This is our No River City

No River City are Atlanta based but are spending more and more time far away from home. Cooped up in a car on a long road that's seems to go on forever they have put far too many miles behind them. Luckily the band is now a duo made up of Drew de Man and Terri Onstad so they live like true traveling folk playing a gig and throwing down a bed on someone's floor before heading off to the next town. It seems idyllic but its tough work.

Drew is the songwriter and main singer in the band that has whittled its way through many lineup changes. (including a time with myself on bass) It is now down to its present form which has Terri on cello, guitar and vocals. When you think of Americana or alt country you don't really think of cello but with NRC it works. It works very well in fact and the melancholy melodies sit so well behind Drew's raw, pain filled songs of life, death and all points in between. On stage the band can fill a room with a couple of imaginatively arranged instruments carrying Drew's plaintive voice and Terri's strong sweet harmonies.

The first album is out now and available through the band's website. It is called This is our North Dakota, the title reputedly coming from a weird argument between Drew and Teri on one of those long drives across the country. The album uses a full band though with guest musicians lending their skills to the sparsely yet beautifully produced 10 tracks. My personal favorites are Ashes and Visit Me a dark end to a dark but brilliant album. All the tracks are original except a memorable cover of Tom Waits' Who Are You.

I could be accused of bias on this but I truly believe Drew de Man is one of the most important songwriters out there right now and is the proverbial diamond in the rough, albeit a diamond that's shines better through the grime. In Terri he has found someone who helps complete his sound and does more on stage than an entire backing band of lesser people could. Having said that I miss standing beside him on stage and one day soon you might find yourself wondering who the idiotic Irishman is trying to jam along with No River City.

They have one date left to play this year in Atlanta but next year they are planning to tour more and maybe they will squeeze in some international dates.

The Atlanta show is on Friday, December 19 th at the Red Light Cafe - Atlanta, GA

Annual Holiday Bash with Chickens and Pigs and Twittering Machine
8pm - $7

The album is available in various locations but sounds sweetest bought through the band's official website at

http://www.norivercity.com