Read Maricarmen Moratalla's interview with all four Long Ryders from last fall here.
The Long Ryders have just curated a new playlist for TIDAL featuring a selection of the bands favorite songs.
Listen and hear Neil Young, The Byrds, The Band, MC5, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Dillard & Clark, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, NRBQ, Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, Tyler Childers, I'm From Barcelona, Muddy Waters and more.
Check it all out right now on TIDAL
The Long Ryders rock the house...um, rock the ship, actually...in the middle of the Caribbean Feb 1st, 2020 on the SiriusXM Outlaw Country Cruise.The band played three gigs on the cruise and had a blast, blast, blast!
Americana icon Jim Lauderdale sang Six Days On The Road with Stephen in the middle of this particular set on the ship’s huge outdoor stage. Photo by Troy A Walsh.
As the Long Ryders conclude a warmly wonderful, positively crackin' year let 2019 not end without the band, both as an ensemble and as individuals, thanking each one of you for your support for our musical activities over the last twelve months or so. We were privileged to play onstage with Vicki and Debbi Peterson of the Bangles, Translator’s Steve Barton, Americana pioneer Chip Kinman of Ford Madox Ford, ex-Coal Porter and current Fugitive fiddler Carly Frey as well as ex-Coal Porter and classical music star violinist Kerenza Peacock. To each of them we say, thank you so very much.
Starting with the twin release of box sets for State Of Our Union and Two-Fisted Tales in November 2018 and then the No. 1 Americana chart acceptance of our brand new Psychedelic Country Soul album this past February the winds of change were audibly blowing for the Long Ryders and after all that to subsequently witness the terrifically enthusiastic audiences of so many of you at the gigs throughout the year was…to be honest, we felt blessed. Truly blessed.
So let the band return the thought: may the New Year bless your family in their communal doings, in their individual activities, in all their hopes and dreams. And may both our paths and our dreams cross in 2020.
Here from November 6, 2019 at the University of Huelva in Spain is the entire set of the Long Ryders performance that evening. It was filmed by the University staff for their archives.
Note the drummer for this show is temporary replacement Simon Hancock as the Long Ryders’ drummer Greg Sowders was unavailable for this tour.
Our thanks go out to everyone at the University of Huelva and at Otis Tours for hosting the Long Ryders and giving us such a memorable evening.
Following a successful string of US shows this fall the band head out across Europe on a series of final dates for 2019.
This October and November The Long Ryders play shows in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain. Tickets for all shows on sale now - thelongryders.com/tour
As mentioned previously one rather sad point is drummer Greg Sowders will temporarily drop out of the Long Ryders’ lineup for this run of dates (Read Gregs statement here). The Oct/Nov dates in Europe will be performed by the classic lineup of Long Ryders Stephen McCarthy, Tom Stevens, and Sid Griffin but with their dear pal Simon Hancock on the drums.
We hope to see as many of you on these final shows of 2019 as possible for some Psychedelic Country Soul!
The Long Ryders are ending up their busiest year on the road with an east coast USA tour, a brief three gig swing of the USA’s west coast, and a final return to the UK and Europe starting in October.
The Long Ryders are very happy to announce they will now play the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco on October 5th.
One rather sad point is drummer Greg Sowders will have to temporarily drop out of the Long Ryders’ lineup after the USA shows are over (Read Gregs statement here). The Oct/Nov dates in Europe will be performed by the classic lineup of Long Ryders Stephen McCarthy, Tom Stevens, and Sid Griffin but with their dear pal Simon Hancock on the drums.
Check out the full listings with ticket links (including newly announced shows in Edinburgh and Hassocks) on our Tour Dates page.
Following on from the announcement of further European dates in 2019 The Long Ryders are pleased to announce their 2019 North American tour Dates.
The Long Ryders, who skirted the twangy outskirts of L.A.’s Paisley Underground scene in the ’80s and are oft credited as the founders of alt-country, returned this year with Psychedelic Country Soul, their first album in over 30 years. Garnering positive reviews across the board the album reached Number One in both the Official UK Americana Chart and Amazon UK's Alt-Country/Americana Chart!
The band will head out on a short series of North American dates this September, hitting Louisville, Evanston, Ferndale, Toronto, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Portland, as well as two NYC-area shows: Brooklyn’s Rough Trade on September 17 and Jersey City’s WFMU Monty Hall on September 18. Tickets for Rough Trade and Monty Hall go on sale Friday, May 24 at noon.
