REVIEW: JPW + Dad Weed "It's Happening"

[Repost from Here Comes the Flood; by Hans Werksman, April 28, 2025]

Phoenix, AZ, lo-fi duo JPW & Dad Weed have made a video for It's Happening: "a scuzzy sounding exploration of left-field indie rock, as if the instruments have been gathering dust for a couple of decades. Somehow everything still works, which comes as a surprise for the musicians themselves. The bass and drums only interlude is a 101 for less is more, before giving way to a Tom Verlaine inspired guitar leading the way to a 60s Sci-Fi psych coda." It is a track from their Amassed Like a Rat King album.

» jasonpwoodbury.com

» Dad Weed on Instagram

HCTF review of Amassed Like a Rat King

REVEIW: JPW + Dad Weed 'Amassed Like a Rat King'

[Repost from The Shrieking Fox Punk; by Fox Wolf, April 26, 2025]

On the indie rock powerhouse label of Fort Lowell, comes “Amassed Like a Rat King,” via the collaboration between JPW and Dad Weed.  Firstly, 1000 points for using “amassed” as part of the title. I’m a word nerd.

Going into this, as I do with a lot of the newest rock material, I don’t really know much about the groups or projects. That actually kinda works out, as I can bounce into the album with zero assumptions outside of what the press kit says. It’s always a nice surprise, trust me. And, yes, this one was a nice surprise.

So, how does this LP sound? Fucking fantastic! Psychedelic indie rock with elements of jangle, pop and it’s certainly got its roots deep in alternative.  Like, there’s a solid shot of 90s goodness resting on a foundation of modern alternative rock building blocks. This is the kinda stuff I’d surely hear on my local indie station (especially if I worked there…) or one of my local college stations. Solid. Jam on.

Lyrically, this is some good stuff. A nice mix of catchy zing and graceful pop poetry; it’s the kinda stuff you can easily sing along with, especially in the car with the windows down. Hell yeah. Makes me hungry for a follow-up LP or EP.

If I really had to compare the sound to bands I know, I’d say it’s a mix of Breeders, Primal Scream, Dinosaur Jr, Love Battery, Flaming Lips, and a dash of Arcade Fire. I mean, it’s much, much more than these comparisons, but it’s the best I can say, yeah? Just spin it yourself, and you’ll see it stand out rather nicely on its own.

This gem is pressed on green vinyl. Limited edition of 100. Get it before it’s gone.

REVIEW: JPW + Dad Weed 'Amassed Like a Rat King'

[Repost from Anna Bartkowski; April 24, 2025]

I grew up with the sounds of the Beatles,the Beach Boys, CCR—some of the greatest music ever recorded. So when I come across new music that instantly resonates with me, I feel compelled to share it.

Full disclosure: I’ve known Jason and Zach for years—Jason is my son-in-law. But that connection alone isn't why I'm raving about their music. It’s because the songs truly deserve it. Give them a listen, and I think you’ll agree: the praise is well-earned.

Amassed Like a Rat King is such a brilliant album—I danced through most of the tracks. Yes, danced! And let’s be honest, we could all use the aerobic boost and endorphin rush that comes with moving to great music. Even my dogs were into it.

Check it out on your favorite streaming service—and keep an eye out, because the green vinyl edition is dropping soon.

REVIEW: JPW & Dad Weed 'Amassed Like a Rat King'

[Repost from Add to Wantlist; by Dennis, April 23, 2025]

New album: JPW & Dad Weed || Amassed Like a Rat King

Desert dreams and cosmic connections

Here we find folky psych pop that meets melancholic alt-rock, in a timeless kaleidoscope of sound and sentiment—solid but surprising.

The Two Against Nurture EP was a promising taster of the collaboration between JPW aka Jason P. Woodbury and Dad Weed aka Zachary Toporek, their first joint full-length Amassed Like a Rat King—the title track is an ode to Woodbury’s rural Arizona upbringing—lives up to expectations. The eleven songs emerged from friendship and mutual admiration, a shared ‘third mind’ situation and studio alchemy led to a captivating audio document of memory and motion. “You could call it God // I think I’d rather not (it’s happening)” we hear in the telling single It’s Happening, set to animations from IBM’s 1958 The Information Machine film. Probably it is the synergy of shared inspiration, creative minds and a cosmic connection?

