Dusty Rhodes and the River Band interview

e-Mo Magazine chats to Kyle Divine and Edson Choi from Dusty Rhodes and the River Band about music, politics and murder...

e-Mo: You’re about to go on tour with the Dirty Pretty Things – you must be pretty excited! Are you looking forward to it?

KYLE: Yes, we had an amazing time in the UK last month and we are really looking forward to getting back out there, seeing more of the country and touring with such a great band.

EDSON: We're very psyched to join DPT on tour. This will be our first real tour in the UK, no doubt the shows will be electrifying.

e-Mo: You recently toured the UK – how do your British fans differ to the US ones?

KYLE: I noticed that British fans are a bit more reserved. They don't often get rowdy and jump around like the drunk American audience will.  It also seems like they analyze and appreciate music more. It's hard to explain.

EDSON: Our first impression is that they are much more polite.  Not that they don't get as rowdy or more so than American audiences but they seem to have a deep respect for music and they are great at multi-tasking since they can listen intently and get plastered simultaneously.

e-Mo: How did the band get together?

KYLE: In October of 2002 I met Dustin Francis Apodaca. Every time I was partying at my apartment, he would bring recordings over that he had recorded, they were sloppy but so damn charming that I really wanted to make music with him.

He introduced me to the Scorsese film "The Last Waltz" and for about a month we watched it every night while getting drunk and jamming along. By the end of 2002 we had written enough material to start performing. We played our first show in January of 2003.

The line-up has grown/changed a bit since then with the addition of an amazing bass player, killer electric guitar player, sexy violinist, and a barbaric drummer, now the circle is complete.

EDSON: We all have the same mum.

e-Mo: You’ve received rave reviews for your debut album “First You Live”. Do you think the world is crying out for a retro rock revival?

KYLE: I think the world is ready for some Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, I don't want to put the "retro rock" label on it because our music encompasses so much more than that.
The music we create is influenced by everything from bluegrass to gypsy jazz, ragtime to prog rock and 60's soul. I think the world is crying out for something new and
interesting and diverse and smart and eclectic and fun, and I feel that's exactly what Dusty Rhodes and the River band is.

EDSON: We're very grateful for all the warm reception and positive reviews. I think it's not so much the retro part that people seem to connect with but the song writing and honesty of the music. We love writing and playing and its hard not to feel that when you hear us, even if it's not your cup of tea. We don't aim for a "sound" or genre, we start with a basic song and paint it with whatever mood it calls for.

e-Mo: What’s your biggest ambition for the band?

KYLE: We would like to consistently make amazing records for a long period of time and just travel the world performing for the rest of our lives.

EDSON: Finding a legitimate way to play in the Albert Hall. That and getting our faces on a lunchbox.

e-Mo: What’s you’re favourite track on the album to perform live, and why?

KYLE: It varies from tour to tour but right now I would have to say "Street Fighter". When playing for a crowd that's never seen us before that song  is like a kick in the balls, no one expects it and there's so much energy in the song people can't help but to be captivated by it/us.

EDSON: "Leaving Tennessee " it's such a good song and gets everyone involved. It naturally produces energy that fills up the whole room. Its a green song.

e-Mo: What’s been your best and worst gig to date?

KYLE: This is a really tough question, we have had a lot of really amazing shows and a lot of pretty bad shows. Our band has been together for over 5 years now, in that time we've played over 350 shows. Most of the really good ones have taken place over the last year, since we've had a record label and a booking agency behind us. And surprisingly most of the really bad shows took place before we had those two things.

Okay, best show: February 1st, 2008 in Austin, TX.  The first show on the Flogging Molly Green 17 Tour, we opened the show and played for about 2,200 rowdy, drunk Flogging Molly. It was amazing and the energy filled the entire area, it was the best way to start a tour.

Worst show/or at least the show I am most bitter about: May 15th, 2007 in Albuquerque, NM.  We were invited out to play the Hyperactive Festival, the promoter told us that there would be upwards of 10,000 people attending and though we would not be paid for the show, it would be a great opportunity to be seen by industry people and make some sweet connections. 

For the record: Albuquerque, NM is 780 miles away from  Anaheim, CA (our home) and we drove all the way out to play this free festival.  We get to the "festival" and there really aren't many people around, the bar we're scheduled to play at has a stage that is 10ft tall (no kidding), there is a backline but the drums are cheap and broken and the bass amp keeps cutting out throughout our set.

There are no monitors and the sound guy could give two shits about how the bands actually sound. Performing bands don't get and free drinks or food and there was no one there when we played. I think we ended up playing for about 15 minutes and called it quits. We also had to pay for a hotel that night.

EDSON: They're like kids. We might not like some of them, but really, we love them all.

e-Mo: You seem to be inspired by a lot of 70’s rock  - who are your biggest influences?

KYLE: Yes, The Band, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Otis Redding, David Bowie, ELO, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Zombies.

EDSON: Everyone in the band is pretty different especially in influences but some common denominators are Yes, Neil Young, Sly and the Family Stone, and Bowie (for the theatrics). Os Mutantes is definitely up there.

e-Mo: We heard ‘Grandpa Mac’ was about Kyle’s great-great grandfather? Sounds like he had a colourful history – what’s the story behind that?

KYLE: He was a rugged man living in the wild west (in the 40's), he was an alcoholic with a bad temper. He did indeed kill my great grandmother and to prison for a few years, was released, remarried, found his new wife in bed with another man, shot both of them with a shotgun, went to prison again for a few years, was released, remarried, was at a bar with
his new wife and a drunk guy started hitting on her, Grampa Mac took the man outside and beat him to death with his bare hands.

The story continues with Mac getting released from prison eventually, getting remarried and having children. He was reported for molestation and fled to the forests of Washington state. He lived in the wild for three years before the FBI found him. He then spent the rest of his life in prison. While in prison he began writing western novels under the pen name Will Henry, these books were published and can still be found today.

e-Mo: Finish this sentence: Dusty Rhodes and the River Band are like…

KYLE: ...so totally awesome! It's like a 24/7 party and the beer flows like a rushing river!

EDSON: A revolver of love; six chambers with a mission to penetrate, titillate and stimulate the soul.

e-Mo: And finally, the burning question: Clinton or Obama?

KYLE: Obama but really anything is better than having another damn republican in office.  Anyone who can provide Americans with universal healthcare and end the war in Iraq is getting our vote.

EDSON: Though two clintons would probably be better than one, Obama represents a beacon of light and hope for idealism especially now when things are looking grim. This man needs a chance to prove himself and hopefully lead us out of this sh*t parade. Amen.