Terry Linehan formed Hope Anchor in 2005. The guitarist for the Providence-based band began playing during the 1980s and considers The Clash as his favorite band. He also toured as a guitarist with Green Day.
Hope Anchor blends 1980s pop music with punk rock to create a post-punk sound. In addition to Linehan, the band consists of Robbie Shaggs on bass, Paul Myers on drums, Steve Demers on lead guitar and Paul “Pip” Everett on vocals.
In this episode of Ocean State Sessions, Linehan recalls the struggles of being a young musician during the 1990s, and how fatherhood and sobriety played a role in his growth as a musician and as a person.
Here is a conversation with Linehan. Watch the full episode here.
Terry Linehan admits that his songs “are not about unicorns and glitter,” but about “the ugliness of life.”
“Being a father forced me to get sober, and quitting drinking is probably the biggest thing that has affected the way I write music in that I wasn’t sure, when I quit drinking, would I still be able to visit the dark place that is where I write from?” he says. “After a few weeks sober, I picked up my guitar, and I was able to go back there with intent, with focus. Like, being in more control of my creative destiny in each piece of music that I’m writing.”
Linehan says his alcoholism was a result of the anxiety that he experienced for decades, and his guitar playing is an extension of that emotion.
"(That) makes it me,” he says.
“I find that, right now, my largest pursuit is to try to incorporate the guitar tones of the ‘80s, but use more of a Tommy Dorsey blueprint for how to compose music,” Linehan says. “I really like the lush soundscapes of, like, the ‘40s and ‘50s, like Henry Mancini’s work, like the ‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s” soundtrack.
Hope Anchor began as a replacement band, Linehan says, but then “we decided to kind of widen out sonic footprint.” The band had already been influenced by 1980s groups like English rockers The Cure and the Scottish alternative group The Jesus and Mary Chain. And then it blended 1990s groups Lords of the New Church and Killing into the mix.
Linehan said that he had always wanted to write and play music with Everett.
“It came together pretty organically and naturally,” he says. “Like, our writing relationship, we’re able to write stuff really easily together.”
Linehan’s first band, created in 1989, was called Voice of Reason, which morphed into Smear. Then he joined Waterdog, a group that signed with Atlantic Records and toured with No Doubt, Dance Hall Crashers, The Lunachicks and The Muffs.
“A lot of good things happened to that band,” he says. “It’s a shame it ended too early.
“A lot of stress falls on you for that, and you’re hearing a lot of different things from a lot of different people. You know, when you’re 23 years old, it’s kind of hard to deal with, and, eventually, we just imploded.”
After Waterdog broke up, Linehan started The Frustrations with Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt. The group was a headliner at The Fillmore in San Francisco “and sold out most of the shows we played.”
Now in his 50s, Linehan is content. He moved back to Rhode Island not only to open a bar, but to play music again.
“I’d be happy to keep this band going for as long as we can,” he says. “Every show’s a gift. We’re at that age in our music life where the next show isn’t guaranteed, where the next year isn’t guaranteed.
“It’s smell the roses time.”
