The Righs

Late January 2010 will see the release of the second album from Oklahoma’s premiere Celtic-American Folk-Punk band, The Righs (pronounced “rigz”). The album, entitled “Roses,” is a sweeping blend of musical influences that spans eighteen songs and seventy minutes. Since the band’s first show in late 2005, when they were called The Rivers, The Righs have been making a name for themselves amongst punk, rock and folk fans across Oklahoma, as well as in Texas and Kansas, with their unique blend of musical styles that are incorporated into the overall sound. Since late 2005, they’ve shared the stage with internationally touring acts like Reel Big Fish, The Toasters, Street Dogs, The Business and Flatfoot 56, as well as numerous national, regional and local acts. While some might immediately draw comparisons to obvious bands within the genre such as Flogging Molly or Dropkick Murphys, The Righs take pride in presenting a wholly unique sound that displays their tastes and talents. “Roses” was recorded, mixed and mastered during the second half of 2009 at Green House Recording studio in Moore, OK, owned by former drummer David Johnson. The album expands upon the diverse sound of the band while maturing that sound musically and lyrically based on the bands’ life experience. The album features Nate Williams (acoustic guitar/vocals), Jackson Smith (electric guitar/vocals), John Slawson (bass), Omid Nowrouzi (mandolin/vocals), Dave Johnson (drums) and guest vocals by Nate’s sister, Alicia Williams. January 2008 saw the release of “The Rivers Run Deep,” the band’s first studio album, produced by Chris Harris at Bell Lab Studio and Subatomic Sound (now Hook Echo Sound) in Norman, OK. It was praised by Stephen Carradini of IndependentClauses.com as “an engaging and exciting listen, no matter what you normally listen to.” The album drew comparisons to a diverse blend of artists such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Beirut, The Suicide Machines and The Pogues. In early 2009, “The Rivers Run Deep” was named one of the best Celtic-Rock albums of 2008 by PaddyRock.com and received an honorable mention in Shite’n’Onions.com’s Best of 2008 list as well. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.