The Southern River Band – D.I.Y
Up until just over a year ago, most classic rock fans in the UK and Europe hadn’t heard of The Southern River Band, one of Western Australia’s best kept rock and roll secrets.
That all changed when the official video for the riff-tastic, AC/DC on steroids, six-minute boogie-strut of 'Stan Qualen' was featured on the Justin Hawkins Rides Again video channel.
The official video, which is as infectious and fun as the song itself, has now clocked up 1.1M YouTube views, and counting.
There is no question 'Stan Qualen,' and its feature on JHRA, were pivotal in the band securing tour dates in the UK & Europe in May/ June and again in November.
There is also no question that D.I.Y, the latest release from The Southern River Band – Cal Kramer (lead vocals, guitar), Dan Carroll (guitar), Tyler Michie (drums), Pat Smith (bass) – is as much about being a promotional vehicle to capitalise on this new found awareness as it is a new album, especially given seven of the eight tracks on offer have appeared, in some original shape or live performance form, on earlier albums.
The newest song, 'Vice City III,' a single release back in May, opens the album in fine, high-energy, hard-edged riffing style, complete with pounding beat and catchy, harmony chorus.
Anyone previously familiar with the band will know, or notice, that three of the other seven tracks are re-recordings of songs that appeared on 2019 studio album Rumour & Innuendo.
The remaining quartet can be found, in original or live in the studio form, on 2016 debut Live at the Pleasuredome or Live at Rada Studios, released in 2022.
A number of the songs, such as 'Vice City II,' were also released as singles.
Rumour & Innuendo brace 'Second Best' and 'Do You Miss Me When I’m Gone?' follow on from 'Vice City III.' Both showcase the band’s poppier and more countrified sides (it ain’t all about the rock and roll for these boys). The former, here with a slightly bigger sound, is a great slice of melodic power-pop rock.
The latter, which again has a fuller bodied sound, nods more than a little to Americana-country-pop; as such it works very well.
The wonderfully titled 'Chasin’ After Love (’ll Burn a Hole in Your Shoes)' is a fun mid-tempo built on a simple rhythm that offers a little bluesified charm before the main event – the aforementioned 'Stan Qualen' (lifted from Live at Rada Studios) – kicks the band into riff-driven, tempo changing overdrive.
'Cigarettes (Ain’t Helping Me None)' keeps up the rock 'n' roll guitar intensity before the riffy rock-blues of the similarly focussed 'Chimney' ("smoke like a chimney, drink like a fish…") adds a little grit, and southern rock styled conclusion, to proceedings.
The six-and-a-half minute 'Vice City II,' which mixes melodic, twin guitar light with harder-edged shade, makes for a strong closer and the perfect bookend to 'Vice City III.'
You can argue the band missed a trick by not including the rockin' and rollin' 'Vice City' (with twin guitars to the fore again) to complete the trilogy, but that's a small niggle, given D.I.Y proves, quite emphatically, that The Southern River Band are the real Oz rockin' deal.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That all changed when the official video for the riff-tastic, AC/DC on steroids, six-minute boogie-strut of 'Stan Qualen' was featured on the Justin Hawkins Rides Again video channel.
The official video, which is as infectious and fun as the song itself, has now clocked up 1.1M YouTube views, and counting.
There is no question 'Stan Qualen,' and its feature on JHRA, were pivotal in the band securing tour dates in the UK & Europe in May/ June and again in November.
There is also no question that D.I.Y, the latest release from The Southern River Band – Cal Kramer (lead vocals, guitar), Dan Carroll (guitar), Tyler Michie (drums), Pat Smith (bass) – is as much about being a promotional vehicle to capitalise on this new found awareness as it is a new album, especially given seven of the eight tracks on offer have appeared, in some original shape or live performance form, on earlier albums.
The newest song, 'Vice City III,' a single release back in May, opens the album in fine, high-energy, hard-edged riffing style, complete with pounding beat and catchy, harmony chorus.
Anyone previously familiar with the band will know, or notice, that three of the other seven tracks are re-recordings of songs that appeared on 2019 studio album Rumour & Innuendo.
The remaining quartet can be found, in original or live in the studio form, on 2016 debut Live at the Pleasuredome or Live at Rada Studios, released in 2022.
A number of the songs, such as 'Vice City II,' were also released as singles.
Rumour & Innuendo brace 'Second Best' and 'Do You Miss Me When I’m Gone?' follow on from 'Vice City III.' Both showcase the band’s poppier and more countrified sides (it ain’t all about the rock and roll for these boys). The former, here with a slightly bigger sound, is a great slice of melodic power-pop rock.
The latter, which again has a fuller bodied sound, nods more than a little to Americana-country-pop; as such it works very well.
The wonderfully titled 'Chasin’ After Love (’ll Burn a Hole in Your Shoes)' is a fun mid-tempo built on a simple rhythm that offers a little bluesified charm before the main event – the aforementioned 'Stan Qualen' (lifted from Live at Rada Studios) – kicks the band into riff-driven, tempo changing overdrive.
'Cigarettes (Ain’t Helping Me None)' keeps up the rock 'n' roll guitar intensity before the riffy rock-blues of the similarly focussed 'Chimney' ("smoke like a chimney, drink like a fish…") adds a little grit, and southern rock styled conclusion, to proceedings.
The six-and-a-half minute 'Vice City II,' which mixes melodic, twin guitar light with harder-edged shade, makes for a strong closer and the perfect bookend to 'Vice City III.'
You can argue the band missed a trick by not including the rockin' and rollin' 'Vice City' (with twin guitars to the fore again) to complete the trilogy, but that's a small niggle, given D.I.Y proves, quite emphatically, that The Southern River Band are the real Oz rockin' deal.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