THE MAKING OF CELEBRATION ROCK BY Japandroids - FEATURING david prowse, jesse gander and steven hyden

For the 10th anniversary of Japandroids’ second album, Celebration Rock, we take a detailed look at how the record was made. After the unlikely success of their debut album, Post-Nothing, Japandroids found themselves leaving their hometown of Vancouver to tour the world and play to much larger audiences than they ever dreamed of. The expectations for their second album began to build as the band felt tremendous pressure to deliver a followup record that proved they weren’t just a one-hit wonder. In between multiple tours, they would record in two-day sessions with longtime engineer/producer, Jesse Gander. Eventually, they rented a house in Nashville to focus on writing the remaining songs for what would become Celebration Rock.

In this episode, David Prowse describes how he and Brian King pushed themselves to make a record that would far surpass any expectations they ever had for the band. Engineer/producer, Jesse Gander, takes us through his first impression of Japandroids and how he was able to capture their unique punk and classic rock-influenced sound. Additionally, author and music critic, Steven Hyden, offers his perspective on Japandroids’ embrace of classic rock mythology and why the record connected with so many people. From Brian’s attempt at revitalizing classic rock tropes to the difficulty of recording fireworks to capturing the feeling of being young to the unabashed embrace of the power of rock and roll, we’ll hear the stories around how the record came together.

Notes and transcript

Stream or purchase Celebration Rock

Episode Credits:

Intro/Outro Music:

“Lost” by Two Houses from the album, Can’t Fail

Episode produced, edited and mixed by Dan Nordheim

Additional mixing and mastering by Jeremy Whitwam