The Riders are excited to announce their new album:

Crown City Sessions
Co-Produced with Guy Fletcher (Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris) and  featuring saxophonist Buddy Leach of George Thorogood & the Destroyers

You can hear samples, read more, and pick up a copy today at:
www.theridersmusic.com/store

We're doing a "pay what you can/donation" for the initial release of our new album as we raising money for the Riders to get to Memphis, TN to perform an official showcase at the 2010 Folk Alliance Conference in February.

Please check it out
See you soon!
-the Riders

WOW! Last Night was amazing!!
the Riders sent their "bandbassadors" (Devin and Tom) to open for hitmakers America ("Horse with no name", "Sister Golden Hair") at Humphrey's by the Bay in San Diego, CA.

For those of you unfamiliar with Humphrey's - it is basically the coolest outdoor venue in So Ca. It is in Point Loma right on the harbor, so while standing on the stage to the right of you is a ton of boats. Quite often (Friday night being no different) boaters and kayakers will paddle their way into that corner of the harbor and watch the show from their boats. Humphrey's holds about 1,400 people at capacity and offers a very intimate show.

Devin and Tom concluded a longer than scheduled set featuring new tunes (to be released on the upcoming album) "Storylines", "Summer Rain", "Katie May I" in addition to a few live favorites like "Coalinga", "Toby's Song", and "Someday Soon". "These Stones" also made its live debut and received a lovely "awwwwwww" in addition to applause from the crowd when Tom told the story of how the song was an engagement gift.

At the end of the set the Riders were greeted by guitarist/keyboardest (for America) Mike Woods who asked if Devin and Tom would like to join America for their finale encore of "Horse With no Name" at the end of the night.

A few hours later, Gerry, Dewey, Mike, and the whole gang from America invited the Riders up to perform with them. Tom singing and playing tambourine and Devin (fiddle in hand) took a solo that made the crowd roar. At the end of the song Gerry and Dewey invited Devin and Tom to the front of the stage for a bow in front of the great crowd!!

Thanks everybody for a great night!!

-the Riders

The Riders
200 Miles from Everywhere
Written by Mike Alvarez

If you can imagine U2's Bono fronting the E Street Band with a couple of the Heartbreakers sitting in, you might have some idea of what the Riders sound like. Their brand of rock is firmly rooted in Americana, but their excursions into other styles reveal their versatility and sense of musical adventure. Lead vocalist and primary songwriter Tom Cusimano has a way of savoring certain syllables that is right out of the U2 bag of tricks. His guitar playing is tasteful and melodic, fitting perfectly into the mood of each song. Keyboardist Rami Jaffee favors the Hammond B3 organ, giving many of the songs the same plaintive feel that can be found in the most famous Bruce Springsteen recordings. Equally at home on the piano, he can pull off crisp licks on the ivories that add another tonal color to their palette. Completing the lineup is bassist Lavalle Houser and Jimmy Olson on drums. They are as rock solid a rhythm section as anyone could ask for.

The album opens with "Someday Soon," a mid-tempo rocker with a rhythm similar to the Tom Petty hit "Free Falling." As the songs unfold, one can hear other influences. Bruce Springsteen's forte for storytelling is all over the place, notably in the tracks "Coalinga" and "Toby's Song." This latter tune features a piano solo that would have made Bruce Hornsby proud. "All I Ever Need to See" is a heavier guitar-based song with a sprinkling of the Stones thrown in for good measure. "Give Anything" starts off heavy but takes a surprising turn with its gospel-inflected verse. Things get quieter with "Too Far Away Tonight," a starkly emotional piano song with subtle accompaniment by accordion and mandolin. However, things don't stay that way for long. "Wasted Heart" starts as a beautiful acoustically driven song but it builds as it progresses. This is perhaps the launching pad for the album's latter half when the band really stretches its legs artistically.

