THE LONG RYDERS
''FINAL WILD SONGS, DISC FOUR''
JANUARY 29 2016
271:25
********************
DISC ONE (1983-1984) (72:45)
1 Join My Gang 02:47 (Sid Griffin)
2 You Don't Know What's Right, You Don't Know Was Wrong 04:01 (Des Brewer, Stephen McCarty)
3 10/05/60 03:11 (Sid Griffin, Barry Shank)
4 And She Rides 04:30 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
5 Born to Believe in You 03:06 (Sid Griffin)
6 Final Wild Son 02:35 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy)
7 Ivory Tower 02:59 (Barry Shank)
8 Run Dusty Run 02:26 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
9 (Sweet) Mental Revenge 02:50 (Mel Tillis)
10 Fair Game 02:37 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy)
11 Tell It to the Judge On Sunday 03:08 (Sid Griffin)
12 Wreck of the 809 03:56 (Stephen McCarthy, Tom Stevens)
13 Too Close to the Light 04:11 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders, Tom Stevens)
14 Never Got to Meet the Mom 02:15 (Sid Griffin)
15 I Had a Dream 03:49 (Stephen McCarthy)
16 Masters of War 04:32 (Bob Dylan)
17 Black Girl (Live) 02:51 (Huddie Ledbetter)
18 Wreck of the 809 (Live) 03:35 (Stephen McCarthy, Tom Stevens)
19 Further Along (Live) 04:53 (Public Domain)
20 The Rains Came (Live) 02:36 (Huey P. Meaux)
21 You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover (Live) 05:46 (Willie Dixon)
**********
DISC TWO (1985) (69:07)
1 Looking for Lewis and Clark 03:10 (Sid Griffin)
2 Lights of Downtown 03:08 (Stephen McCarthy)
3 W.D.I.A. 03:43 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy)
4 Mason-Dixie Line 04:23 (Stephen McCarthy)
5 Here Comes That Train Again 03:23 (Stephen McCarthy)
6 Years Long Ago 03:34 (Tom Stevens)
7 Good Times Tomorrow, Hard Times Today 03:58 (Sid Griffin)
8 Two Kinds of Love 04:18 (Sid Griffin)
9 You Can't Ride the Boxcars Anymore 02:59 (Tom Stevens)
10 Capturing the Flag 03:50 (Will Birch, Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders, Tom Stevens)
11 State of My Union 04:50 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
12 Southside of the Story 02:49 (Sid Griffin, Tom Stevens)
13 Child Bride 03:34 (Will Birch, Greg Sowders)
14 If I Were a Bramble and You Were a Rose 03:17 (Sid Griffin)
15 Looking for Lewis and Clark (Live) 03:21 (Sid Griffin)
16 Lights of Downtown (Captain's Mix, Island Studios) 03:09 (Stephen McCarthy)
17 Capturing the Flag (Captain's Mix, Island Studios) 03:26 (Will Birch, Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders, Tom Stevens)
18 Christmas in New Zealand 04:39 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders, Tom Stevens)
19 Encore from Hell (Live) 03:28 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders, Tom Stevens)
**********
DISC THREE (1986) (76:12)
1 Gunslinger Man 03:19 (Sid Griffin)
2 I Want You Bad 02:41 (Terry Adams, Phil Crandon)
3 A Stitch in Time 04:06 (Tom Stevens)
4 The Light Gets in the Way 03:56 (Stephen McCarthy)
5 Prairie Fire 02:54 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
6 Baby's in Toyland 04:14 (Sid Griffin)
7 Long Story Short 03:47 (Sid Griffin)
8 Man of Misery 03:33 (Stephen McCarthy)
9 Harriet Tubman’s Gonna Carry Me Home 03:35 (Sid Griffin)
10 For the Rest of My Days 04:45 (Stephen McCarthy)
11 Spectacular Fall 04:45 (Sid Griffin)
12 Ring Bells 02:18 (Sid Griffin)
13 17 Ways (Demo) 03:05 (Tom Stevens)
14 Basic Black (Demo) 03:10 (Sid Griffin)
15 Pushin’ Uphill (Demo) 03:15 (Stephen McCarthy)
16 How Do We Feel What's Real (Demo) 03:11 (Tom Stevens)
17 He's Got Himself a Young Girl (And He Can't Keep Up) (Demo) 03:01 (Sid Griffin)
18 He Can Hear His Brother Calling (Demo) 05:11 (Stephen McCarthy)
19 Sad Sad Songs (Demo) 02:29 (Tom Stevens)
20 Flak Jacket (Demo) 05:22 (Sid Griffin)
21 Blues Theme (Demo) 03:26 (Sid Griffin)
**********
DISC FOUR (1985) (53:21)
1 Mason-Dixon Line 4:19 (Stephen McCarthy)
2 Time Keeps Travelling 03:38 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
3 (Sweet) Mental Revenge 02:54 (Mel Tillis)
4 Run Dusty Run 02:26 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
5 You Don't Know What's Right 03:56
6 As God Is My Witness 04:07 (Sid Griffin)
7 Ivory Tower 03:03 (Barry Shank)
8 I Can't Hide 02:58 (Cyril Jordan, Chris Wilson)
