A Grape Dope is the moniker of drummer, producer, and founding Tortoise member John Herndon. And, for the first time, he’s releasing a solo LP. The record, Arthur King Presents A Grape Dope: Backyard Bangers, is due out June 5 via Dangerbird. Herndon’s also shared the new song “Puppet Clubbing” with a visual featuring his animation. Watch below.
In a press release, Herndon described Backyard Bangers as “a collage of sounds—found and recorded in various places and in various ways and then glued together with some rhythm, some space, melody, harmony, noise.” He continued, “I hope it reads like a slice of my record collection—hip-hop, punk, disco jazz, metal, noise, house, techno, comedy, various others.”
John Herndon’s last studio album with Tortoise was 2016’s The Catastrophist. Read about Tortoise in “Yearbook: Beyond Rock—The Heyday of Chicago’s ’90s DIY Scene.”