After the country-rocker "Sunday Letter," they launch into "Annie's Charade," a song with roots in Alternative and New Wave rock. Its verse brings to mind the Clash classic "Rock the Casbah." Houser even throws in some funky slapping and popping on his bass, imparting an added measure of energy. Another surprise is their foray into reggae rhythms on "Cherry Sweet." Characterized by many dynamic shifts, this song develops into a "Freebird"-style guitar rave-up. I certainly didn't see that coming, but it works fabulously! The climax of this collection is "Angels Can't Carry Roses," a spirited alternative rocker with a shuffling beat that allows the Riders to display their turn-on-a-dime ensemble skills. It's very exciting and perfectly placed in the sequence of songs. They finish with "Take Away," a moving piano ballad that brings them back to their Americana roots after some very adventurous excursions into other styles. This is a band that has distilled its influences into a very coherent and focused musical statement.

Ladies and Gentlemen!
the Riders will be supporting the legendary guitarist Robin Trower (of Procol Harum) at the House of Blues (San Diego) on May 27th. Mark you calendars!

Robin Trower with The Riders....

Buy Robin Trower with The Riders concert tickets for the show at House of Blues San Diego http://www.houseofblues.com/tickets/eventdetail.php?eventid=57258 .... Wednesday 05/27/2009 Doors 07:00 PM | Show 08:00 PM Price: $30.00 - $50.00 | Ages: 21+ House of Blues San Diego 1055 Fifth Avenue San Diego, CA 92101 (619) 299-BLUE (2583)

For your reading pleasure
 
http://nctimes.com/articles/2009/02/25/entertainment/music/zb7f0a4408f742ed7882575670068d9e3.txt
 
B+ "200 Miles From Everywhere ..."

The Riders

Self-released

Playing a gentle countrified folk-rock, L.A.'s the Riders sound nearly as if they stepped out of a time machine from the early '70s, fresh off opening for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band or Poco. The dozen songs on their recent release have the easy familiarity of an early Eagles album, and lead singer Tom Cusimano sounds more than a little like Jackson Browne.

Cusimano also shows a nice touch at writing. "Coalinga" is a classic bit of country-rock: catchy melody, perfect bridge, nice guitar solos. It'd be a huge hit if radio still cared about breaking new artists. "Toby's Song" is also a hit in waiting ---- an uptempo little rocker.

Keyboardist Rami Jaffee brings a bit of Southern boogie to his playing ---- a touch of Atlanta Rhythm Section or Widespread Panic, and the rhythm section (Jimmy Olson on drums and Lavalle Houser on bass) are as supple as a good jazz combo while still able to push things along.

The quality of the songs drops off fairly steeply on the second half of the album, and the band never really rocks out ---- everything is in that kind of Eagles/Poco mellow. But when it clicks, as on "Coalinga," the music here is awfully good.

The Riders play Thursday (2/25) at the 1st Street Bar in Encinitas and Friday (2/26) at the Little Italy Spaghetteria in San Diego.

---- JT (Jim Trageser)

Ok, so we don't normally do this, but the chance is too good to pass up...the Riders could win a new touring vehicle & trailer, tons of gear, and promotion/marketing money (a lot of money!) The competition just started and we are currently #57 out of 600+...we need to get to the top!
This could really help us out.
Thanks!

And sign up as a fan -
http://www.getroadworn.com/contest.php?sid=58&rid=1270&aid=25432&mid=23693&stage_search=riders

We are very pleased to announce that Paste Magazine has included our song "Coalinga" on their September 2008 sampler entitled "The Best Of What's Next"

Pick up your copy today!

Check it out folks, the Riders song 'Coalinga' is currently 7 Most Listened at pastemagazine.com
Go listen, tell all your friends!
You can access the most listened playlist from any page ..magazine.com (look at the tabs on the right).
You can also hear 'Toby's Song' and 'Coalinga' on the pastestation radio stream.
See you soon!
-Tom
The

The Riders, 200 Miles From Everywhere

Music criticism is funny in that it requires the reviewer to shelve his or her personal tastes in favor of maintaining that most elusive and important of critical qualities: objectivity. It’s not enough to merely say that you love or hate an album. You have to set aside your personal biases and judge each individual work on its own merits. So it is that 200 Miles from Everywhere . . . the latest album from San Diego’s The Riders, recently found its way into my CD player.