9 Masters of War 04:22 (Bob Dylan)
10 Wreck of 809 04:16 (Stephen McCarthy, Tom Stevens)
11 Good Times Tomorrow, Hard Times Today 04:09 (Sid Griffin)
12 Six Days On the Road 04:13 (Earl Green, Carl Montgomery)
13 Southside of the Story 02:47 (Sid Griffin, Tom Stevens)
14 Still Get By 02:43 (Stephen McCarthy)
15 Tell It To The Judge On Sunday 03:23 (Sid Griffin)
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Mark Deming
The Long Ryders were the Odd Men Out in the Paisley Underground scene that briefly held sway over Los Angeles in the '80s. Like their peers, they felt a very personal connection with the music of the '60s, but instead of embracing psychedelia, they flew the flag for folk-rock and country-rock, putting Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn, and Doug Sahm on their personal Mt. Rushmore. The Long Ryders were proud traditionalists, but they didn't live in the past. Their music was also informed by early punk and power pop in its hooky energy and sense of commitment, and if they sang of the lessons to be taken from history, they did so as progressives who knew the stories of Harriet Tubman, WDIA-AM, the Dust Bowl, and the Mason-Dixon Line had as much to say about the present as the past. If they fell short of genuine stardom, the Long Ryders more than made a difference during their 1981-1987 lifetime, particularly in their influence on the alt-country movement, which would spread like wildfire not long after they broke up. Nearly everything you need to know about the band can be found on Final Wild Songs, a four-CD box set that collects their debut EP, 1983's 10-5-60, and their three studio albums, 1984's Native Sons, 1985's State of Our Union, and 1987's Two Fisted Tales, as well as a number of rare and unreleased tracks, including a full live set recorded for radio broadcast in the Netherlands. The Long Ryders were a band that wore their beliefs -- personal, political, and musical -- on their sleeves, and in their heyday they were celebrated for what they had to say as much as the music they made. But Final Wild Songs makes it clear this combo's music has endured because they were a truly great rock & roll band, full of snap and fervent energy. The guitar interplay between Sid Griffin and Stephen McCarthy was pure jangly bliss, and bassist Tom Stevens and drummer Greg Sowders held the tunes together with fire, precision, and outsized personality. The Long Ryders knew when to play moody and subtle, but they could also rock out with ferocious joy, and "Looking for Lewis and Clark" still sounds like an anthem worth marching to 30 years after the fact. Final Wild Songs includes song-by-song notes from the group's members, and their often witty remarks point to how much the Long Ryders cared about music as well as the world around them. And anyone who questions the group's sense of humor should check out the previously flexi-disc only "Christmas in New Zealand" and "Encore from Hell" (the latter featuring the band jamming on stage while Griffin reads profoundly negative reviews of State of Our Union with no small enthusiasm). The Long Ryders mattered then, and still matter today, and Final Wild Songs has enough fire and fun to convince any doubters.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Mark Deming
Like their peers in the Los Angeles Paisley Underground movement of the '80s, the Long Ryders were a band who swore allegiance to the sounds of the '60s, but unlike the Dream Syndicate, the Rain Parade, or Green on Red, psychedelic rock played a miniscule role in their musical formula. Instead, the Long Ryders were powerfully influenced by the roots-centric approach of early folk-rock and country rock acts, in particular the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Buffalo Springfield. And with the exception of the Bangles, the Long Ryders were the Paisley Underground band that came closest to achieving mainstream success, hitting the charts in the U.K. and earning a sizable cult following in the United States while making their mark on college radio. And the Long Ryders would later prove to be a major influence on the alt-country movement that would rise up only a few years after the band split up.
