River City High

River City High love loud guitars. River City High hail from Richmond, Virginia and play high energy punk-influenced rock, have toured with every band on the radio and released the EP on Doghouse Records entitled Extended Play.

Following the release of 2001's River City High Won't Turn Down on Doghouse (the label that brought you The All-American Rejects, The Get Up Kids, etc.), River City High hit the road with all the fervor and energy a band can muster, playing well over 500 shows. RCH racked up well-deserved support slots with bands like New Found Glory, Something Corporate, The Starting Line, blink-182, Coheed and Cambria, and some bad ass Warped Tour shows to boot, not to mention their first trip to Europe which saw them crisscross the continent opening for Epitaph Europe's best-kept secret The Beatsteaks. Not bad for a band that had only been around for two years. Major label interest was buzzing in the RCH camp, and it was no surprise when River City High signed with the ill-fated MCA Records at the end of 2002. The boys huddled down at home and began writing songs for their major label debut, which resulted in upwards of 40. Much of early 2003 was spent in the studio with Arnold Lanni recording the new songs, but, as fate would have it, MCA would go belly up almost one week to the date after RCH delivered their new record.

When Doghouse learned about the band's misfortune, the label was quick to extend an invitation to help the band get new music out in the form of a new E.P. River City High were double-quick at accepting. Getting all the songs together for the MCA record involved a committee decision of producers, A&R reps, managers, etc.--it seemed sometimes the janitor had a say. As a result, some of the band's favorite new songs weren't included on the up-to-this-date-unreleased MCA record. The group relished the idea of a new record of songs they loved, put together in an environment of their choosing, and recorded with a rawness and freshness that would both capture and help release their frustration of the previous year. The work of Brian Paulson (Superchunk, Uncle Tupelo, Sun Volt, Archers of Loaf) had always caught the band's ear, as he had worked with RCH on the earlier Forgets Their Manners E.P. on Doghouse and knew the band well, and they enlisted his aid and that of his home studio in the mountains of North Carolina.

Brian's laidback attitude and environment helped ease the band away from the tension that any band would be wrought with after the shakeup of the previous year. Even trusty ol' Mother Nature related with the band's pent-up aggression, as recording was temporarily put on hold when the eye of Hurricane Isabelle passed over the studio one tumultuous day.

With the release of Extended Play, River City High have hit the road with the vigor and unbridled energy that only knowledged, seasoned veterans of the touring experience can muster. With new material under their studded belts, River City High guarantee to remain fresh-faced and ready to fight the fight like true rock and roll warriors. Oh yes, the boys will be back in town, willing and able to prove their worth following an unexpected absence. And after so much unpredictability in their recent year, one thing remains firm: River City High's infectious blend of melodic guitar hooks and pop-laden choruses will continue, coming soon to a dirty dive bar near you.