When Rivers Meet supported by the Dusk Brothers at The Garage, Islington, London on Saturday 11th May 2024
So how as an independent band with no major label support do you get to number 9 in the album charts? The highest placing by any independent band … ever.
“When Rivers Meet” should be a MBA case study. They have built themselves up from releasing an EP in 2019, to being a major player in the world of rock and blues today.
So how did this do this? Grace Bond (vocals, mandolin and violin) and Aaron Bond (vocals and guitar) are the husband-and-wife front members of the band and did what a band should do. They put out an EP, to market test there is an audience. They then built on that audience through email and social media. Then without the aid of a major record company, they crowdsourced their albums. This way you understand your demand and get your money upfront.
The London gig, at the Garage was the last on the “Aces Are High” tour in support of the album of the same name.
I have to admit I wasn’t sure what to expect, maybe a band who would play tracks and go through the motions. In fact, quite the opposite. Here we have four musicians, Grace and Aaron were joined on stage by the other two band members.
They played the “Aces Are High” album plus crowd favourites and they were not only a tight band but were clearly enjoying themselves. Smiles, laughs and of course, The Garage is small enough to connect with your fans.
Two thirds of the way through the gig they played two “acoustic” numbers and we finished the gig singing one of their favourites, “did I break the law?” It was a night where we all enjoyed ourselves, both the band and audience.
And When Rivers Meet didn’t forget how they got to where they are, the audience. As soon as the gig was over, they were down the merch stall to sign merch and to take selfies with the audience. This is how you build success in the digital world today.
My advice on all gigs is to never miss the support and this gig was no different.
Supporting “When the River Meet” was the “Dusk Brothers” we were in for a southern rock treat, they are on their Roses in the Bonecart Tour.
Dusk Brothers are (Gray and ‘E’ Moncrieff) they describe the band as “dark swamp blues” and yes, they are two-man-band. What is unbelievable is they are from Bristol, UK. I thought they were from the south of the US. You will never see the join.
The band uses home-built instruments, guitars and drums. Built in the garage where they have provided live streamed music from their Facebook page since 2020 lock down.
The two delivered a highly enjoyable southern rock set, with a sense of humour that had the audience moving in time to the music. The Dusk Brothers have a new album in August that I highly recommend and you check out. If you register on their website, you get two fee tracks as downloads.
Timothy Hughes | Now Spinning Magazine
