Ryan Güt has become one of the desert’s definitive drummers. Thanks to stints in Brant Bjork’s solo band, and 760-based supergroups Stöner and Mario Lalli and the Rubber Snake Charmers, Güt has become a trusted provider of thunderous desert rock riffs and grooves. His latest venture, The Shastafarian, is a solo album (all written and recorded by Güt) with sounds ranging from fuzzed-out bluesy funk (“Beggars and Choosers”) and introspective soft rock (“Song for G”) to psych-folk bliss “(Basically Dead [This Town])” and more. He’ll be hosting free listening parties on Friday, Aug. 14, at Village Records in La Quinta, and Saturday, Aug. 15, at Up on the Sun Records in Yucca Valley. He’s also performing on Friday, Aug. 21, at the Dune Room. For more information, visit www.theshastafarian.com.
What was the first concert you attended?
A band called Floater at a venue once called The Brick Works in Chico, Calif.
What was the first album you owned?
Roberta Flack, Killing Me Softly. I was 9 or 10. It was sitting there in a bin in a thrift. I was learning piano at the time. I picked up the record, and there she was, sitting there on this cool piano, which I liked just for the art. I had no idea who she was. It made my dad get the turntable out of the closet and go back into their old records, which kind of started everything.
What bands are you listening to right now?
David Byrne, Love, CAN, Meshuggah, Weather Report, Khruangbin … lots and lots of bands. I’m always digging into the past and doing my best to stay present with what’s happening right now. Tripping on Angine de Poitrine, for sure.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
I’d like to say I get it all, man. I think I get it. Who knows?
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
CAN, because they were absolute monsters. Fearless.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I think it sucks to feel guilty about liking something. Oasis.
What’s your favorite music venue?
Rocklette/PALP Festival in Val de Bagnes, Switzerland, the best place in the world I’ve ever been lucky enough to perform. The best people, place and music all in one. Plus, the cheese, which the whole thing is named after.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“Living in America. There’s nothing wrong,” James Brown (from his wild 1988 CNN interview).
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Ringo made it all click, and the Beatles are still changing my life. Louie Bellson was the main inspiration on drums before Ginger Baker. I didn’t think any of the stuff they played was possible. I still don’t, really.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
Noel Redding: “Why?”
What song would you like played at your funeral?
I’d like to not think about that. Right now, my new solo record, The Shastafarian, is an enjoyable listen! Suggested listening includes start to finish with no interruption or distraction, preferably while driving a long desert road or mountain highway.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Rubber Soul (by the Beatles), for so many reasons, but probably because it was the first one to turn me on to everything.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“My Ever Changing Moods” by The Style Council.
