SimonAlpin.com

press shots

2007-04-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

contact email

2005-09-19T05:12:00.000-07:00

simonalpin@hotmail.com
http://www.myspace.com/simonjalpin

track record

2005-09-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Teenage fanclub
Devendra banhart
Willard grant conspiracy
Badly drawn boy
Grand drive
Danny george wilson
kevin kinney
Thad cockrell
Tenderloud
M ward
Thalia zedek
Thad cockrell
Chris Eckman
Jess Klein
Deanna varagona
Viarosa
Bap Kennedy
Brian kennedy
Touques
The Beat poets
Saltgrass
Mark Nevin
les rythmes digitales
Wendy james
The servant
Mad violet
Dirty beatniks
Hayseed Dixie
wyo's
Lisa moorish
Lipnicka/Porter

on the wire

2005-08-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

just spent the day doing overdubs for garron friths record with julian wilson playing hammond and assorted other instruments with keys on em it was a long day got a hell of alot done ended off 11pm so a good 12 hours of recording hope it all makes sense ! off to ireland again next week to play with the wyo's shannon based band ...... simon

on way to kiev in russia with transglobal underground working on tracks for their remix record which will be out in the next few months my mix features josh hillman(violin) from willard grant conspiracy also news on a new film soundtrack for an irsih film from the regard the end sessions I think they're going to use "twistification"
currently on tour with Emmanuel jal around the uk info at Emmanueljal.net for all dates check press for details
also working on record for Kathhleen Haskard on her second solo record as yet untitled will begin recording at portisheads studio in bristol from the 9th march 06 also featuring on the record will be Chuck prophet "Green on red"on gtr and Paul wiggins on drums from ""Grand drive""blue aeroplanes" songs are sounding good Kathleen has featured on a song losers weep on Stacy Earles "sister of steve " record which will also feature on Kathleens up and coming record thats it for now ! s

gold record for Lipnicka/Porter I played guitar on, while "Chris Eckman" from "Walkabouts" in the producing chair recorded in slovinia at studio metro . Danny george wilson is currently on tour with Christian Kjellvander across Scandinavia. check out Danny's site for dates WWW.DANNYGEORGEWILSON.COM

Back in the studio producing "The Divers" from ireland / uk with their forthcoming album at the helm nick hunt will be working his magic with the recording / mixing also doing acoustic record with Garron frith with paul wiggins from grand drive on drums josh hillman on violin / viola currently doing overdubs in britol at portisheads bass players studio copletion date end of jan then heading out to slovinia to work with christian kjellvander at studio metro also gigs coming up with jess klein and danny gearge wilson in jan feb 2006 keep you posted simon
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Also currently working on soundtrack for independent film maker simon pattison from new zealand very cool film to be involved in should be finished special effects post production in november. also recorded jess klein whilst on tour with Danny g wilson for the forthcoming lomax album she did a great job we had a day off in the peak district it ended up not being a day off ! have lap top will record ! also recorded jess and dannys set for hopefully a forthcoming live ep sifting through the recordings to see what i got ! bye for now simon

film credits

2005-07-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

stuck on you : farrelly brothers film staring matt damon and greg kinnear
valve man : simon pattison (independent)
snow oddessy : (independent) snow boarding film

gig reviews

2005-07-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

Danny George Wilson, Jess Klein, Simon Alpin and Christian Kjellvander - Carling Academy, Liverpool -13th July 2005 Review by Barry Jones

Eine Klein nachtmusik. (Or something like that!) A sultry, warm Liverpool night and Danny George Wilson, still on sabbatical from Grand Drive, and Willard Grant Conspirator Simon Alpin are back for a short tour promoting Danny’s Alpin produced Famous Mad Mile solo album. Danny’s Fargo stablemate Christian Kjellvander opens the show, to a disappointingly small, but nonetheless educated and enthusiastic audience. Christian is Swedish, tall, blonde, deep voiced, with thoughtful songs and a gentle laid-back electric guitar accompaniment. The lone, under-employed, barmaid was very impressed and she has impeccable taste. His first time in Liverpool, let’s hope he comes back soon. Jess Klein, straight from a warmer and sultrier New York City is next and charms the place completely. A diminutive figure with a big guitar, she gives real substance to songs from her recent Strawberry Lover, the title song of which has apparently been acclaimed as one of the top ten sexiest songs of the moment by The NY Daily News, and who could argue with that? She even tackles a Willie Dixon blues and makes it her own. Her other role this evening is providing backing vocals on Danny Wilson’s set. Jess has worked with Simon Alpin before, with Willard Grant Conspiracy, and contributed backing vocals to The Famous Mad Mile from a distance, as seems to be the norm these days. Having only met Danny the day before the tour started, things might have been a bit haphazard, but it was just the opposite, their voices complemented each other perfectly, to form a union of gentle acoustic summer sounds augmented by Simon’s mandolin and occasional low harmonies. It was a privilege to witness it.

