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Ahead of Shop Talk's summer tour, we spoke to the garage rock trio about their recent single, plans to record a full-length album, and what it was like supporting Belfast punk legends Protex back in the spring.
Paperface Zine: First tell me what you've been up to as of late. What have you been reading, watching, or listening to anything you'd like to share with our readers?
Jon Garcia (vocals/guitar): Tristan and I joined a "book club" and the first novel we're discussing is Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. It's gruesome at times and not for the faint of heart, but the writing is gorgeous. The club's selection of McCarthy was coincidental, but right now the band is working on a tune called "Saltillo" that's partly inspired by scenes from All The Pretty Horses.
Tristan Griffin (bass/vocals): I recently went on a vacation with my family and had time to do a lot of reading. I mostly revisited favorite authors like Vonnegut, Capote and Gabriel Garcia Marquez… dropped in Factotum by Bukowski to break up the wholesomeness of my surroundings. Otherwise, the series What We Do in the Shadows has to be one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Matt Berry is a brilliant comedic actor.
Alexander Perrelli (drums): I've been re-watching lots of movies from the '80s and '90s (The Fugitive, Deep Cover, The Fly, Heat), and reading James Baldwin (The Fire Next Time, No Name in the Street).
PZ: Take us through the origins of Shop Talk. What was the idea behind forming a band together?
JG: Shop Talk began as my solo recording project. I invited Alexander to play drums on a batch of songs as a kind of "one-off" session, and that collaboration wound up continuing for years. We weren't very active, but we gradually started gigging around NYC with a rotating cast of players. Jeff Berner from Psychic TV (and Shilpa Ray's band) played bass with us for a while, and he's such a talented player that working with him made us better pretty quickly. The project was just starting to feel more substantial when the pandemic hit, and we had to stop gigging. Tristan and I met shortly after the city reopened, and that's when we decided to make Shop Talk a full-fledged band. I had a large backlog of songs, so we just hit the ground running.
PZ: What has the experience been like so far and how do you think the band has evolved since starting?
AP: Jon and I have been playing music together on and off for almost a decade, and with this lineup we're presenting our material in its most cohesive form. Jon has a unique voice as a songwriter, and always seems to build on his influences rather than pointing at them directly. Tristan brought a wealth of experience to the band through his years touring with Algiers, and his musical instincts are really sharp. He also has the kind of "drive" that a band needs to get shit done.
TG: A band is very much like a polyamorous marriage and I am very glad to be in a happy one.
PZ: For our readers who aren't familiar, what other bands have you all been in over the years?
JG: We've all been in a bunch of bands that no one will remember. More notably, Alexander played in a band called Pygmy Shrews (alongside Ben Greenberg of Uniform, The Men, etc.), and Tristan has been a touring member of Algiers.
PZ: How did your latest single WCUD come together? Were these two songs recorded around the same time of the debut EP in April '23?
JG: Those songs were recorded a bit later. We knew we were going out on tour that March, and we wanted to release a single as a kind of teaser for the tour. "W.C.U.D." had been kicking around for years, and I knew it had a good hook, but I'd been waiting for the right opportunity to record it. Travis Harrison did a great job tracking that with us. I also mixed the single (and the EP) at home and I think it's our best sounding mix by a mile.
PZ: What are the origins of the B-Side "The Will"?
JG: "The Will" was written shortly after "W.C.U.D." if memory serves, and it went through a few different stages. Tristan came to the song with fresh ears and had some great ideas about its arrangement. It's a bit of a departure from the sound of the EP, and I'm happy that people seem to be connecting with it.
PZ: Are these two tracks previewing a larger release? If so, when can fans expect that to come out?
TG: Yes! During the upcoming tour we're stopping in Nashville for five days to record a full-length with our friend Jamie Mechan from The Sleeveens which we hope to have out later this year.
PZ: What has it been like playing Jonathan Toubin's Sunday Soul Scream over the last couple of years and what was it like playing the recent one back in June?
JG: Jonathan is a real supporter of the band, and we always love playing (and attending) his events! The gig in June was special because it mostly featured bands with members who work at (or are somehow associated with) TV Eye—which has become a kind of home away from home for us. Miranda and the Beat and Mala Vista have been friends of ours for a while, and this was the first opportunity for all three of us to play together on the same bill.
PZ: What was it like supporting Protex earlier this year?
TG: That show was especially fun for me since I'm from Atlanta and I've been going to shows at the Earl since it opened 25 years ago. We're all fans of Protex, so it was exciting to share a stage with them. Those guys still rip! The Sleeveens from Nashville also played and were great. Our friends Frida Kill were playing a late show across the street at 529, and we all went over to watch them. We wound up closing down two bars in the EAV with the Protex guys that night.
PZ: How excited are you for the July tour and what bands/venues are you most keen to check out?
JG: Booking a tour can be a lot of work, and sometimes you forget why you're putting yourself through that… once all the logistical stuff is sorted out, it's like, "Oh, cool, now we're actually going to play these shows!" This run came together really well, and we're eager to get back out there. Some bands I'm looking forward to playing with are The Courettes, Vacation, Long Gones, Serqet, Oceaneater, Membrains, Ghetto Blasters, Shampoo, and Liar Mute. There are a bunch more, but those happened to pop into my head at this moment.
PZ: Aside from the tour, what else is on the horizon for Shop Talk?
TG: Our main goals this year are to finish up our first full length and find a good home for it. There will be more US touring and with any luck we'll make it over to Europe early next year.
WCUD is out now. Be sure to catch Shop Talk on tour across the USA at the dates below.
Jul 23 - Philly PA @ Kung Fu Necktie w/ Membrains, Problem Addict
Jul 24 - Columbus OH @ Bourbon Street w/ The Courettes, Good Reverend
Jul 25 - Detroit MI @ Outer Limits w/ Menage Detroit, Briggance, Zem, DJ Kenjiro
Jul 26 - Cincinnati OH @ Feel It Record Shop w/ Disintegration, Chlorine, Rod
Jul 27 - Chicago IL @ Liar’s Club w/ The Courettes, Clear Coat
Aug 3 - Nashville TN @ DRKMTTR w/ THING (members of Sleeveens), Casual Sects
Aug 4 - Chattanooga TN @ JJ’s Bohemia w/ Ghetto Blasters, Liar Mute, Killer Larry
Aug 5 - Atlanta GA @ The Earl w/ Oceaneater, Dead Meat (mem. of Algiers)
Aug 7 - Charlotte NC @ Snug Harbor w/ Shampoo, Tight, DJ Fat Keith Richards
Aug 8 - Richmond VA @ Bandito’s w/ Serqet, MK Vulture, Isa Moreno