“What you’re calling out // Makes me feel something” are the final lines of the elastic closing track What If I Were Dying, and that’s just the way it is.

Amassed Like a Rat King is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Fort Lowell Records.

REVIEW: JPW & Dad Weed 'Amassed Like a Rat King'

[Repost from Here Comes the Flood; by Hans Werksman, April 22, 2025]

Phoenix, AZ based musicians Jason P. Woodbury and Zachary Toporek hade been eyeing each other's handiwork for more than a decade, before connecting for a joint project, named JPW & Dad Weed. After releasing the Two Against Nurture EP and the It's Happening, their debut full-length Amassed Like a Rat King lives up to its promise, with a wealth of meandering, scuzzy and fuzzy sounding explorations of left-field indie rock.

The funky Frightening sums up their style in nutshell: starting out as borderline radio-friendly tune for parents to pop in the player as they drive the kids to their soccer practice in suburbia, the song makes a sharp left to and comes close to falling apart amidst shattering drums and distorted guitar. JPW & Dad Weed are a duo that will be championed by the knowledgeable staff in independent record stores, who will be more than happy to point all the references and extrapolations. Cool kids of all ages will love it.

Amassed Like a Rat King is released via Fort Lowell Records (green vinyl, digital).

Tracks:

1. Amassed Like a Rat King
2. It's Happening
3. Everybody's Talking (Again)
4. Far Off Road
5. Frightening
6. Chain of Gravity
7. Not Sure What I'm Looking At
8. Figure of Speech
9. Straight Lines
10. So Brightly There
11. What If I Were Dying

OUT NOW: JPW + Dad Weed 'Amassed Like a Rat King' [Duet LP]

After 15 years of collaborative experiences and cheering each other on from various distances, Zachary Toporek and Jason P. Woodbury have finally teamed up on Amassed Like a Rat King. Toporek is best known as the leader of 1970s pop-style collective Dad Weed, while Woodbury fronts spooky desert-jangle combo JPW (alongside his work with the eclectic online music magazine Aquarium Drunkard).

• "Autumnal psych pop" — I Heart Noise
  
• "Sunny psych pop with a dark folk edge" — Add to Wantlist
• "A load of fun and have a sunny side" — If It's Too Loud
• "Free-flowing, gnarly power pop" — Here Comes the Flood

JPW + Dad Weed Amassed Like a Rat King is out now and available everywhere today!

LISTEN TO FULL ALBUM | ORDER VINYL RECORD

We've got two new records for your vinyl collection...

Kicking Bird 11 Short Fictions 

JPW + Dad Weed Amassed Like a Rat King

KICKING BIRD is for fans of: Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, Broken Social Scene, Blur, The Cardigans, Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello, The Dears, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, KISS, The Love Language, The New Pornographers, The Pixies, The Presidents of the United States of America, The Rolling Stones, Silversun Pickups, Surfer Blood, T. Rex, Two Door Cinema Club, Weezer

JPW + DAD WEED is for fans of: Amen Dunes, Barenaked Ladies, Calexico, Cornershop, Elephant 6, Flaming Lips, Gin Blossoms, LEN, My Morning Jacket, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, R.E.M., Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, U2, Wilco, Link Wray

PRE-ORDER HERE

OUT NOW: JPW & Dad Weed "What If I Were Dying" [Digital Single]

After 15 years of collaborative experiences and cheering each other on from various distances, Zachary Toporek and Jason P. Woodbury have finally teamed up on Amassed Like a Rat King. Toporek is best known as the leader of 1970s pop-style collective Dad Weed, while Woodbury fronts spooky desert-jangle combo JPW (alongside his work with the eclectic online music magazine Aquarium Drunkard).  Uniting the strands of their crisscrossing musical sensibilities, the duo’s collaborative debut sprawls across 11 tracks of hypnotic psych-folk, mid-century pop fantasias, and ‘90s alt-pop bliss-outs. 

"What If I Were Dying" is the fourth digital single to be released from the album Amassed Like a Rat King by JPW & Dad Weed, and is now available as of today on all digital music platforms.

