One Left

Coming out of Washington, D.C., One Left hit New York City with a force equal to a much-anticipated hurricane. With Rick Rowland leading the band with powerful vocals and rhythm guitar, they get the joint rocking. Add some colorful and streaming lead guitar licks from Riley McMahon, brother of N.Y.C. veteran singer/songwriter Amy Rigby. Riley McMahon has also been a member of other bands such as the Big Black Nun, Dead Girls, and Spottiswoode & His Enemies. To this impressive lineup add the tightest rhythm section in town, Donovan Marks on bass and Sven Abow on percussion. The band has been described as a blend of Leonard Cohen, Dire Straits, and Velvet Underground. Still others have compared them to groups such as the Wallflowers, the Animals, and even the Beatles. With names like this you can get a good sense of where this band is coming from. Another term that has been used in a description of One Left's music is "dark-pop," leading people to label them a cult band. In 1999, college radio stations stateside were playing tunes from their 1996 album, The Nature of the Beast in anticipation of the 1999 release of Foreign Country. One Left has also received radio airplay in Romania, France, Sweden, Canada, Ireland, and Poland. In 1999, the band was getting ready for their official release, Foreign Country, and the corresponding tour. ~ Larry Belanger, Rovi