The Long Ryders will be posting photos, news and tour updates from the road this summer on their new Instagram.
Follow them there for all the latest from their shows in Spain and the UK this Summer and the long awaited Psychedelic Country Soul US Tour in September.
Ahead of The Long Ryders appearance at the Huercasa Festival in Riaza this July they were featured in the June 2019 issue of Spain's Ruta 66 Magazine. Read the full article here.
The Long Ryders sincerely wish to thank every fan who attended a concert this April and announce we are back with three UK shows in July and one Spanish festival that same month.
The band hopes anyone who missed them in April can see them in July and once more get hip to the New Breed, baby! With love and Psychedelic Country Soul to each of you, take care, Sid, Tom, Stephen and Greg The Drummer.
Summer 2019 The Long Ryders will play the Huercasa Festival in Riaza, Segovia. The SummerTyne Festival at Gateshead Sage, The Hare and Hounds Birmingham and finaly in July the River Town Festival in Bristol. In November the band will also return to Europe to play the TakeRoot Festival in Groningen.
Full details, including booking links, are on the Tour Dates page.
Stay Tuned for more news shortly!
The Long Ryders are very pleased to announce they will set sail on The Outlaw Country Cruise. Travelling round trip from Miami to Key West to Falmouth, Jamaica the event takes place from January 29 to February 3, 2020.
Full details including booking information is at OutlawCountryCruise.com
JUST ANNOUNCED: The Long Ryders will play Saturday July 6th during this three day festival in Riaza, Spain.
Visit http://huercasacountryfestival.es for more details
Yes, its true, Thank you all! The Long Ryders Psychedelic Country Soul reached Number One in the UK Americana Chart (and Number Four in the UK Country Chart) on its release last month.
It was also the Number One Seller on Amazon UK's Alt-Country/Americana Chart and Number Two for all of the Country genre.
"The record sounds fantastic" - LA Times
"Psychedelic Country Soul puts them right back at the top of a world they helped create" - MOJO ★★★★ 4/5
"A significant resurgence...a glorious tunefest" - Country Music Magazine ★★★★ 4/5
"Simultaneously joyous and rueful...it's great to have them back" - Shindig! Magazine ★★★★ 4/5
"Brimming with melodic alt-country rock tinged classics." - Daily Express ★★★★
"Crisp, melodic and controlled" - UNCUT Magazine ★★★★★★★ 7/10
"A band that still has the fire and spark of their youth." - Ink 19
"This album doesn't just sound like The Long Ryders used to sound 30 years ago; it sounds like the Long Ryders never left us to begin with.
The playing and songwriting here is as strong as ever. Hopefully, Psychedelic Country Soul signals a lasting reunion." - PopMatters
The Long Ryders would like to thank everyone who made this possible! Read further reviews here.
The founders of alt-country, The Long Ryders, release their first new album in over thirty years on February 15, 2019 when Psychedelic Country Soul hits the airwaves and enters the shops. Featuring the classic line-up of Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Tom Stevens and Greg Sowders, it makes the day after Valentine’s Day a musical romantic celebration. The stunning new album follows hot on the heels of the November 30 deluxe reissue treatment given to two classic Long Ryders long players, State Of Our Union and Two Fisted Tales.
The story behind the making of Psychedelic Country Soul is arguably thirty years overdue, as Sid Griffin explains: “For years, for decades, the band’s dear friend Larry Chatman said he would never forget Sid & Co for hiring him for tour after tour in the 1980s. 'I’ll pay you guys back one day' was Larry’s mantra. Fast forward to 2016 and I got a call from Larry, who is now Dr. Dre’s personal assistant. Larry made the Long Ryders an offer they could not refuse; a week in Dr. Dre’s state of the art studio in Los Angeles.”
Griffin leapt at the generous offer and rounded up the Long Ryders for yet another cavalry charge. They secured the services of their last producer, Ed Stasium (The Ramones, The Smithereens, Belinda Carlisle, Jeff Healey Band, etc.), traded demos, agreed on the material, learned the songs at home, rehearsed together in Los Angeles, recorded the album at Dre’s in eight days, mixed the tracks at Ed’s home studio, and BANG! A key link in the Americana chain was back in the saddle and back on top.
The recording sessions went smoothly, as old friends The Bangles dropped by to add harmonies, legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz took some photos while the guys worked, and the outcome was another storming album of alternative Americana.
