Los Angeles artist-restaurateur (and avid surfer) John Walquist and Iceland-born multi-instrumentalist/producer Ragnar Rosinkranz, have teamed to create their joint kaleidoscopic pop venture Weatherboy. Driven by a shared love of classic pop diviners such as The Beatles and the Beach Boys, they sought to bridge those past sounds with a more modern ideology founded upon their collective musical experiences.
Instead of trying to force a given musical viewpoint to Weatherboy, they allowed the music to lead them in whatever direction seemed to fit. The studio wasn’t a means to confine these rhythms but was a place where their communal inspirations could entangle and evolve, giving each song a distinct and inclusive expression. Rosinkraz favored pliable orchestration while Walquist explored the heart of each track, and the synthesis from these two practical perspectives marked a tone of capricious creativity that threads itself throughout the record.
Weatherboy release their self-titled LP via Stand Down Records Friday and Ghettoblaster caught up with Walquist to discuss it. This is what he told us.
Photo by Phoebe Walquist
When did you first begin writing the material for the LP?
Most of the songs I started writing about five years ago.
The two of you had drastically different upbringings. Did you bond over musical influences?
There’s lots of  mutual likes between us, but Ragnar  prefers curating sounds from a current perspective.   I’m more than happy  to take that ride, but have an equal affinity towards older classics. We both share a willingness to go down any road if one of us senses there might be something there; and we’ve spent a few years doing just that.  In modern shorthand Ragnar might prefer Tame Impala and I’d bend towards Tired Pony.  His favorite all time is Dark Side of the Moon and I’m still  asking for seconds of Hunkey Dory.
How does your relationship with the Pacific Ocean penetrate your writing?
Could talk all night about that.  There are so many ways a surfer can engage with the ocean.  Depending on the boards your using, wave preferences,  what lines you like draw on the waves, levels of competitiveness… every variable will invoke a  different mental and emotional experience.  There’s is no one approach that’s better than another.   Some absolutely  shred on old long boards, drawing creatives lines which more progressive surfers, riding modern equipment,  couldn’t draw.   But the inverse is also true.   For some time there was a bit of  rivalry between various groups, but today so many surfers are bringing an amazing level of creativity and soul to the sport  that mutual respect has prevailed.   I think music is a lot like that – do what feels good – if you want to launch into a more experimental mode, than do it… you wanna string up a shovel with two stands of wire you found behind the dumpster, than please do. just make me feel something.
What new artists are you listening to these days?
Like my relationship with TV shows, just finished Breaking Bad last year, I’m always a bit late to the party.   Some Nights is the only album I’ve blasted start to finish and will do again soon.  But I audit a bit of everything.  Josh Tillman writes a nimble tune.  Mac DeMarco’s new album was my drive to the beach yesterday.
What’s next for Weatherboy? Pehaps a tour?
We’re gearing up for some regional shows this fall.   Ragnar’s still got a lot of connections in Iceland and Sweden and we’re starting to reach out to some people there.  The big dream is to play a few Scandinavian festivals next summer.   Gonna go surfing in a few days!
(Visit Weatherboy here:
https://www.facebook.com/WeatherBoyMusicOfficial/
https://www.instagram.com/WeatherboyMusic/
https://twitter.com/weatherboymusic)