Dusty Rhodes and the river band - First you live
December 16th, 2007Herman Melville wrote “it’s better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation”. After a minute of listening to First You Live it is crystal clear that Dusty Rhodes and the River Band have never read any Melville. However, lack of originality hasn’t held back most of today’s successful bands, so why should it hold back Dusty Rhodes and the River Band? Because their singer sounds like a South Park imitation of Kings Of Leon’s singer, in short. First You Live’s first forty seconds are wholly promising, with lavish instrumentation and a short pub singalong. Then the title track’s vocals kick in. Dustin Apodaca’s voice is one that belongs in snot-nosed skater punk, and all The River Band’s lush Band-esque layers of guitar, violin and keys cannot save this album of well-worn gospel-folk clichés (there’s something terribly unconvincing about the line “I can’t wait to be free, oh I can’t wait to leave Tennessee” when it’s coming from a Californian).
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“there’s something terribly unconvincing about the line “I can’t wait to be free, oh I can’t wait to leave Tennessee” when it’s coming from a Californian”
hmmm.. I see what this is about..
I totally agree with you, THEY RULE! OMG, its so refreshing to hear such great music AND its awesome that they like moby dick. CORNDOGS 4 LYFE!
THIS BAND GRABBED ME AND WONT LET GO THEY WILL MAKE IT BIG IN NO TIME EVERY ONE I PLAY THE ALBUM FOR ASK FOR A COPY I SAW THEM OPEN UP FOR THE GREAT BLIND MELON IN BOSTON AND WALKED OUT HAVING A NEW FAVORIT BAND GOD WNTS YOU TO LISTEN TO DUSTY RHODES AND THE RIVER BAND
DONT HATE ON THEM BECAUSE YOUR NOT THEM I SURE HOPE IT DONT RAIN WHERE YOUR AT
j. hollinead, i too saw them open for bling melon and thought the same thing. going in i just wanted to see bm, but dusty rhodes and the gang were really impressive.
wow, thats some hardcore little army of internet savvy american fan-kids. If there wasn’t an atlantic ocean between you and them Dan, I’d be afraid, I’d be very afraid.
I was envied for having made it to DRARB’s cd release show at the great KEY CLUB, yes, in HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA. Makes me giddy knowing that this band is gonna make it! The cd grows on you, I rock with it at least once a day, the whole cd! Dan you couldn’t of listened to it… allz my posse that I turn on to this cd are comin’ around thanking me!
It’s a bit strange, Mr. J Anderson, that your email address is the same surname as the singer of Dusty Rhodes, Dustin Apodaca. Not that that would have you biased in any way.
You know I listened to the album again recently and couldn’t sit through the thing. It’s my opinion that it’s a pretty Godawful album, from a band with some promise. It’s lightweight, unoriginal, and quite irritating, yet I think the band does have a bright future ahead of them. Don’t expect me to base my review on what the band CAN do as opposed to what’s sitting in front of me.