Over the past decade, Andrew Bishop has carved out his spot as one of Vancouver’s go-to pop polymaths. He concocted catchy garage anthems as the guitarist of Alex Little & the Suspicious Minds, acted as the sideman in the pop-noir combo Twin River, and made country-tinged solo tunes as White Ash Falls. Along the way, he’s built up an ever-growing resume as a producer.
Now, Andrew has channeled all of it into the new project WAASH, which combines his prolific songwriting talents with a love of towering shoegaze soundscapes. It’s both a culmination and an entirely new beginning. The five songs that make up WAASH‘s self-titled EP were written slowly but steadily as Andrew took plenty of time to tinker with demos and build intricate arrangements from the ground up.
His meticulous approach can be heard in the way EP opener “I Want to Be Good” ascends from the echoing strums of its intro towards a cloud-parting widescreen crescendo.
The sonic foundations for these tracks were laid during an initial session with Andrew‘s Suspicious Minds bandmates Cody Hiles (drums) and Mike Rosen (bass) at Afterlife Studios with Erik Nielsen. Followed by a 10-day session at the Hive studio on Vancouver Island with co-producer/co-mixer Colin Stewart (Destroyer, the New Pornographers, Black Mountain), Andrew took the songs home for even more fine- tuning. At his home in East Vancouver, he added swaths of heavenly keyboards, recruited producer/songwriter Louise Burns to sing harmonies, and perfected the EP’s swooning, reverb-draped atmosphere. Despite WAASH‘s solo origins, the project has now blossomed into a full live band, with Andrew joined by an arsenal of his closest long-time collaborators.
What can you share with readers about your new project?
WAASH has developed and grown into a group of friends and collaborators within our community. We’ve taken our time honing our craft and are now ready to share music and start playing live.
How does this release compare with your other projects you had in the
past?
My previous recordings under White Ash Falls were definitely geared towards country and folk. Within that project I slowly started to gravitate towards louder and more complex arrangements. It eventually got to a point where I didn’t really feel comfortable playing those tunes any more. Just didn’t seem relevant to me at the time.
This fits a little closer to some of the stuff Courtney and I were doing with Twin River, but a little heavier and a lot more psychedelic.
What about this single makes you most proud?
The single “I Want To Be Good” was what really pushed me in a new direction. I had written it just as I was finishing the ep. It was really exciting to try something a bit different. It allowed me to focus on new material. Immediately I began writing what would become our next album.
Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?
I really just wanted to make a record. it’s as simple as that. I hadn’t taken the lead roll within a group in quite some time. Wanted to see if I still had the capacity to do it.
What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?
Life, death, the good and the bad.
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? If it’s an indie/DIY artist, please include a link so readers can check them out.
Kevin Shields. I would love to pick his brain and learn his approach to layering guitars. He’s a master within his world. A true artist.
What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?
Last song I was listening to was “Pet Rock” by L’Rain. Really dig her vibe. We’ve got a gig with her on December 7th here in Vancouver. Excited to see her play live.
Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?
Socials are probably the best place. Hit me up!
I really appreciate your time. Is there anything you’d like to share before we sign off?
Stay tuned for more new music in the new year. We have lots to share!