Featuring eleven new Long Ryders compositions and a tribute cover of the late great Tom Petty’s song Walls, this is a Long Ryders for the 21st century; kicking off with the anthemic Greenville, a track which proves the band haven’t lost any of that magic guitar interplay. Molly Somebody is an eclectic pop tune that doesn’t neglect any of their country and rock sensibilities, while the likes of What The Eagle Sees reflects the energy of early punk and power pop that so informed them in the early days. You can still hear their personal connection with the music of the 1960s, but as ever The Long Ryders aren’t a band who live in the past. Album closer Psychedelic Country Soul is the greatest testament to that, performed like the previous 11 songs, with precision and fire; the guitars weave and harmonicas build and ebb, the song spreading like wildfire. The Long Ryders have always been celebrated for what they have to say as much as the music they make. With Psychedelic Country Soul their message delivered with 12 strings and never-ending harmonies has never been clearer.
This is a Long Ryders album which stands up with their classic albums like Native Sons and their unforgettable single Looking For Lewis And Clark. Psychedelic Country Soul will certainly sit on many Best Of lists at the end of the year. But you can note its worthiness when you hear it February 15, 2019. It is that good.
It’s on! See all you folks this April in Europe/UK! - Click Here for Full Details and Ticket Links
Fear not, North America, The Long Ryders will announce tour dates there as soon as possible in 2019!
Listen to the new song Greenville from Psychedelic Country Soul here - A Billboard Exclusive.
November 2018 will see two very, very special Long Ryders releases.
Both State Of Our Union and Two-Fisted Tales reappear on the marketplace after years out-of-print.
Not only are they coming back into print but each album is now a three CD set (!) with the first disc being the original album with B-sides, the second being outtakes and demos, and the third CD being a live show recorded in support of each album. So, yes, if you buy both releases… and we hope you do… the discerning Long Ryders fan will have six discs of Long Ryders music, much of it unreleased. Both sets are released on November 30th, 2018 on Cherry Red Records.
uDiscover placed The Long Ryders' State Of Our Union as number 5 in their 10 Best Americana Albums Of All Time!
"Unlike many of best Americana albums on this list, this album wasn’t a big hit, nor did the band ever have one. The Long Ryders were well aware that they were crying into the wilderness. The 80s just weren’t a great time for a band that revered Gram Parsons and Buffalo Springfield, but that’s precisely what gives State Of Our Union its urgency. The other big element in their mix was full-throttle garage rock, and it all comes together on the 12-string-driven ‘Capturing The Flag’. Without exaggeration, it’s as great a song as Springfield and the Burritos ever wrote. Another high point of the album is the celebratory ‘Looking For Lewis And Clark’, which namechecks Parsons, Tim Hardin and ‘Louie Louie’. In the last-laugh department, The Long Ryders have reunited and have a new album on the way."
View the whole list and check out the fine company The Long Ryders find themselves in on uDiscover
The Long Ryders find themselves on another top ten list, and in some very good company, in this article from VinylMePlease on the roots of alt-Country... The 10 Best Alt-Country Albums To Own On Vinyl
"If the dancers don’t feel it, nobody’s gonna move!"
A great piece on the history and origins of the Paisley Underground on Sterogum where Stephen M. Deusner runs through some history and gives you 14 Essential Paisley Underground Songs
"Whenever I hear this first new Long Ryders’ song in thirty years it only takes me about half a minute before I have to push back my chair, turn the volume UP, and start dancing around the room like a happy fool. A killer Tom Stevens' song, a strong ensemble performance; a real true thrill to be back in the saddle again, riding high with The Long Ryders, my musical home away from home." Sid Griffin
Americana pioneers, LA’s Long Ryders, release "Bear in the Woods" on Tuesday, April 18. Penned by bassist/vocalist Tom Stevens and produced by Adrian Olsen and The Long Ryders, it is available on Spotify, iTunes, Pandora and YouTube. Additional newly recorded songs will follow closely thereafter.
The new music comes just before the band’s first CA tour run in 30 years, playing club dates before their 2017 Stagecoach Festival appearance. Shows include The Chapel/San Francisco (4/26), Constellation Room/Santa Ana (4/28) and The Roxy Theatre/West Hollywood (4/29).
Songwriter Tom Stevens offers the following about his new tune: "The message is complex. I wrote this song about a bear, a friendly one, approaching it like a children's song. But what emerged under its surface was different. I likely had the state of politics on my mind. The bear in this song may not be the friendly, all-knowing guru that he appears. But in real life, it's up to us to seek our best hopes and not our worst fears in our gurus. Lately I feel that too many have done the latter."
