The Sunset Shipwrecks

Everything dies: heroes & hobos, pets & parents, friends, enemies, bands and even cities. In the case of today’s topic, The Sunset Shipwrecks, they were born out of the ashes of the demise of these last two. After the dissolution of the long running punk mainstays American Steel (Fat Wreck Chords, Lookout Records), guitarist and co-vocalist Ryan Massey had all but decided to give up the ghost and settle into post-rock and roll bliss in his native San Francisco. But a funny thing happened on the way to retirement: San Francisco up and died too. With a plague of tech bros and the subsequent skyrocketing cost of living that accompanies the death knell of a livable community, Massey found himself forced to move out of the house he’d called home for over a decade, and out of SF altogether. Uprooted, angry and bursting with a restless, reckless energy, what’s an old punk to do? Well, if you’re Ryan Massey, you round up Am Steel alum Scott Healy, and SF scene fixtures Brian Miu and Sean Reilly, and you channel your angst into The Sunset Shipwrecks, a band as unrepentantly no-modifier-needed rock and roll as anyone’s seen in years. Next, you record Community, a 10 song banger packed with angst, rage, betrayal, hooks and riffs, and you revive your recently defunct Lugosi Records imprint in order to get your angry message of cosmic heartbreak out to the people. Probably, if I had to guess, you’d put it out in May of 2016.

Okay, the quick and dirty version: after a long career of influencing and touring with some of the biggest names in the world of punk rock, (including Against Me!, The Murder City Devils, Hot Water Music, The Lawrence Arms, NOFX, etc.), American Steel decided to call it quits when bassist John Peck moved to Berlin. Ryan, set adrift from his native soil and lacking the creative outlet that Amsteel had provided for the better part of two decades, channeled his anger and frustration into the writing of new music for the new band. Ryan even decided to step up his game and, for the first time ever, try his hand at being the primary songwriter and all-around main guy. Turns out it suits him pretty well. The results are Community, a refreshingly no-bullshit take on straight up old-school rock and roll. Imagine the Animals if they were really as deranged, world weary and anchorless as they pretended to be and you’re approaching the smoky swagger of the Sunset Shipwrecks.

But it’s not all gloom and cracked hulls over here. With a proper lineup and a clear mission, The Sunset Shipwrecks were able to coax legendary producer Kevin Army (Operation Ivy, anyone?) out of retirement to engineer his first record in a decade, in Ryan’s own Sharkbite studios. The results are an album that provides the perfect soundtrack for late night driving around, getting super high, doing it with someone you barely know or walking back and forth over the Golden Gate and wondering if tomorrow’s really worth sticking around for. HEY! Good rock and roll is dark! Don’t blame the bio writer. Blame the framers of the rock and roll constitutin.

Expect to see the Sunset Shipwrecks hit up a club near you and doing limited dates all summer long, particularly if you live on the west coast. Mostly, dig this batch of unrepentant rock and roll tunes born of anger, frustration and the need to create, for no other reason than to expel them demons. RIP SF. Welcome to the world Sunset Shipwrecks.

Band Members

Ryan Massey - Vocals and Guitar
Sean Reilly - Guitar and Vocals
Brian Miu - Bass and Vocals
Scott Healy - Drums

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