Jesse Locke on “What If I Were Dying”:

Jason P. Woodbury and Zachary Toporek’s tender voices come together on the cinematic album closer, “What If I Were Dying.” As vast as the Arizona desert, and equally ready-made for silent contemplation, this head-nodding groover builds up steam as it bounces like a tumbleweed, opening up into a stone cold funky bass line in the final seconds of Amassed Like A Rat King.

LISTEN NOW | PRE-ORDER VINYL RECORD

OUT NOW: JPW & Dad Weed "Far Off Road" [Digital Single]

After 15 years of collaborative experiences and cheering each other on from various distances, Zachary Toporek and Jason P. Woodbury have finally teamed up on Amassed Like a Rat King. Toporek is best known as the leader of 1970s pop-style collective Dad Weed, while Woodbury fronts spooky desert-jangle combo JPW (alongside his work with the eclectic online music magazine Aquarium Drunkard).  Uniting the strands of their crisscrossing musical sensibilities, the duo’s collaborative debut sprawls across 11 tracks of hypnotic psych-folk, mid-century pop fantasias, and ‘90s alt-pop bliss-outs. 

"Far Off Road" is the third digital single to be released from the album Amassed Like a Rat King by JPW & Dad Weed, and is now available as of today on all digital music platforms.

Jesse Locke on “Far Off Road”:

“Far Off Road” brings the lights down low, casting a single spotlight on the whisper-soft vocals of Jason P. Woodbury as the song bobs along with a gentle pulse. Ghostly doo-wop harmonies and eerily processed guitar effects carry this avant-ballad into the realm of the otherworldly, like The Penguins set adrift on Brian Eno’s faraway beach.

LISTEN NOW | PRE-ORDER VINYL RECORD

REVIEW: JPW & Dad Weed "It's Happening"

[Repost from Here Comes the Flood; by Hans Werksman, January 28, 2025]

Phoenix, AZ based musicians Jason P. Woodbury and Zachary Toporek have released It's Happening, a new single by JPW & Dad Weed project, serving as a taste from their forthcoming Amassed Like a Rat King album. It's a scuzzy sounding exploration of left-field indie rock, as if the instruments have been gathering dust for a couple of decades.

Somehow everything still works, which comes as a surprise for the musicians themselves. The bass and drums only interlude is a 101 for less is more, before giving way wo a Tom Verlaine inspired guitar leading the way to a 60s Sci-Fi psych coda.

It's Happening is released via Fort Lowell Records. The Amassed Like a Rat King album (green vinyl, digital) is available for pre-order here. Release date: April 22.

OUT NOW: JPW & Dad Weed "It's Happening" [Digital Single]

After 15 years of collaborative experiences and cheering each other on from various distances, Zachary Toporek and Jason P. Woodbury have finally teamed up on Amassed Like a Rat King. Toporek is best known as the leader of 1970s pop-style collective Dad Weed, while Woodbury fronts spooky desert-jangle combo JPW (alongside his work with the eclectic online music magazine Aquarium Drunkard).  Uniting the strands of their crisscrossing musical sensibilities, the duo’s collaborative debut sprawls across 11 tracks of hypnotic psych-folk, mid-century pop fantasias, and ‘90s alt-pop bliss-outs. 

"It's Happening" is the second digital single to be released from the album Amassed Like a Rat King by JPW & Dad Weed, and is now available as of today on all digital music platforms.

Jesse Locke on “It’s Happening”:

It’s all happening on “It’s Happening.” JPW & Dad Weed glide into a winding, insistent groove, mesmerizing like snake charmers with a junk shop’s worth of ramshackle flourishes. Handclaps propel low-down basslines, shakers flutter over softly uttered vocals, and organs squelch throughout transcendent guitar solos. There’s something happening here — something you can feel from your head down to your toes—and even deeper within.

