THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “September November is the first album in four years from The Long Ryders — a band that helped invent alt-country and Americana — and the followup to their critically acclaimed 2019 comeback album Psychedelic Country Soul.
The album’s songs are all originals by guitarist/mandolinist Sid Griffin (also author of the Bob Dylan Basement Tapes book Million Dollar Bash) and guitarist/pedal steel player Stephen McCarthy (who also plays with The Jayhawks and Dream Syndicate), with help from longtime drummer Greg Sowders. The album is “two thirds the distilled alt-country genre we helped found back in the 1980s (and) one-third paisley underground adventurism … seasoned with a dash of our own crazed soulfulness,” Griffin says.
Due to the unexpected passing of Tom Stevens, bass duties on the album were shared by McCarthy and Murry Hammond of Americana stalwarts Old 97’s. Not surprisingly, September November contains two heartfelt tributes to Stevens. Guests on the album include D. J. Bonebrake of Los Angeles punk legends X and violinist Kerenza Peacock of Coal Porters (and a popular L.A. session player for Disney and the Los Angeles Philharmonic).
September November was produced by Ed Stasium, best known for his long relationship as producer and engineer for The Ramones. Ed has also produced two previous Long Ryders’ records at his state-of-the-art studio in California, and worked with Smithereens, Soul Asylum, Motörhead, Marshall Crenshaw, Living Colour, Hoodoo Gurus and Julian Cope.
The Long Ryders formed in Los Angeles in 1981. They are recent recipients of the Americana Music Association U.K.’s International Trailblazer Award. The band’s highly original roots-rock recipe blends the punk spirit of The Ramones, the soul of Merle Haggard, the cosmic country of Gram Parsons and beautiful jangle of The Byrds into their own uniquely American musical experience.”
