The Long Ryders
Encyclopedia
The Long Ryders are an American
alternative country
and Paisley Underground
band, principally active between 1983 and 1987, and which reformed in 2004 to do a reunion tour. They have only performed three times since 2004, but hope to play some reunion shows in summer 2012.
s, influenced by Gram Parsons
and The Byrds
, with country
and punk rock
influences. They were named after the Walter Hill film
, The Long Riders
. The band featured Sid Griffin, on guitar
, autoharp
, and bugle
, Stephen McCarthy, guitar
, steel guitar
, mandolin
, and banjo
, Des Brewer, as bassist
, (later replaced by Tom Stevens) and Greg Sowders, playing drums
and percussion. Although two members were transplants from the American South, they became a popular rock band, forming in Los Angeles
in the early 1980s and originally associated with a movement called the Paisley Underground
. With a sound reminiscent of Gram Parsons
, Buffalo Springfield
and The Flying Burrito Brothers
, but with a harder edge, they anticipated the alternative country
music of the 1990s by a decade. Their early work contained influences of both punk (largely attributed to confirmed anglophile Griffin), and old school country (ironically championed by Englishman Brewer). Former Byrd Gene Clark
added vocals to the song "Ivory Tower," on the 1984 Native Sons.
The Long Ryders formed from the ashes of the Los Angeles band The Unclaimed. Their initial studio release the "10-5-60" EP
consisted of Griffin, Brewer, McCarthy, and Sowders. Brewer left after the release of "10-5-60". He was replaced by Tom Stevens and that line-up remained in place until their eventual demise.
The group disbanded in 1987, but reunited in 2004 for a brief European tour, including a performance at the Glastonbury Festival
. After another long separation, the band reunited again playing their first Long Ryders live dates in the U.S.
in nearly twenty two years beginning on January 9 and 10, 2009 at The Earl in Atlanta
, Georgia
. The Long Ryders are not reformed, since 2004's reunion tour they have only played three times. A live album
was released from the 2004 reunion tour but no new studio material has appeared from them since 1987.
McCarthy appeared on the 1990 multi-artist album True Voices duetting with Carla Olson on the Tom Jans song Loving Arms.
Apart from occasional Long Ryders activity, Griffin, who relocated to London
, has kept busy as a solo artist and bandleader (The Coal Porters, Western Electric), and as a music journalist and author. His latest book was Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band & the Basement Tapes (Jawbone Press, UK
/U.S., 2007). McCarthy, after a stint leading his own band, Walker Stories, returned home to Richmond, Virginia
; he played in the indie supergroup Gutterball with Steve Wynn
and fellow Richmondites Bryan Harvey and Johnny Hott of House of Freaks
, and in 2003 began playing with The Jayhawks
. Stevens returned to his native Indiana
, earned a degree in computer science and continues to release solo albums. Additionally Sowders, who was married for a time to singer Lucinda Williams
, went to work in music publishing. Brewer continued to play the Los Angeles circuit, first accompanying various female singer-songwriter
s, and then moving on to the old school country band, the Misbegotten Cowboys.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
and Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground is an early genre of alternative rock, based primarily in Los Angeles, California, which was at its most popular in the mid-1980s.- History :...
band, principally active between 1983 and 1987, and which reformed in 2004 to do a reunion tour. They have only performed three times since 2004, but hope to play some reunion shows in summer 2012.
History
The Long Ryders were originally formed by several American musicians who were each multi-instrumentalistMulti-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
s, influenced by Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
and The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, with country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
influences. They were named after the Walter Hill film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, The Long Riders
The Long Riders
The Long Riders is a 1980 western film directed by Walter Hill. It was produced by James Keach, Stacy Keach and Tim Zinnemann and featured an original soundtrack by Ry Cooder. Cooder won the Best Music award in 1980 from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for this soundtrack...
. The band featured Sid Griffin, on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, autoharp
Autoharp
The autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the...