Named for an iconic western from director Walter Hill, the Long Ryders were formed in 1981 by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Sid Griffin, who had left his native Kentucky to relocate to Southern California after he heard about L.A.'s punk and garage rock scenes. Griffin would soon join a garage punk band called the Unclaimed, but after jamming with drummer Greg Sowders, formerly with the Boxboys, and guitarist Steve Wynn, he saw an opportunity to make music that more closely matched his personal vision. The three placed an ad in a local paper looking for musicians interested in "folk-rock, Tex-Mex, soul, surf, psychedelic," and while Wynn soon dropped out to devote time to his own band, the Dream Syndicate, the blurb did bring them lead guitarist Stephen McCarthy, and Griffin recruited bassist Barry Shank from the Unclaimed. Shank didn't last long in the Long Ryders lineup, and by the time the group made their recorded debut with the 1983 EP 10-5-60, Des Brewer was the group's bassist. The EP emphasized the garage rock side of the band's personality, but Brewer left the band not long after it was released, and with the addition of Indiana-born Tom Stevens, the definitive Long Ryders lineup was in place.
Native Sons
In 1984, the band struck a deal with local indie label Frontier Records, and their country and folk-rock influences came to the forefront on their first full-length album, Native Sons, which was produced by Henry Lewy (who worked with the Flying Burrito Brothers) and featured guest vocals from former Byrd Gene Clark. Native Sons received strong reviews from critics, and fared especially well in the United Kingdom, where the group's take on American musical traditions, mixed with a progressive lyrical viewpoint, clicked with critics. Extensive touring in the U.S., Britain, and Europe helped make the Long Ryders one of the most successful independent bands of the day, and in 1985, their U.K. success helped them land a new deal with Island Records. Their first album for Island, State of Our Union, was a success at college and alternative radio in the U.S., while the single "Looking for Lewis and Clark" became a chart hit in England, and though the album's more insistent rock sound didn't please U.K. critics as much as Native Sons, the album pointed to big things for the group.
Two Fisted Tales
In 1987, the Long Ryders dropped their third album, Two Fisted Tales, produced by Ed Stasium. The LP's first single, a cover of NRBQ's "I Want You Bad," earned plenty of radio play, and U2 invited the band to open a string of American dates on their tour in support of The Joshua Tree. However, the Long Ryders' relentless touring schedule was wearing away at the group, and by the end of 1987, both Tom Stevens and Stephen McCarthy had left the band to pursue other interests. While Island offered Griffin and Sowders the opportunity to cut another album for the label, in the interest of band unity they declined, and they dissolved the Long Ryders.
State of Our Reunion: Live 2004
After the band's breakup, Griffin remained active in music, forming the group the Coal Porters and running his own record label, Prima Records, as well as distinguishing himself as a music writer, penning well-reviewed books on Gram Parsons and Bob Dylan. McCarthy went on to play with Gutterball, House of Freaks, and the Jayhawks, the latter one of the many bands who took inspiration from the Long Ryders. Sowders built a career in music publishing, while Stevens moved back to his native Indiana and received a degree in computer science. In 2004, the Long Ryders staged a reunion tour that included an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival (one of these shows was documented on the live album State of Our Reunion), while the band played a handful of American dates in 2009. In late 2015, Cherry Red Records released a Long Ryders box set, Final Wild Songs, which included 10-5-60, Native Sons, State of Our Reunion, and Two-Fisted Tales in full, along with rare and unreleased tracks and a 1985 concert recorded in the Netherlands. To celebrate the box set's release, the Long Ryders announced they would be playing concert dates in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. in 2016.
