I stumbled across Pinche Gringo roughly a year ago per a friends suggestion. Eric Bingham, bassist for the The Griefs (Spoonful Records), had played with him on his last tour and thought I may enjoy his take on music. I love a minimalistic, dirty, bluesy garage sound, and Pinche definitely did not disappoint.
Pinche Gringo evolved after party band The Spinns retired. Josh Johnson (then Spinns drummer) started his own version of one-man-band garage blues stomp. After a stint in Mexico City playing along side the likes of Los Explosivos and The Halfways, Josh moved back to the states and calls North Carolina home. Now teamed up with “the lovely Sarita” (vocals, and a variety of instruments) a unique sound has emerged. A throwback to the sounds of yester-year…. God Bless original sounds, from original artists pouring their hearts out for our entertainment! Each Note Secure - cincinnati music
Alright, so in the interest of full disclosure, I gotta be straight up - and this candor stands in the cautious light of recent (mostly) unfounded charges of journalistic nepotism on my part - but Josh Johnson is one of my all-time main motherfuckers. When I say this, I mean we earned it, too, in the adolescent trenches. We’ve known each other since time spent in Dad's slacks, began playing together when we were snot-nosed virgins who didn’t know Billy Childish from Otis Rush, and have always caught up with each other in the musical realms when we can. So, in short, I’m biased. When it comes to parlaying the primal rhythms with utmost style, I think the cat is stone brilliant, and I get the pleasure of knowing I watched his genius bloom twixt the cracks of the ruined sidewalks of Greensboro, NC.
But lucky for me (and you), almost everyone who’s seen him drum feels the exact same way - it's impossible not to be amazed by his maximal rhythmic expansion on the most minimal of drumsets. Back in the day (with groovy North Carolina pinheads Thee Spinns and The Greenhornes’ corpse-bearers The Griefs), he used but a ride cymbal, a snare, a kick and a tomtom. That’s skeletal, for sure, especially considering the mighty swing he conjured from his kit. Watching him with those dudes was like watching a sonically reduced Buddy Rich power The Gories or The Stomachmouths or something. Back then you knew that if one of his bands was playing, he and his drums were the reasons you should be there.
So, it makes pure sense that he’s moved to Mexico City and gone even more gloriously minimal; he’s formed his own one-man garage-stomper, Pinche Gringo. I’m psyched he’s coming just to hang, but Athens should rejoice as well - the dude’s got a solid-gold soul, and he’s gonna swing your pants straight down. - Jim McHugh (dark meat vomit lazers family band) FLAGPOLE.
A piece of the sadly defunct Spinns. Pinche Gringo is the one-man band garage/blues project of Josh. it’s a sound that would fit perfectly at home on a label like Bomp! Records. Soulful, dirty, trashy and rawkus. I’m pretty psyched to see more of him around town! It’s a stiff dose of one-man bands past and present (Hasil Adkins/BBQ) with some great 60s garage worship. You can hear one hell of a record collection hiding behind his sound. WNN'G.
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