Gone are the days when I can sit or stand in a packed club and wait until 11 pm for the headliner to get on stage. So it was especially amazing that the Long Beach, California band, Rival Sons, visited Free-FM for an in-studio interview/acoustic performance on Saturday afternoon, the day of their sold-out show at Norma Jean’s. I’ve linked to Rival Sons’ music here before.  They are rock and roll and originals and still they hearken back to the best of bands like Led Zeppelin and their ilk. They’re all young guys, in their 20’s, and they’re so humble and grateful for the success they’ve achieved so far. Derek and Blair from The Big Show interviewed them and had them play some of their songs for more than half an hour.  If you’re so inclined, the audio can be accessed by clicking here:  Rival Sons on Free-FM.
For me, in 30+ years of radio, I’ve never had the chance to meet my favourite band or performer at the time they were my favourite. I met David Cassidy long after the Partridge Family went off the air. Â Barry Williams, who played Greg on The Brady Bunch, is another former hero I interviewed but, again, long after the show was part of my must-see-TV. Â Meeting the Doobie Brothers a few years ago was a giant kick but decades had passed since I played their 45s on my little turntable. And so on. But Rival Sons are my current favourite and I know every song on their two hit albums. Watching Jay Buchanan sing the heartbreaker, Jordan, so close to me I could have touched him if I was a thoughtless ass, nearly reduced me to tears. He and Scott Holiday are super talented, amazing performers and they gave us some great radio. Â Derek put it best when he said, “next time you guys come through I have a feeling you’ll be playing stadiums”. Â In their typical, self-deprecating way, Scott replied, “You guys keep saying that but we just keep playing restaurants!”
