Western Grip began life back in October 2024 as a one-off collaboration between William Edward Haring (vocals, guitar, piano, percussion) and Shane Patrick Johnson (vocals, bass, guitar, organ, synth, percussion). What was meant to be a single live experiment quickly solidified into an ongoing project.

William had been invited to open for a touring noise artist at Café Berlin in Columbia, Missouri. Shane came on board to help build the set. Armed with a newly acquired 40-year-old analog drum machine and only two rehearsals, the pair developed a sound that felt immediate and fully formed – fusing outlaw country narratives with post-punk, dub, and noise textures.

Shane Patrick Johnson from the band joins us for a Why I Love on The Clash

Picking one band for all time? That’s such a difficult task! I always ask people if youre stuck on a desert island who’s record would you take?

I know it sounds trite and overdone for a UK publication but I truly love The Clash. I’ve always found myself going back through all their records and finding new gems within them (even cut the crap). Its hard to find the convergence of both good politics and good lyrics and good music. Seeeing punk and hardcore bands lecturing kids from the stage always felt so nauseating. Bands were either really good and the in between song banter was crap or the opposite? The Clash did it all with grace and style. There’s plenty of ink spilled on them but for a kid growing up in Northern Kentucky, they checked all the boxes for me after I found them.

When did you first hear them?

I first heard them from a friend who had The Story Of The Clash on a double cassette. It was the first box set double cassette I ever saw and the gatefold was so long.. It was 1996 I think. It was like someone hit me with a hammer on the head, I was struck.

When was that moment when it all clicked for you with the artist?

I heard both Give ’em Enough Rope and Sandinista at the same time because I bought every Clash record from my friend who was having a moving party where she had all of her stuff in her apartment set up with price tags on everything . She had a “vinyl not for sale” sign on her records. I offered her a stupid amount of money at the time for the records and she said yes! (thanks Cyndi!). I stumbled home with a stack of records and feel like my life is a lot different after that night. They were such radically different records in style, art, production but made by the same band within 2-3 year time from

The fact that they recorded 3x LP while on a world tour for 2 years and then sold the triple LP for the price of a single to stick it to the record company just blew my mind. They also made a small record in between called London Calling. Their records were like a danceable history lesson with an analysis of the world that I needed to hear.

How they inspired / influenced you

I played in punk bands that aped their sound in some ways early in my musical life but they have such a unique take on punk rock, dub, rockabilly, surf, early rap & hip-hop, etc. They did what they wanted and ignored genre, market, and industry pressure. To think of someone just giving away their record for so little these days is mind blowing.

 Any Favourite songs, lyrics or album covers that blew you away

 This section from Clampdown has always stuck with me. It’s Joe Strummer and Mick Jones offering two sides, two styles, two visions-the external and internal, the hypocrisy, contradictions, but a way forward.

“Let fury have the hour, anger can be power

Do you know that you can use it?

The voices in your head are calling

Stop wasting your time, there’s nothing coming

Only a fool would think someone could save you

The men at the factory are old and cunning

You don’t owe nothing, so boy, get running

It’s the best years of your life they want to steal“

Gigs you might have attended

I saw Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros in 2002 in Brooklyn. Mick Jones was in attendance and came out to sing a couple of songs. It felt like a pinnacle! Pretty significant moment for me and it was a reminder that even the worst breakups can be overcome.

Our thanks to Shane for sharing his insights on The Clash.

Here’s Western Grip with Stick And Poke:

You can read more from our extensive archive of Why I Love pieces from a wide array of artists on an even wider array of subjects, here.

Western Grip: Bandcamp

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