) * 1986: ''... And Now The Sharing Patrol'' (Sound Of Music SOUND 1202) * 1990: ''The Sharing Patrol'' (EMI) * 1992: ''Chainsaw Boogie'' (EMI) * 1996: ''Vega 22.10.96'' (Sundance) * 1996: ''Take You There'' (Sundance) ;Singles * 1987: ''Everyday Seems Like Sunday / Back To You Again'' (Sound Of Music SOUND 705) * 1987: ''The Sharing Patrol In Cb'' (SAM Records SAM 18) (EP) * 198?: Day After Yesterday (Sound Of Music SOUND 703) * 1990: ''It's Not True / Like A Rolling Stone'' (EMI 1397627) * 1994: ''Yikes!'' (Instant Records) * 1996: ''I Can Take You There'' (Sundance SU9023-40) (CD single) * 1996: ''Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'' (Sundance (SU9026-40) (CD single)

Johnny Sangster & Rob Benson

;LPs * 2002: ''Sangster Meets Benson/Benson Meets Sangster'' (Roam)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tripwires Musical groups from Seattle Rock music groups from Washington (state) American supergroups Musical groups established in 2006