LISTEN NOW | PRE-ORDER VINYL RECORD

Watch the Official Lyric Video here:

Here are the first three Fort Lowell Records releases for next year

MindsOne Stages - Release Date: February 7, 2025 - PRE-ORDER HERE

• FOR FANS OF: 9th Wonder, The Alchemist, Atmosphere, Beastie Boys, Benny The Butcher, Big Pun, Black Moon, Kev Brown, Common, Da Beatminerz, D.I.T.C., DJ Premier, El-P, EPMD, Gang Starr, Hi-Tek, Hieroglyphics, J Dilla, Jay Z, KRS One, Little Brother, Lootpack, Madlib, Madvillain, MF Doom, Mobb Deep, M.O.P., Mos Def, Nas, Organized Konfusion, OutKast, Marco Polo, Redman, Run The Jewels, RZA, Sage Francis, Skyzoo, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Wu-Tang Clan

Kicking Bird 11 Short Fictions - Release Date: April 4, 2025 - PRE-ORDER HERE

• FOR FANS OF: Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, Broken Social Scene, Blur, The Cardigans, Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello, The Dears, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, KISS, The Love Language, The New Pornographers, The Pixies, The Presidents of the United States of America, The Rolling Stones, Silversun Pickups, Surfer Blood, T. Rex, Two Door Cinema Club, Weezer

JPW & Dad Weed Amassed Like a Rat King - Release Date: April 22, 2025 - PRE-ORDER HERE

• FOR FANS OF: Amen Dunes, Barenaked Ladies, Calexico, Cornershop, Elephant 6, Flaming Lips, Gin Blossoms, LEN, My Morning Jacket, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, R.E.M., Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, U2, Wilco, Link Wray

JPW & Dad Weed 'Two Against Nurture' - 2024 in Review // Favorite EPs, Reissues and Albums

[Repost from I Heart Noise; by Ilya S., December 5, 2024]

“J Moss is a deeply authentic music maker. One of the most prolific recording projects I’ve heard of in recent memory, Modern Folk can be anything from fingerstyle acoustic guitar, to field recording laden soundscapes, to noisy spacious freak outs, to a free rock band full of friends” – Bud Tapes

J Moss, aka The Modern Folk, is no big fan of lists, by his own admission. Which is why we’re honored to have him kick off an overview of 2024 for us!

JPW & Dad Weed – Two Against Nurture (Fort Lowell Records)

FOR FANS OF: Amen Dunes, Calexico, Cornershop, Elephant 6, Flaming Lips, Gin Blossoms, LEN, My Morning Jacket, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, R.E.M., Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, U2, Wilco, Link Wray

The dark is arriving earlier each passing evening. The veil between the spirit world and the land of the living grows thin. Into the glooming emerge Phoenix songwriters Zachary “Dad Weed” Toporek and Jason P. Woodbury, aka JPW, noted podcaster, liner notes author, and songwriter, bearing a bag of autumnal psych pop. Recorded in Toporek’s backyard studio between 2021-2024, these three tracks showcase the birth of a songwriting partnership between these longtime friends and collaborators. Operating like an ersatz Becker and Fagan, handling singing, writing, arranging, and production in a 50/50 split, these songs indulge their taste for ragged power pop, chiming folk rock, and even semi-improvised jams.

Further Reading: Add To Wantlist / Here Comes The Flood 

Songs of Our Lives #60: Jason Woodbury

[Repost from Foxy Digitals; by Brad Rose, November 12, 2024]


On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Jason Woodbury! After a quick chat about the connection and influence of writing about music and playing music, plus his new EP with Dad Weed, we get into unfortunate moments with the Bob Seger Band, the lifetime of influence Vince Guaraldi has had, sticking up for The Smiths, Judee Sill’s transcendent lyrics, Bill Evans replayability, Bob Dylan, Cocteau Twins, Tom Verlaine + more!


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FULL PODCAST


Listen to all of Jason’s picks HERE
Jason’s Website
Jason’s Substack, “Range & Basin”
JPW & Dad Weed “Two Against Nurture”
JPW “Raw Action On Route”
Transmissions Podcast

Successful collaboration between two songwriters leads to melancholy, memory and magic in three atmospheric tracks

[Repost from Add to Wantlist; by Dennis, November 7, 2024]

New EP: JPW & Dad Weed || Two Against Nurture

Phoenix-based singer-songwriters (and longtime friends) Jason P. Woodbury aka JPW and Zach Toporek aka Dad Weed have joined forces, and the synergistic effect is inviting. The three tracks on their Two Against Nurture EP embrace sunny psych pop with a dark folk edge. A two-sided tension is reflected on all levels, including in the lyrics, such as “Well everybody’s talking about moving away // You think you’ll be sticking around” (from Everybody’s Talking (Again)) and “Sun tan lotion // Wearing mirrored skin // You’ve arrived here // Just in time for the end” (from Big Wave). Musically you’ll also hear a clash of styles and preferences, resulting in a rich and surprising orchestration that sounds experimental at times, but is always captivating.

