Release Date: May 23rd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl
The Shastafarian - Tracklisting
Beggars and Choosers (explicit)
Basically Dead (This Town)
Song for G
On the Up & Up
Sand to Snow
Crig Lord Archduke Earl of Montague (The Monkey)
DHS (12th St. Remixes)
Veteran of the Psychic Wars
Members
Ryan Güt - Everything
Review
The Shastafarian is the debut album from Desert Rock/Stoner Rock multi-instrumentalist Ryan Güt who is better known for his work with the legendary Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli and Nick Oliveri. Ryan has been part of projects such as Stöner, Mario Lalli & the Rubber Snake Charmers and Hammerface. Ryan’s musical and desert rock credentials have never been in doubt where he’s been part of some of the most memorable Desert/Stoner Rock records of the last decade.
The Shastafarian is an eclectic mix of Psych, Stoner Rock, Desert Rock, Americana, Prog and Jazz for a record that’s quite experimental whilst also being superbly familiar. Ryan channels the music of his youth and what has influenced him within his lifetime. There’s a subtle Blues Rock and Soft Rock charge that takes inspiration from the heartland of Seventies and Eighties AOR along the way but with a superb Desert Rock vibe. I would say The Shastafarian has close ties to Brant Bjork’s classic experimental laid back record Jacoozzi.
You can hear influences as diverse as Prince, The Eagles, Tom Petty and KYUSS but Ryan uses a superbly developed style of classic rock melodies set against a backdrop of Cosmic surroundings which shines a light beautifully on the legendary Californian Rock scene. The lyrics can be quite playful and subversive in equal measure especially on tracks such as Beggars And Choosers, Basically Dead (This Town) and Song For G which opens the album superbly well.
There is an “outsider” quality about this album about not fitting in and perhaps following your own destiny though the power of music that Ryan constructs here makes sure that everyone is welcome here with its warm hearted musical energy. I would say that influence has perhaps been learned by Ryan’s time with Brant Bjork over the last decade or so.
However, Ryan still deserves all the credit for releasing an album that is constantly refreshing and showcasing a lost art of storytelling we don’t truly appreciate nowadays especially on a debut album. The songs are wonderfully constructed which allows Ryan to explore the finer details of the Californian Desert Rock landscape. There are plenty of hard rocking moments to fully lose yourself in but you will be thrown a few curve balls along the way as Ryan embraces quite a nomadic creative structure on tracks such as Song For G, On The Up & Up and Sand To Snow.
The Shastafarian drifts into areas of Post-Rock and Electronica which can be quite classical or even low-key in many ways. The album may perhaps be too experimental for the casual Stoner Rock fan but there’s so much to admire and brilliantly enjoy here as the album takes a refreshing approach into how the Jazzy themes interlock with the classic Desert/Stoner Rock melodies.
The second half of The Shastafarian perhaps contain the heaviest sounds on the record but still spliced with the earlier Post-Rock/Jazz/Desert Rock movements but still being quite grounded. The lyrics are bold and superbly earnest once more with Ryan fully embracing his storytelling persona with a freakish commanding performance on the standout tracks of Crig Lord Archduke Earl of Montague (The Monkey) and Veteran Of The Psychic Wars.
The lyrics could be inspired by the likes of Frank Zappa and perhaps other worldly WEEDIAN ingredients the whole scene is known for. All I can say is that The Shastafarian never plays out how you fully expect and that makes this such a truly outstanding and highly original Desert Rock record you’ll likely hear this year.
The Shastafarian is superb and I’m hoping Ryan will be releasing more solo albums in the near future. As he’s a true original which this album proves time and time again.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Rebelle Rebelle for the promo.
The Shastafarian is available to buy on DD/Vinyl from May 23rd 2026.
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