********************
WEBSITE
********************
TO THE TOP
********************
''FINAL WILD SONGS, DISC FOUR''
JANUARY 29 2016
271:25
********************
DISC ONE (1983-1984) (72:45)
1 Join My Gang 02:47 (Sid Griffin)
2 You Don't Know What's Right, You Don't Know Was Wrong 04:01 (Des Brewer, Stephen McCarty)
3 10/05/60 03:11 (Sid Griffin, Barry Shank)
4 And She Rides 04:30 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
5 Born to Believe in You 03:06 (Sid Griffin)
6 Final Wild Son 02:35 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy)
7 Ivory Tower 02:59 (Barry Shank)
8 Run Dusty Run 02:26 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
9 (Sweet) Mental Revenge 02:50 (Mel Tillis)
10 Fair Game 02:37 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy)
11 Tell It to the Judge On Sunday 03:08 (Sid Griffin)
12 Wreck of the 809 03:56 (Stephen McCarthy, Tom Stevens)
13 Too Close to the Light 04:11 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders, Tom Stevens)
14 Never Got to Meet the Mom 02:15 (Sid Griffin)
15 I Had a Dream 03:49 (Stephen McCarthy)
16 Masters of War 04:32 (Bob Dylan)
17 Black Girl (Live) 02:51 (Huddie Ledbetter)
18 Wreck of the 809 (Live) 03:35 (Stephen McCarthy, Tom Stevens)
19 Further Along (Live) 04:53 (Public Domain)
20 The Rains Came (Live) 02:36 (Huey P. Meaux)
21 You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover (Live) 05:46 (Willie Dixon)
**********
DISC TWO (1985) (69:07)
1 Looking for Lewis and Clark 03:10 (Sid Griffin)
2 Lights of Downtown 03:08 (Stephen McCarthy)
3 W.D.I.A. 03:43 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy)
4 Mason-Dixie Line 04:23 (Stephen McCarthy)
5 Here Comes That Train Again 03:23 (Stephen McCarthy)
6 Years Long Ago 03:34 (Tom Stevens)
7 Good Times Tomorrow, Hard Times Today 03:58 (Sid Griffin)
8 Two Kinds of Love 04:18 (Sid Griffin)
9 You Can't Ride the Boxcars Anymore 02:59 (Tom Stevens)
10 Capturing the Flag 03:50 (Will Birch, Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders, Tom Stevens)
11 State of My Union 04:50 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
12 Southside of the Story 02:49 (Sid Griffin, Tom Stevens)
13 Child Bride 03:34 (Will Birch, Greg Sowders)
14 If I Were a Bramble and You Were a Rose 03:17 (Sid Griffin)
15 Looking for Lewis and Clark (Live) 03:21 (Sid Griffin)
16 Lights of Downtown (Captain's Mix, Island Studios) 03:09 (Stephen McCarthy)
17 Capturing the Flag (Captain's Mix, Island Studios) 03:26 (Will Birch, Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders, Tom Stevens)
18 Christmas in New Zealand 04:39 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders, Tom Stevens)
19 Encore from Hell (Live) 03:28 (Sid Griffin, Stephen McCarthy, Greg Sowders, Tom Stevens)
**********
DISC THREE (1986) (76:12)
1 Gunslinger Man 03:19 (Sid Griffin)
2 I Want You Bad 02:41 (Terry Adams, Phil Crandon)
3 A Stitch in Time 04:06 (Tom Stevens)
4 The Light Gets in the Way 03:56 (Stephen McCarthy)
5 Prairie Fire 02:54 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
6 Baby's in Toyland 04:14 (Sid Griffin)
7 Long Story Short 03:47 (Sid Griffin)
8 Man of Misery 03:33 (Stephen McCarthy)
9 Harriet Tubman’s Gonna Carry Me Home 03:35 (Sid Griffin)
10 For the Rest of My Days 04:45 (Stephen McCarthy)
11 Spectacular Fall 04:45 (Sid Griffin)
12 Ring Bells 02:18 (Sid Griffin)
13 17 Ways (Demo) 03:05 (Tom Stevens)
14 Basic Black (Demo) 03:10 (Sid Griffin)
15 Pushin’ Uphill (Demo) 03:15 (Stephen McCarthy)
16 How Do We Feel What's Real (Demo) 03:11 (Tom Stevens)
17 He's Got Himself a Young Girl (And He Can't Keep Up) (Demo) 03:01 (Sid Griffin)
18 He Can Hear His Brother Calling (Demo) 05:11 (Stephen McCarthy)
19 Sad Sad Songs (Demo) 02:29 (Tom Stevens)