Lead guitarist/vocalist Stephen McCarthy explains how the new music came about: "The band played a number of shows in 2016 and we felt it would be worthwhile to try and write/record some new material. Greg flew out to Virginia and we recorded a few new songs at Adrian Olsen's Montrose Studio. Sid and Tom sent new tunes over and we recorded remotely for the first time."
Tom continues the story: "Thirty years on and the band still sounds wonderful--mature, familiar yet new, and all very much The Long Ryders. It's brand new musical scenery in our long ryde, and we're all enjoying the view."
Drummer Greg Sowders agrees: "Thirty years goes by in the spin of a wig hat. We wanted to give our fans something new for our spring tour. It’s so great to be back in the studio with my favorite rock 'n' roll band. We hope you like this new music as much as we do."
This just in from Sid. . . "The Long Ryders April swing through California was their first west coast tour in thirty years and worth the wait!
In San Francisco our dear friend Chris Robinson (Black Crowes, Chris Robinson Brotherhood) performed with us and at our sold out concert at The Roxy in L.A. Vicki Peterson (The Bangles, The Continental Drifters) did us the honour of singing I Want You Bad as a duet with Stephen.
The tour ended with a performance in front of 25,000 at the Stagecoach Festival out in the desert near Palm Springs.
The Long Ryders wowed ‘em and no less than festival head Paul Tollett said so the band sounded better than ever. So the band is hoping to return to their home ground before another thirty years is up!”
The Long Ryders Store has been restocked with shirts from the tour and some new videos from the tour will be going up on the Youtube Channel shortly. For news on future tour dates do sign up for The Long Ryders Newsletter and you can also follow The Long Ryders on Facebook and Twitter.
A mention of The Long Ryders in todays Guardian Newspaper in their 'Readers recommend playlist' here.
"One final carp at proverbs is provided by the Long Ryders who, reasonably enough, suggest that A Stitch in Time is, “fine if you know what you are doing” – with misguided interventions however, more often than not, it will harm rather than heal."
Not to be outdone Sid gets a mention elsewhere in the paper today too.
Leading up to their appearance at April's prestigious Stagecoach Festival, the Long Ryders have added three club dates including their triumphant return to the famed Roxy Theatre on LA's Sunset Strip.
A recording of the Monty Hall performance of The Long Ryders from November the 9th 2016 is now online via WFMU on their Vimeo channel.
Critics have raved about the Final Wild Songs box set ranging from Classic Rock: "Majestic four-disc anthology of studio recordings and rarities." to Mojo: "this music sounds as good and as relevant now as it did three decades ago.", Shindig Magazine: "this is a crack shot collection" to NPR’s All Things Considered: "a reminder how scorching their live show was". Read more reviews in full here on our website.
The Long Ryders are very pleased to announce they will be performing at Stagecoach: California’s Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California. The band will play on the final day of the three-day event, Sunday, April 30; this year’s headliners are Dierks Bentley, Shania Twain and Kenny Chesney.
Stagecoach tickets / passes go on sale Friday, November 18 at 11:00am PST, available via the Festival website: www.stagecoachfestival.com
A recording of the complete set from The Long Ryders triumphant show from New York's Bowery Ballroom is online via NYC Taper.
The Long Ryders performed their first East Coast US Tour in 29 years in November of 2016 in suport of the Final Wild Songs box set.
Listen below or download the full set at the NYC Taper website.
Bolo Ties & Beatle Boots: The Rise and Legacy Of Cowpunk - A nice piece on the history of L.A. Cowpunk written by Joey Camp on the Woody Radio blog.
Woody Radio is a non profit internet radio station and you can learn more about them on their Facebook page here.
Cleveland Live Music has uploaded a selection of tracks recorded at The Long Ryders Bowery Ballroom Ney York City show and the Cafe Nine New Haven show back in November. Watch the videos for I Want You Bad & I Had A Dream (NYC 11/10/16), On the Way Home & Looking For Lewis and Clark (NYC 11/10/16), Masters of War (NYC 11/10/16), On the Way Home & Looking For Lewis and Clark (New Haven 11/12/16) and Run Dusty Run (NYC 11/10/16) all on the clevelandlivemusic YouTube channel.
Sid got the ‘Final’ word on the Tour and the Final Wild Songs box set over on Goldmine, The Music Collectors Magazine. Read the complete interview online here.
Boston's DO617 spoke to Greg as a part of their '5 Questions with' interview series. Read the full article here.