Two Against Nurture, written and produced by Jason P. Woodbury and Zach Toporek, is out digitally via Fort Lowell Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

JPW & Dad Weed - Two Against Nurture

[Repost for If It's Too Loud; by Ken Sears, November 6, 2024]

JPW & Dad Weed is the collaboration between Phoenix songwriters Zachary "Dad Weed" Toporek and Jason P. Woodbury. The duo just released a three song EP titled Two Against Nurture. The three songs comprising the EP are this glorious mix of the more mainstream side of early 90's alt-rock such as Gin Blossoms and R.E.M. alongside the more experimental sounds of Polaris and The Flaming Lips. Despite it not sounding like a complete 90's throwback, songs like "Everybody's Talking (Again)" and "When I Get Lonesome" are going to hit a nostalgia button you didn't even know you had. Plus, the songs are just a load of fun and have a sunny side that is necessary here in New England when it's getting dark at 4:30 in the afternoon. "Big Wave" closes out the EP, and goes in a completely different, more early country infused Wilco meets Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco. Two Against Nurture is made up of three perfect singles.

You can listen to Two Against Nurture below. The EP is out now via Fort Lowell Records, and is available via Bandcamp. For more on JPW & Dad Weed, check out Jason P. Woodbury's website. Dad Weed can be found on Instagram here.

JPW & Dad Weed: Two Against Nurture

[Repost by Here Comes the Flood; by Hans Werksman, October 29, 2024]

Phoenix, AZ based musicians Jason P. Woodbury and Zachary Toporek themselves JPW & Dad Weed for their debut EP Two Against Nurture. The three tracks were recorded in fits and starts over the years, but they share the same framework: free-flowing, gnarly power pop that mixes the Byrds with unhinged 90s grunge.

Never mind the stoned teenagers having a laugh name for their duo. This is very much a release for music geeks, who will have a field day dissecting all the references Woodbury and Toporek managed to sneak in.

Two Against Nurture is released via Fort Lowell Records.

Tracks:

1. Everybody's Talking (Again)
2. When I Get Lonesome
3. Big Wave

OUT NOW: JPW & Dad Weed 'Two Against Nurture' [Digital EP]

The dark is arriving earlier each passing evening. The veil between the spirit world and the land of the living grows thin. Into the glooming emerge Phoenix songwriters Zachary “Dad Weed” Toporek and Jason P. Woodbury, aka JPW, noted podcaster, liner notes author, and songwriter, bearing a bag of autumnal psych pop. Recorded in Toporek’s backyard studio between 2021-2024, these three tracks showcase the birth of a songwriting partnership between these longtime friends and collaborators. Operating like an ersatz Becker and Fagan, handling singing, writing, arranging, and production in a 50/50 split, these songs indulge their taste for ragged power pop, chiming folk rock, and even semi-improvised jams. Opener “Everybody’s Talkin’ (Again)” pairs suburban Arizona ennui with “summer of ‘99” alt-pop. Driven by Woodbury’s muted bass rumble and Zach Toporek’s exalted breakbeats, the song finds the duo abstracting and stretching out childhood memories, reflecting on the often occulted logic that drives the process of belief and self propulsion. Drawing from early Halloween memories and the spirit of magical possibility that marks the shift from summer to fall, the song’s earnest message urges living in the here and now: “Everybody’s talking about moving away/you think you’ll be sticking around.” ”When I Get Lonesome” continues the thread of ‘90s pop influence, pairing Byrds-inspired jangle pop with scuzzed-out guitars. Closing number “Big Wave” is built on a loose, mostly improvised session, which finds Toporek reflecting on climate dread while Woodbury twists a Telecaster into an open tuning and channels his inner Neil Young. Two Against Nurture opens up the vortex and beckons you to enter. Don’t delay.

—

JPW & Dad Weed Two Against Nurture is now available everywhere.

LISTEN TO DIGITAL EP HERE