20 Flak Jacket (Demo) 05:22 (Sid Griffin)
21 Blues Theme (Demo) 03:26 (Sid Griffin)
**********
DISC FOUR (1985) (53:21)
1 Mason-Dixon Line 4:19 (Stephen McCarthy)
2 Time Keeps Travelling 03:38 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
3 (Sweet) Mental Revenge 02:54 (Mel Tillis)
4 Run Dusty Run 02:26 (Sid Griffin, Greg Sowders)
5 You Don't Know What's Right 03:56
6 As God Is My Witness 04:07 (Sid Griffin)
7 Ivory Tower 03:03 (Barry Shank)
8 I Can't Hide 02:58 (Cyril Jordan, Chris Wilson)
9 Masters of War 04:22 (Bob Dylan)
10 Wreck of 809 04:16 (Stephen McCarthy, Tom Stevens)
11 Good Times Tomorrow, Hard Times Today 04:09 (Sid Griffin)
12 Six Days On the Road 04:13 (Earl Green, Carl Montgomery)
13 Southside of the Story 02:47 (Sid Griffin, Tom Stevens)
14 Still Get By 02:43 (Stephen McCarthy)
15 Tell It To The Judge On Sunday 03:23 (Sid Griffin)
********************
REVIEW/AMG
Mark Deming
The Long Ryders were the Odd Men Out in the Paisley Underground scene that briefly held sway over Los Angeles in the '80s. Like their peers, they felt a very personal connection with the music of the '60s, but instead of embracing psychedelia, they flew the flag for folk-rock and country-rock, putting Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn, and Doug Sahm on their personal Mt. Rushmore. The Long Ryders were proud traditionalists, but they didn't live in the past. Their music was also informed by early punk and power pop in its hooky energy and sense of commitment, and if they sang of the lessons to be taken from history, they did so as progressives who knew the stories of Harriet Tubman, WDIA-AM, the Dust Bowl, and the Mason-Dixon Line had as much to say about the present as the past. If they fell short of genuine stardom, the Long Ryders more than made a difference during their 1981-1987 lifetime, particularly in their influence on the alt-country movement, which would spread like wildfire not long after they broke up. Nearly everything you need to know about the band can be found on Final Wild Songs, a four-CD box set that collects their debut EP, 1983's 10-5-60, and their three studio albums, 1984's Native Sons, 1985's State of Our Union, and 1987's Two Fisted Tales, as well as a number of rare and unreleased tracks, including a full live set recorded for radio broadcast in the Netherlands. The Long Ryders were a band that wore their beliefs -- personal, political, and musical -- on their sleeves, and in their heyday they were celebrated for what they had to say as much as the music they made. But Final Wild Songs makes it clear this combo's music has endured because they were a truly great rock & roll band, full of snap and fervent energy. The guitar interplay between Sid Griffin and Stephen McCarthy was pure jangly bliss, and bassist Tom Stevens and drummer Greg Sowders held the tunes together with fire, precision, and outsized personality. The Long Ryders knew when to play moody and subtle, but they could also rock out with ferocious joy, and "Looking for Lewis and Clark" still sounds like an anthem worth marching to 30 years after the fact. Final Wild Songs includes song-by-song notes from the group's members, and their often witty remarks point to how much the Long Ryders cared about music as well as the world around them. And anyone who questions the group's sense of humor should check out the previously flexi-disc only "Christmas in New Zealand" and "Encore from Hell" (the latter featuring the band jamming on stage while Griffin reads profoundly negative reviews of State of Our Union with no small enthusiasm). The Long Ryders mattered then, and still matter today, and Final Wild Songs has enough fire and fun to convince any doubters.