, and bugle
Bugle (instrument)
The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
, Stephen McCarthy, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, and banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, Des Brewer, as bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, (later replaced by Tom Stevens) and Greg Sowders, playing drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and percussion. Although two members were transplants from the American South, they became a popular rock band, forming in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in the early 1980s and originally associated with a movement called the Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground is an early genre of alternative rock, based primarily in Los Angeles, California, which was at its most popular in the mid-1980s.- History :...
. With a sound reminiscent of Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons is best known for his work within the country genre; he also mixed blues, folk, and rock to create what he called "Cosmic American Music"...
, Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
and The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers was an early country rock band, best known for its influential debut album,The Gilded Palace of Sin . Although the group is most often mentioned in connection with country rock legends Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, the group underwent many personnel changes.-Original...
, but with a harder edge, they anticipated the alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
music of the 1990s by a decade. Their early work contained influences of both punk (largely attributed to confirmed anglophile Griffin), and old school country (ironically championed by Englishman Brewer). Former Byrd Gene Clark
Gene Clark
Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter, and one of the founding members of the folk-rock group The Byrds....
added vocals to the song "Ivory Tower," on the 1984 Native Sons.
The Long Ryders formed from the ashes of the Los Angeles band The Unclaimed. Their initial studio release the "10-5-60" EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
consisted of Griffin, Brewer, McCarthy, and Sowders. Brewer left after the release of "10-5-60". He was replaced by Tom Stevens and that line-up remained in place until their eventual demise.
The group disbanded in 1987, but reunited in 2004 for a brief European tour, including a performance at the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
. After another long separation, the band reunited again playing their first Long Ryders live dates in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in nearly twenty two years beginning on January 9 and 10, 2009 at The Earl in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. The Long Ryders are not reformed, since 2004's reunion tour they have only played three times. A live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
was released from the 2004 reunion tour but no new studio material has appeared from them since 1987.
McCarthy appeared on the 1990 multi-artist album True Voices duetting with Carla Olson on the Tom Jans song Loving Arms.
Apart from occasional Long Ryders activity, Griffin, who relocated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, has kept busy as a solo artist and bandleader (The Coal Porters, Western Electric), and as a music journalist and author. His latest book was Million Dollar Bash: Bob Dylan, The Band & the Basement Tapes (Jawbone Press, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
/U.S., 2007). McCarthy, after a stint leading his own band, Walker Stories, returned home to Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
; he played in the indie supergroup Gutterball with Steve Wynn
Steve Wynn (songwriter)
Steve Wynn is a songwriter based in New York . He led the band the Dream Syndicate from 1981 to 1989 and afterward began a solo career.- Career in bands :...
and fellow Richmondites Bryan Harvey and Johnny Hott of House of Freaks
House of Freaks
House of Freaks was a two-man band formed in Richmond, Virginia in the mid 1980s. Bryan Harvey played guitar and sang, and Johnny Hott played percussion...
, and in 2003 began playing with The Jayhawks
Jayhawks (band)
The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene during the mid 1980s. Their country rock sound was influential on many bands who played the Twin Cities circuit during the 80s and 90s like Uncle Tupelo, The Gear Daddies and The Honeydogs...
. Stevens returned to his native Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, earned a degree in computer science and continues to release solo albums. Additionally Sowders, who was married for a time to singer Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams is an American rock, folk, blues and country music singer and songwriter. She recorded her first albums in 1978 and 1980 in a traditional country and blues style and received very little attention from radio, the media, or the public. In 1988, she released her self-titled album,...
, went to work in music publishing. Brewer continued to play the Los Angeles circuit, first accompanying various female singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
s, and then moving on to the old school country band, the Misbegotten Cowboys.
Discography
- 10-5-60 (1983)
- Native Sons (1984)
- State of Our Union (1985)
- Two-Fisted Tales (1987)
- Metallic B.O. (1989)
- BBC Radio One Live in Concert (1994)
- Anthology (1998)
- Three Minute Warnings: the Long Ryders Live in New York City (2003)
- The Best of the Long Ryders (2004)
- State Of Our Reunion (2004)