Riviera

Riviera on Captain’s Dead

October 26, 2011

i was and still am a huge fan of their 05 release at the end of the american century and contains one of my favorite songs of the past ten years, “your american past.” during their stint in chicago they opened for the likes of tweedy, son volt, califone, etc… if these guys trust the men of riviera, shouldnt you? definitely loving the new song…

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April 18, 2006

one of america’s best kept secrets and chicago’s own, riviera, has a new tune posted up on their myspace page, making friends. their at the end of the american century was one of my favorite records from last year, and contains one of the best singles that unfortunately, i fear, no one heard, ashes on the moon. i think they only play within a 60 mile circumfrence of zip code, 60657, so if you can figure out how far that stretches, you my good people are in luck. fans of wilco, tupelo, jayhawks, dylan, george harrison, etc take note these guys are, hopefully, headed to the big time, like star jones big.

Riviera Plays KINK’s Noon Tunes at Pioneer Square

A hearty thank you to everyone who came out to see us kick off KINK’s Noon Tune series at Pioneer Square in Portland. We had a great time and beautiful weather. Special shout out to Xavier, who came up to the stage and announced that he was our biggest fan. Smart kid!

Pictures to follow but be sure to follow us on Facebook to get the latest info and to chat with the band.

Portland Tribune Preview

There’s a nice write-up in the Portland Tribune of this week’s Alberta Street Pub show:

They got all growed up in windy Chicago, but Riviera has relocated to rainy Portland where their Americana folk rock is just what the doctor ordered whenever our various rivers overflow. The band features Derek Phillips on guitar, vocals, harmonica and piano; Mick Radichel on guitar and vocals; Jeff Porter on pedal steel, dobro, mandolin and guitar; Robert Finn on bass; and Paul DeMichele on drums. Riviera plows in the same fields cut by Wilco, the Jayhawks and other y’all-ternative types, and boasts a rich, full sound that will ease your mind even as she tells you it’s not you, it’s her.

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Riviera in Americana UK

Riviera has now added a whole slew of sounds to that basic template. There are definite hints of Sixties Britpop on tracks like “Unsatisfied”, some classic rock guitar work and more than a hint of a southern drawl in the vocals. There are some great lyrics here too, like “Your American Past”’s opening couplet “The great American disco revival/will be held at 2.23”. This album feels like quintessential American music, stamped out of that classic template that encompasses everything from the Band to Ryan Adams.–Americana UK

Riviera in Insound

Chicago alt. country outfit Riviera has a diverse musical palette, boasting three strong singer/songwriters backed by bass and drums. Derek Phillips, Mick Radichel and Josh Boisvert contribute to a cohesive sound with its share of a rich variety of colors. Their collective wit is literate and wry, backed by rock swagger and a willingness to let a tinge of rock noise creep in occasionally (as on the leadoff track, “Petrified Possessions”). Harmonica fuels the straight-up Americana pleaser “Your American Past,” bleeding into the 70s-era, southern-tinged ballads “Stranded” and “Changing Channels.” Their recent appearances opening for Jeff Tweedy are well deserved, as a bit of Van Morrison and Wilco sweep across Riviera’s breezy, yet gritty soundscapes.–Insound

Riviera in Chicagoist

So let’s get this out of the way now: yes, there’s a Wilco influence to be found here. But there’s also equal parts Beatles, Stones, The Band, Ryan Adams, and Neil Young. Yet those expecting a barroom cover band will be disappointed…then thrilled with what ends up on record. It’s a gamble to go for that world-weary traveler vibe on your first full-length album. But the life-as-seen-from-a stage details like the “broken strings and colored lights” of “Unsatisfied” are typical of the band’s savvy grasp of hours spent behind the wheel and inside greasy spoon diners.

Perhaps we’re a bit biased. So let’s turn to that zenith of rock crit, the Illinois Institute of Technology’s TechNews, which described the “sense of shared experience and purpose”, that drives the members of Riviera. Spending four years evolving your sound will do that for ya.

–Chicagoist

Riviera in Illinois Entertainer

“Complacent is a place I’ll never see” sings Derek Philips on “Sympathy,” the closing track on Riviera’s sophomore album, Capital. It’s a theme running throughout the Wilco-esque recording. Upbeat tempos belie the five-piece’s down-and-out lyrical outpouring. Falsetto ooh-oohs mask the dissatisfaction in lines “See so many things, but little change/the past is past/but history’s the same/evolution’s slower than a snail” from “Snails.” Capital proves Riviera fits nicely with its Chicago alt-country brethren. –Illinois Entertainer

Riviera in Punk Planet

Spot on for those who dig the sad bastard music that’s not so sad sounding. It actually makes for a great soundtrack for an indie flick that doesn’t exist yet. – Punk Planet

Riviera in Blue Magazine

Chicago-based Riviera assumes the burden of channeling crates and crates full of everyone’s favorite albums. While labels such alt-country or Americana certainly fit Riviera’s sound, At The End of the American Century also borrows from 70′s classic FM rock and the most accessible of contemporary indie rock, covering multiple aesthetic touch points without the self-conscious dress code of hipster hang-ups… – Blue Magazine

Riviera on Miles of Music

Their collective wit is literate and wry, backed by rock swagger and a willingness to let a tinge of rock noise creep in occasionally. – Miles of Music [Defunct]