********************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Mark Deming
Like their peers in the Los Angeles Paisley Underground movement of the '80s, the Long Ryders were a band who swore allegiance to the sounds of the '60s, but unlike the Dream Syndicate, the Rain Parade, or Green on Red, psychedelic rock played a miniscule role in their musical formula. Instead, the Long Ryders were powerfully influenced by the roots-centric approach of early folk-rock and country rock acts, in particular the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Buffalo Springfield. And with the exception of the Bangles, the Long Ryders were the Paisley Underground band that came closest to achieving mainstream success, hitting the charts in the U.K. and earning a sizable cult following in the United States while making their mark on college radio. And the Long Ryders would later prove to be a major influence on the alt-country movement that would rise up only a few years after the band split up.
Named for an iconic western from director Walter Hill, the Long Ryders were formed in 1981 by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Sid Griffin, who had left his native Kentucky to relocate to Southern California after he heard about L.A.'s punk and garage rock scenes. Griffin would soon join a garage punk band called the Unclaimed, but after jamming with drummer Greg Sowders, formerly with the Boxboys, and guitarist Steve Wynn, he saw an opportunity to make music that more closely matched his personal vision. The three placed an ad in a local paper looking for musicians interested in "folk-rock, Tex-Mex, soul, surf, psychedelic," and while Wynn soon dropped out to devote time to his own band, the Dream Syndicate, the blurb did bring them lead guitarist Stephen McCarthy, and Griffin recruited bassist Barry Shank from the Unclaimed. Shank didn't last long in the Long Ryders lineup, and by the time the group made their recorded debut with the 1983 EP 10-5-60, Des Brewer was the group's bassist. The EP emphasized the garage rock side of the band's personality, but Brewer left the band not long after it was released, and with the addition of Indiana-born Tom Stevens, the definitive Long Ryders lineup was in place.
Native Sons
In 1984, the band struck a deal with local indie label Frontier Records, and their country and folk-rock influences came to the forefront on their first full-length album, Native Sons, which was produced by Henry Lewy (who worked with the Flying Burrito Brothers) and featured guest vocals from former Byrd Gene Clark. Native Sons received strong reviews from critics, and fared especially well in the United Kingdom, where the group's take on American musical traditions, mixed with a progressive lyrical viewpoint, clicked with critics. Extensive touring in the U.S., Britain, and Europe helped make the Long Ryders one of the most successful independent bands of the day, and in 1985, their U.K. success helped them land a new deal with Island Records. Their first album for Island, State of Our Union, was a success at college and alternative radio in the U.S., while the single "Looking for Lewis and Clark" became a chart hit in England, and though the album's more insistent rock sound didn't please U.K. critics as much as Native Sons, the album pointed to big things for the group.
Two Fisted Tales
In 1987, the Long Ryders dropped their third album, Two Fisted Tales, produced by Ed Stasium. The LP's first single, a cover of NRBQ's "I Want You Bad," earned plenty of radio play, and U2 invited the band to open a string of American dates on their tour in support of The Joshua Tree. However, the Long Ryders' relentless touring schedule was wearing away at the group, and by the end of 1987, both Tom Stevens and Stephen McCarthy had left the band to pursue other interests. While Island offered Griffin and Sowders the opportunity to cut another album for the label, in the interest of band unity they declined, and they dissolved the Long Ryders.
State of Our Reunion: Live 2004
After the band's breakup, Griffin remained active in music, forming the group the Coal Porters and running his own record label, Prima Records, as well as distinguishing himself as a music writer, penning well-reviewed books on Gram Parsons and Bob Dylan. McCarthy went on to play with Gutterball, House of Freaks, and the Jayhawks, the latter one of the many bands who took inspiration from the Long Ryders. Sowders built a career in music publishing, while Stevens moved back to his native Indiana and received a degree in computer science. In 2004, the Long Ryders staged a reunion tour that included an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival (one of these shows was documented on the live album State of Our Reunion), while the band played a handful of American dates in 2009. In late 2015, Cherry Red Records released a Long Ryders box set, Final Wild Songs, which included 10-5-60, Native Sons, State of Our Reunion, and Two-Fisted Tales in full, along with rare and unreleased tracks and a 1985 concert recorded in the Netherlands. To celebrate the box set's release, the Long Ryders announced they would be playing concert dates in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. in 2016.
********************
WEBSITE
********************
TO THE TOP
********************