Great Western Rock Band Rival Sons

With every record that Californian band Rival Sons releases, they get more successful and their popularity gradually increases. A few years back they were playing the smaller clubs, now they have no trouble filling up larger venues. And for a good reason, since the band is playing blues rock of high quality, both on recordings as on live on stage. And with every new record the four piece keeps improving themselves, which is no different for their fifth album Great Western Valkyrie.

Rival Sons - Great Western Valkyrie (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)

On this album they hired good friend Ike Owens, former keyboard player for The Mars Volta who also worked with Jack White. It makes the songs sound more full and dramatic where needed. Singer Jay Buchanan and his impressive voice, and guitar player Scott Holiday with his amazing guitar skills, still know how to leave an impression. Buchanan is flexing his vocal chords for wonderful belches or for powerful screams like on 'Secret'. Holiday showcases great riffs but always knows how to pace himself, so that moments where he's making his guitar scream, sound even more impressive.

The rhythm section, consisting of drummer Michael Miley and new bass player Dave Beste, is supporting the songs very effectively. It's striking how authentic the record sounds and is bringing the sound of the sixties alive. The beginning of the album is filled with roaring hard rock songs like 'Electric Man' and 'Play The Fool', where halfway the album ballads are taking over, without losing momentum. On the contrary, the band sounds at its best at these moments, with a crooning Buchanan now and then and weeping guitars. 'Belle Starr' is alternating between prog rock parts and ballad. The song is about the female outlaw Belle Starr from the Wild West period in the US. Buchanan is singing a tragic tale about her and calls her "the great western Valkyrie", a woman who decides about life and death, that gives the album its title.

Rival Sons once again have taken another step forward with the ten songs on Great Western Valkyrie. Maybe they don't go outside the boundaries of the genre, but at the same time they are staying loyal to their own principles. No use of superfluous production tricks, but as good as possible trying to record everything live, so the listener knows what he can expect. Kind of "what you hear is what you get" and that's a whole lot on this new record.



This review has been published on Festivalinfo in Dutch over here.

Listen to 'Great Western Valkyrie' on Spotify.



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Rival Sons Working Hard For Success

Some bands make a first album and with a few hits immediately rocket into the big league. Rival Sons is not one of those bands. They just released their third album Head Down (review coming soon) and are slowly becoming more popular. It's hard to believe they even had time to record it, because the band seems to be on the road all the time. After playing here in November last year they are now back for another show. And this time they are playing the big hall of the Melkweg.

Rival Sons at Melkweg Amsterdam, October 3 2012



Although not sold out, the venue has filled up nicely. Last year the band had to warm up after partying the night before. Tonight they are focused from the beginning and are ready to rock the house. The first song is 'Keep On Swinging', which is also the opening track on their new record. This time however it looks like the crowd needs to warm up, since the response is a bit low at the beginning. This doesn't discourage the band at all. Their set list of tonight is one that builds up slowly anyway. A number of mid tempo bluesy songs follow where singer Jay Buchanan is immediately showing his skills. He may look and sound a lot like Robert Plant, but definitely isn't a copy cat. His voice never ceases to amaze.



Together with guitar player Scott Holiday, Buchanan is taking the spot light, although I definitely don't want to leave out bass player Robin Everhart and drum player Mike Miley. The last two are exactly the rhythm section this band needs, providing enough space for Buchanan and Holiday to excel. And that's exactly what they're doing tonight. While the show progresses the set is building up on power. Uptempo songs like 'All Over The Road' and 'Pressure And Time' are at the end of the set where the band is going more full throttle. By this time the crowd has come alive and especially the people at the front are rocking. But it's obvious that all the way to the back people are enjoying it as well. The encore ends with 'Manifest Destiny', both part 1 and 2, off their new album, where the band is showing one more time what a great rock band they are.



Bands like this don't get the exposure like hip indie bands sometimes get. All they can do is work hard, spend a lot of time on the road and hope people pick up on them. That's exactly what Rival Sons are doing. It looks like it's starting to pay off and they are gaining momentum. It certainly paid off tonight, where they had to work hard but walk off stage as winners. After the show the band is relaxing and taking the time to talk to fans, take pictures and sign records. I can only hope that in a while these venues are becoming too small for these friendly rockers.



