THE LONG RYDERS
Aiken Promotions presents
THE LONG RYDERS
plus guests
_ Main Venue _
The Long Ryders Final Wild Songs – ★★★★ MOJO ‘’The Complete works of Alt Country pioneers corralled into a career-spanning boxset’’ – Uncut ‘’The Long Ryders burned briefly but brightly in the mid-80’s, playing a punk-country hybrid to a world full of DX7 synths and Flock Of Seagulls hairstyles, a decade before the generation of bands they inspired found themselves christened as the Alternative Country movement and granted their own rack in the mega-store. You might remember the lone 1985 hit, Looking For Lewis & Clark, which sounded like The Who playing country and western and boasts one of the great harmonica breaks.’’ – Stewart Lee The Long Ryders are the musical founders and creators of Alt-country. They were midwives at the birth of Americana, a previously unknown musical genre which now includes everything from Sun Records’ Elvis to Lucinda Williams. This month, Cherry Red Records released a four CD box set of Long Ryders music called Final Wild Songs and the reunited band have announced they will tour Europe this Summer including a date at Whelans, Dublin on May 8th. The Long Ryders formed in Los Angeles in 1982 by rock writer Sid Griffin and his friend Barry Shank. Drummer Greg Sowders, an L.A. native, soon joined, Stephen McCarthy rolled into L.A. from his native Virginia and soon signed up, Shank left the band and eventually they settled on their long-time bassist Tom Stevens, from Indiana. The band’s first major recording was an EP called 10-5-60 which came out in 1983 but it was the following year’s classic album Native Sons which took the Long Ryders into so many homes and hearts. A big college radio/indie chart hit in the USA it was soon the number two indie album in Great Britain (The Smiths’ Meat Is Murder was number one). With the success of Native Sons the Long Ryders began four years of near-constant touring, taking them from L.A. to Boston, Seattle to Seville, Miami to Malmo, Vancouver to Vienna. 1985 witnessed the release of the band’s highest charting album, State Of Our Union, which appeared on Island Records. The Top Forty hit single Looking For Lewis & Clark kicked off the album and it was number one on the college radio/indie charts in the USA. 1987 saw the band release Two-Fisted Tales on Island Records (Sid Griffin’s fave recording by the group) and success continued but at a price. Tom Stevens left the group in August that year to spend more time with his family and not long after guitarist Stephen McCarthy quit to write musicals. The band was no more. Yet their legend grew, sparked by bands who were directly influenced by the Long Ryders such as Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, the Black Crowes, Squirrel Bait, and countless others. Tickets priced €20 (inc booking fee) go on sale this Tuesday, 26th January at 9am through www.whelanslive.com, www.ticketmaster.ie & usual outlets nationwide.TICKETS
ON SALE TUE 26th JAN, 9AM: €20 available online from WAV Tickets or Lo-Call 1890 200 078 (1-8pm M-F, 4-8pm Sat)
– 50c per ticket service charge applies on phone, internet or creditcard bookings. Final ticket price may be higher from other outlets.
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required