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Interview: By The Rivers
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Interview: By The Rivers
New UK 6 piece band with a very promising future.
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As the summer ended last year writer Erik Magni reported here on how there has been something of a resurgence in the popularity of live bands in Jamaica with groups such as The Uprising Roots Band, Dubtonic Kru and Raging Fyah leading the way. Now in the UK there is some hope for ‘live band’ reggae music with the arrival of Leicester 6 piece By The Rivers, a cleverly derived name from the fact that two of the founding members Nile and Jordan both share their names with rivers.
This young band, all of whom are in their late teens or early twenties, have been building a solid reputation on the live circuit in the UK, performing predominantly their own compositions at various festivals and supporting the likes of Maxi Priest, Dawn Penn, Musical Youth and John Holt. They have also released two EP's so far, available from bytherivers.bandcamp.com, iTunes and Spotify and have just entered the studio to recorded their debut album.
With the future looking promising for this band I took the chance to catch up with them and find out more about who they are and their brand of Roots Reggae for a new generation!
How did you all come together?
Well, me (Nile) and Jordan, have been friends since birth, and it was us who originally set up the band. But everyone else in the band we have known through music in some way, either from seeing them in other bands, or having played with them at some point.
What made you decide to start a Reggae band?
Me and Jordan have always had a passion for Reggae music, it was a style that we really related to, and because of that, we felt it should be something we should pursue ourselves.
Who are your influences?
We have many influences, not just Reggae artists. But obviously one of those being Bob Marley, and mainly Roots Reggae, such as Twinkle Brothers, Culture, Abyssinians, Third World etc.
Have you found it hard being a reggae band to get your music out there and heard?
In some ways yes and in some ways no. People seem to be more open to it, as you don’t see many young bands doing Reggae compared to the amount say doing Indie music for example.
Towards the end of last year you supported the Specials, how did that come about and how did you find it? I caught you at the Alexandria Palace show where you were very well received.
We had a gig supporting Neville Staple in Derby, and after the show, Neville asked for a CD, so I gave him an EP and a business card. A few days later I received a phone call from him saying he loved the EP, and would pass us on. Not too long after, I got a call from Lynval Golding, saying he was really liking our sound, and would see about getting us on the tour... 
The next thing we knew, we were being asked to play a 15 date UK Arena Tour supporting The Specials, and it was incredible!! It was so surreal playing to packed out Arena’s every night, and being able to watch The Specials after. They are a big influence to us, and so to have been able to support them and meet them was such an unforgettable experience.
Your single ‘One Word’ is out now and I saw somewhere that it went up to around #7 on the iTunes UK reggae chart, how does it feel to be in there amongst your peers?
Yes, our EP package ended up reaching No.2 in the iTunes Reggae Album Charts, coming second to Bob Marley. It was unbelievable seeing our music up there with the greats, and an honour to be sat next to Bob Marley and many other Legendary Reggae artists in the charts!
What plans do you have for the immediate future?
We are currently in the Studio recording our debut album, which will be released around the end of 2012 with singles being released prior. Also, we are currently setting up our own tour, and have confirmed a string of European dates supporting The Slackers in April.
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