With less than a week to go until The Long Ryders play their first East Coast USA shows in 29 years(!!!) Stephen spoke to WMFU’s Joe Belock about the East Coast shows, Final Wild Songs and what the plans are for the future. Listen to the full show on the WMFU website.
Greg also spoke with Brian Young for his A Crash Course For The Ravers radio show over on WMFO, As Greg says “Cool man”.
UK based design studio Dorothy recently mapped out the history of alternative and independent music to the circuit board of an early transistor radio. ‘Of course’ The Long Ryders are in there somewhere… Can you find them?
Wired Magazine have made this groovy interactive version of the print on their website where you can zoom in and browse around. You can also purchase the metallic gold screen printed map on the Dorothy website here.
Wednesday, November 9th at Monty Hall, Jersey City, N.J.
This week the session recorded for the legendary ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris earlier this year was broadcast on his BBC Radio 2 show. You can listen to the full show on the BBC iPlayer for the next month here and also to the interview and songs here. Songs played include The Light Gets In the Way and A Stitch In Time plus the remastered version of Final Wild Son from the Final Wild Songs box set. The band also talk all about the Paisley Underground, the LA music scene of the early 1980s, and the individual musical influences which melded into the band’s eventual pioneering alt-country sound.
The Long Ryders were featured in The Guardian newspapers 'Cult Heros' slot on Tuesday the 13th September. Read the full article here.
Back from their triumphant European tour this spring and riding incredible reviews for their box set, Final Wild Songs, The Long Ryders are thrilled to announce their first U.S. tour dates in 29 years. Full details and ticket links on the Tour Dates page.
"Unlike so many reunion tours, where drawn out banter/breathers between every song can crush the dream, the Long Ryders rip through their catalogue, the three songwriters, lead guitarist Steven McCarthy, Stevens and rhythmist/”point man” Sid Griffin sharing vocal duties...
From opener Run Dusty Run to scorching closer Looking For Lewis and Clark, the Long Ryders gave it everything, passion, and politics, undimmed. Griffin’s Rickenbacker still bears the Coal Not Dole sticker I spotted when I first saw them 30 years ago and the perception/education/persuasion of the songs hasn’t aged a bit."
Two very fine reviews of the 2016 show at Bristol's Fleece in Bristol 24/7 and The Bristol Post.
Plus, just published, a fine Long Ryders piece in Spain’s best media voice. Read the full article on the El Pais website.
Ahead of The Long Ryders Bristol show on May 3rd Sid Griffin spoke to Jonathon Kardasz of B24/7. Read the full interview online here.
Ralph McLean plays several tracks from Final Wild Songs and talks with Sid ahead of the 2016 Europe Tour Dates. Listen to the broadcast for the next 30 days on the BBC Website.
Listen to a selection of tracks from the Final Wild Songs box set along with a great Sid Griffin interview on Todd-o-phonic Todd's fine WFMU show. Sid speaks about the early origins of The Long Ryders, the 2016 Tour Dates and gets to play some of his favorite tunes. Listen to the broadcast on the WFMU Website here or on SidGriffin.com.
Meredith Ochs has some fine things to say about Final Wild songs..."If you drew a straight line from The Byrds through Wilco, you'd intersect the Long Ryders right in the middle. But that's only part of what makes this band essential listening. The true test of music is time. And this music sounds as good and as relevant now as it did three decades ago."
Listen to the full audio and read a transcript at the NPR website.
Sid chats to good friend Liz Kershaw on her great BBC 6 Music show about the new boxset, the upcoming live dates and borrowed pantyhose...
Listen to the full interview on the BBC 6 Music website.
Stephen Rapid speaks to Sid about Final Wild Songs and what the future might hold for The Long Ryders following its release. Loneseome Highway Interview
John Clarkson speaks to Sid Griffin, the front man with groundbreaking 80s band the Long Ryders, about their influence on the alt.country/Americana movement and 'Final Wild Songs', a new four CD box set. Pennyblackmusic Magazine Interview
Our good friends at RNE Radio 3 in Spain have outdone themselves with this killer special on the band. LOTS of tracks from Final Wild Songs plus background history on the band. Listen online or download.
Coming in January, the long-awaited expanded edition of Native Sons. Compiled in conjunction with the band, this new 3CD edition contains the original album alongside a raft of demos, B-sides, and a scorching live recording from 1985.
Pre-order NOW from Cherry Red Records at cherryred.co/NativeSons
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