(*both laugh*) Episode 50: Hushdrops’ John San Juan!!

Back in early 2020, Hushdrops, the long-running Chicago-based power trio (John San Juan on guitar and vocals, Joe Camarillo on drums, Jim Shapiro on bass) were slated to go into the studio to finish work on what would become their third full-length record. Then in what's become a recurring theme on this show, plans were put on hold due to the onset of Year One of the pandemic. 

While that part of the story is certainly not unique, the story took a sharp and unexpected and tragic turn a year ago. As Year Two of the pandemic kicked off, Camarillo was hospitalized for a stroke and a heart attack. While in the hospital, he suffered and ultimately succumbed to a brain stem stroke. At only 52, the literal backbone of the band was taken much, much too soon.

After some time, San Juan and Shapiro decided the best way to honor their longtime friend and collaborator was to pull together the album that they'd been working on prior to the pandemic. The problem, obviously, is that it wasn't done yet. As fate would have it, there was a soundboard recording of one of the band's last pre-lockdown shows, a set that included a few new tracks that were intended for the new release but that hadn't made their respective ways to the recording studio yet. What followed was the fascinating (to me, anyway) challenge of recording studio guitar, bass and vocals over the isolated live performance drum tracks for two songs that ended up on the album, creating what is a very unique feel to both those tracks and the album in general.

We were lucky enough to catch up with John San Juan to talk about all of this and more. It was the first time we talked, although we've talked about him on a few episodes of (*both laugh*) to date, as he plays bass in the trio that Smoking Popes' Josh Caterer put together for the pair of live albums that he released as bookends in 2021. We talked a lot about Josh, and about Joe, and about mellotrons, and all things in between.

Order "The Static" the latest - and last?! - Hushdrops release from Pravda Records here: https://pravdamusic.com/album/2067945/the-static

Find "The Static" and all the other Hushdrops releases on Bandcamp here:

https://hushdrops.bandcamp.com/

(*both laughs*) theme song is an excerpt from [laughs] track "Hurts To Laugh." © KALI MASI 2021 ℗ Take This To Heart Records 2021