The Longest Johns w/ RISO

________

 To provide a safer environment for the public and significantly expedite fan entry into our venues, Rialto Theatre & 191 Toole have instituted a clear bag policy as of March 1st, 2022. The policy limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into our venues. The following is a list of bags that will be accepted for entry: Bags that are clear plastic or vinyl and do not exceed 12in x 6in x 12in One-gallon clear plastic freezer bags (Ziplok bag or similar) Small clutch bags, approximately 5in x 7in All bags subject to search. Clear bags are available for sale at the box office.

________

ABOUT THE ARTIST

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK  | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | LISTEN

I doubt any of Bristol’s The Longest Johns ever imagined they would be able to get so far on just four voices. In a few short years they have gone from singing sea shanties in a kitchen to International folk festivals, tours, TV appearances and gained a huge online following. With their third studio album Cures What Ails Ya, they bring a new mix of instruments and their own unique take on some folk standards, as well as introducing a collection of fantastic original songs.

ABOUT RISO

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK  | INSTAGRAM | LISTEN

For New Eyes, Arizona folk music powerhouses Matt Rolland and Rebekah Sandoval Rolland have come full circle. Their band, RISO, is the culmination of a musical lifetime spent together – and the album is a document of the ebb and flow of the last decade of their lives as students, musicians, and, more recently, parents.

Rolland and Rebekah bring very different influences to the table despite their shared culture, and the interplay is on full display on their latest release. Rolland’s history as a contest fiddle player in the Texas and bluegrass styles shows itself in nimble, quick melodic lines. Sandoval Rolland’s fascination with old-time music comes out in speech-driven, “crooked” rhythms and unexpected phrasing. Rolland introduced Sandoval Rolland to pop influences like the Shins and Iron and Wine; Sandoval Rolland fell in love with another band they listened to two decades ago, Crooked Still, and that affair has continued unbroken. From the Latin word for “smile” or “laughter,” RISO synthesizes that push and pull. It embraces an old-time aesthetic that seems to emanate from the very bones of the earth yet incorporates pop flourishes and sometimes complex arrangements to get the message across.

The album feels like the natural growth of an old tradition, flourishing into something new. Sandoval’s voice has a heartbreaking clarity and grace, traveling seamlessly between filigrees of a dreamy springtime delicacy and crescendos of strength. There is an innocence to it that makes the weight of her words hit all the stronger. Rolland’s sure hand gives rise to it, responding to every nuance and cradling the sound with sometimes surprising textures – like a 60s psychedelic guitar jangle or French horn coming through the acoustic pop. His original instrumental tunes buoy the album forward, melding influences from Celtic, old-time, and bluegrass traditions.

The songs will break your heart and fix it again. From the wistful “Geometric Slide” to the jaunty “Caterpillar Prince,” from the ominous and smoky “Always Running” to the budding of desire in “Closer,” these are songs of innocence and of experience (to borrow from Blake).

Rolland and Sandoval Rolland summoned formidable friends to help with the project. Arthur Vint (credits include Postmodern Jukebox) provides the drums; Ryan David Green (Ryanhood) contributes electric guitar; Steff Koeppen (Steff and the Articles; Copeland) is on keyboard; Thøger Lund (Giant Sand) plays bass; Ben Plotnick (The Fretless, Oliver the Crow, and Atwood Quartet) and Kaitlyn Raitz (Oliver the Crow and Atwood Quartet) wrote several of the string arrangements and played fiddle and cello respectively. The album was engineered by Tucson stalwarts Peter Dalton Ronstadt and Steven Lee Tracy and mixed by Philip Shaw Bova (Father John Misty, Lake Street Dive, Feist). But such a team of captains – most lead their own bands – never overshadows the wit and heart of the Rollands. RISO is their love letter to you.
-Robert Lopez-Hanshaw
​
“There are albums where the end result is clearly the product of far more than the music making process, embodying the relationship between the musicians and their music, and life. ‘New Eyes’ is one of these and in making it RISO have added another entry to the end of year ‘best-of’ lists.” – AmericanaUK
​
“A rising star in the Americana and mountain music world.” – Ear to the Ground
​
“Their delicately crafted music hits all of the right marks.” – PopMatters
​
“Authentic slices of storytelling that make for some of the most compelling listening from out of the roots world so far this year.” -Jonathan Frahm, For Folk’s Sake
​
“A slice of folk perfection.” -Jonathan Aird, Americana UK