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Rival Sons Want To Take Europe

Rival Sons are a band from LA who play a combination of rock, blues and soul. Led Zeppelin clearly is never far away but they do developed their own style. Their latest album Pressure And Time is a true delight to listen to and they blew me away on Rock Werchter this year. Now they are serious about taking Europe and Amsterdam fortunately was part of their club tour over here.

Rival Sons at Melkweg Amsterdam, November 14 2011 (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
At Rock Werchter they had to work hard to win the people over. This isn't any different tonight. The crowd is quite calm in the beginning but this also the band's own fault. Singer Jay Buchanan admits they partied hard and long the day before and it's showing. His eyes look tiny and he seems a bit absent. They probably couldn't resist to all the temptations Amsterdam has to offer, and had a good taste of those offerings. The band really has to warm up. But after a while they get into it and Buchanan says he's feeling it too. From that moment on the crowd gets really excited.



And which rock lover can resist great rock and blues songs like 'Burn Down Los Angeles'? Guitarist Scott Holiday is getting plenty of space to show off his skills and with a big smile he's firing off one great solo after another. Hard hitter Michael Miley is laughing most of the set and like in Belgium is enjoying a Duvel. The man sure knows his beers.



Bass player Robin Everhart is quietly laying down his bass grooves in the background. The four musicians are clearly having fun and seem like a solid group. Buchanan, who looks like the reincarnation of Jim Morrison and sounds like Robert Plant, has a great voice. He's showing that mostly in a slow blues song like 'On My Way', where he can use his full spectrum.



Of course they play many songs off their latest album that has great songs like 'All Over The Road' and title track 'Pressure And Time'. These go down great with the crowd. But the band cannot get everyone to go completely wild, therefore the fire isn't high enough. Hopefully this band is like a good young wine: its potential is clear but it just needs a few more years to reach its full strength. I'd love to see them back soon and blow everyone away.

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Rock Werchter 2011 Day 3: Dream Start

It promised to be another big day at the main stage. I did plan on going to see some other bands at the Pyramid Marquee but after two days of festival we were getting tired so decided to take it slow.

Rock Werchter 2011 Day 3, July 2 2011



Rival Sons (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
It was gonna be quite start since this band from California was lined up. There weren't too many people on the field yet so we could make it in front of the stage without problems. I was impressed by their album and even more impressed by this performance. A mix of Led Zeppelin and The Black Crowes. They played their blues and rock songs with a lot of heart. Great guitar solos and jams together with the howling voice of singer Jay Buchanan. They had to work really hard to convince the crowd but I'm sure at the end they won everyone over and made a lot more fans. What a great way to start the day.
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The Gaslight Anthem (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
The performance from these young guys starts with a recording of a sax solo from "The Big Man" Clarence Clemons who recently passed away. It's a worthy start and an honourable gesture. Of course this band from New Jersey is all about Bruce Springsteen. He's their big inspiration and influence which is not hard to hear. But they get better every time I see them. It's an inspired set from a hard working band and I'm really starting to get into them.

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Elbow (Ronald Says 9 out of 10)
Time to slow down a bit and lift off with Elbow. Everywhere they go they are victorious and this time is no exception. Singer Guy Garvey is a very friendly man who totally connects to the crowd. And his voice is so clear and wonderful during every performance. He must take really good care of it. The dreamy songs become even more beautiful today in the evening sun. They manage to completely keep everyone on their toes and Harvey even gets the whole field to join the reverse Mexican wave. A true highlight of the weekend.

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PJ Harvey (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
Her last album Let England Shake only gets raving reviews and she was able to impress everyone with her live performances. But the main stage is not the right place for her. Her appearance is lovely and she's a charming singer. But her songs and music are not suited for an early evening gig at the main stage. They belong in a small intimate club with the lights dimmed.
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Coldplay (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)
They are of course one of the big headliners of the summer festivals this year and apparently the most expensive one. And they do what they are hired for. Their set is solid, well played and very professional. But it all seems like routine. When you've seen them before you know they will play close to perfection. But it doesn't look like they're enjoying it a lot. Maybe because so many songs sound alike?
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