River Whyless | photo by Shervin Lainez | courtesy of the artist
River Whyless ponders privilege on its new single “Born In The Right Country”
Indie Americana band River Whyless has just released a new single titled “Born In The Right Country,” a teaser of their upcoming album Kindness, A Rebel, set to drop on June 8th. The four-piece has been working very hard to explore outside of their heartfelt folk music brand and incorporate a more colorful palette of musical elements.
The newest single “Born In The Right Country” aims towards the division of classes in American society and the difficulty of advancement in status within the country. Band member Ryan O’Keefe comments:
“At its core, Born in the Right Country is about innate luck. Cosmic luck, that of an individual, born into a country or society which accepts them as that unique individual. Born in the Right Country speaks both through the eyes of our president and the narrator. In the song, vanity seems to trickle down much more freely than money and you can see it take root in the middle and lower classes as we strive to live like the upper. The dominant class is built on the idea that anyone can, and should become like them. We were raised to call this the American Dream. It’s imperative to the success of the upper class that the American Dream stays as it is, a dream. Meanwhile, the reality persists, which is that the vast majority of people stay in the class to which they were born. Sure, there are people that break through, in our country especially, but the rich generally stay rich and the poor generally stay poor.”
In addition to the new song and record, the Asheville band is going back on the road as well, and will be embarking on a U.S. tour to support their forthcoming album Kindness, A Rebel. All the released tour dates so far are down below, and one of their stops is Philadelphia, where they will be performing at Johnny Brenda’s on June 12th. Tickets and more information on that show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.
Below, listen to River Whyless’s newest single “Born In The Right Country”, and to pre-order their upcoming album Kindness, A Rebel, click here.
Tour Dates
4/13/18 – Nelsonville, OH – Bob Boilen presents @ Stuart’s Opera House
4/14/18 – Hendersonville, NC – Oskar Blues’ Loaded Up & Truckin
6/1/18 – Charlotte, NC – Live on the Green at First Ward Park
6/3/18 – Nelsonville, OH – Nelsonville Music Festival
6/7/18 – Roanoke, VA – Martin’s Downtown
6/9/18 – Canton, NC – Cold Mountain Festival
6/12/18 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
6/13/18 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
6/15/18 – Fall River, MA – Narrows Center for the Arts
6/16/18 – Allston, MA – Great Scott
6/17/18 – Croton-on-Hudson, NY – Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Revival
6/19/18 – Buffalo, NY – 9th Ward at Babeville
6/21/18 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
6/22/18 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
6/23/18 – Viroqua, WI – Pierce Hill Performing Arts
6/25/18 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
6/27/18 – Vail, CO – Vail Bluegrass Series
6/28/18 – Pueblo, CO – Brues Alehouse Brewing Company
8/2/18 – Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan Lounge
8/3/18 – Anaheim, CA – The Parish @ House of Blues
8/4/18 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
8/11/18 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
8/12/18 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
8/18/18 – Lyons, CO – Rocky Mountain Folks Fest
More tour dates to be announced soon.