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Danny George Wilson
Simon Alpin
Josh Hillman
Barrels, Friday, March 11
'The idea was to get out and sing some songs', said Grand Drive's Danny
George Wilson after a magical night in Barrels, Berwick on Tweed. That
modest, almost humble mission statement hides the fact that the songs in
question came mainly from Grand Drive's back catalogue plus half a dozen
from Wilson's forthcoming solo release, The Famous Mad Mile. By the way,
save time pre-order it, it's going to be great. With that and two members of
Willard Grant Conspiracy alongside you, you're hardly going around singing
just any old songs.
Barrels is built for a night like Friday, acoustic guitar, mandolin and
fiddle were never going to be 'Rock the Casbah', but the rough cast walls
threw back the shadows created by the music. The unstructured, unpolished
night became an intimate, almost conspiratorial evening, artists and
audience became confidants sharing secrets.
Without the need for any noticable 'performance' in the accepted sense, it's
all about creating an atmosphere and Danny George Wilson did that
immediately with Somewhere Else Instead and Track 40. Wilson writes love
songs, whether it be people, places or memories of childhood as with Track
40, all are honest, real and affectionate love songs. If the night proved
one thing it was that Danny George Wilson is one of this country's best
writers, time after time he gently drew us into the middle of the song. He
instinctively understands that songs need to be about the listener as much
as the musician
Although the night seemed to be centred around the Grand Drive singer
alongside him were Simon Alpin and Josh Hillman from the Willard Grant
Conspiracy and it was the contrast between Wilson and Alpin that provided
the light and shade.
Where Wilson was light, Alpin was the dark brooding presence, a spell only
broken by the fact that between songs he was a thoroughly pleasant bloke. He
introduced himself with the wonderful Is It Gone but his 'moments' came with
Ry Cooder's Billy The Kid and a song known only as Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, which
involved all three performers in a wailing harmony that had the rhythm of an
ancient funeral cortege. All we needed was a pyre, a widow and we could have
had a bit of suttee in the north east.
There was a spontaneous, songwriters circle feel to the first half as if
three guys had walked in off the street and just wowed an open mic night. It
made for a low key but hugely attractive set.
But it was the second half that truly showed the trio as the accomplished
performers they undoubtedly are. Beginning with some lively reels from the
fiddle of Hillman. One Irish one bluegrass showed the seamlessness
transition of music from Celtic folk to Americana. And, although it pretty
faithfully followed the format of first half, with Alpin and Wilson swapping
vocals and instruments it was a more energised set. Epitomised by Alpin's
slide guitar blues Another Man Is Gone, which, with his apparently
bottomless voice, sounded as if it had come direct from another world. He
appears at times a reticent almost reluctant, he has nothing to be reticent
about but again it provided a neat difference as Wilson lives and blooms in
the spotlight.
By the time the encore had come and gone, the trio had almost exhausted
their bank of songs but it was not enough. To say that the pair were reduced
to singing lullabies would be to deny the poetic beauty of Hey Little and
Little One. The first, sung by Wilson, inspired the second, sung by Alpin,
both were written for respective children and those two songs encapsulated
perfectly why the night was an unforgettable experience because at the end
of a night of Americana at its very best, it came down to two fathers
sharing songs written for the most important people in their life, who could
ask for more.
If Friday is the result of musicians of the calibre of Danny George Wilson,
Simon Alpin and Josh Hillman getting into a van with the vague notion of
singing songs, then more should do it. Whether they'd do it as well is
highly debatable. written for 'Maverick' magazine, by Michael Mees.

simon j alpin - The Maze, Nottingham - 11th March 2004 Review by Jeremy Searle (Americana uk)

Simon j Alpin is a completely different kettle of fish. when he’s not being a key member of Willard Grant Conspiracy, tonight they come as a full band, with the fiddler and drummer from WGC, plus bass, drums and keyboards. Live they are very different, and in fact rather better, than on their eponymous album. The album is rather lower-fi and intense, whereas live they are on the loose rather than the ramshackle side of under-rehearsed, and frequently recall The Band, particularly with the keyboards and time signatures. With the occasional bout of calculated discordance, the prominence of the violin, and a general sense of tension there are also elements of the Velvets here too. The set is split roughly fifty-fifty between their debut album and new songs, a rather spurious distinction for most of the audience one suspects. Simon Alpin takes to the frontman role to the manner born, and the violin (definitely not fiddle) and keyboards underpin the sound superbly. After an hour of interesting and challenging music and two well-deserved encores, they leave the stage and the Maze a rather better place than they found it.

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SIMON J ALPIN - BRIGHTON

SIMON ALPIN from WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY. Such is the quality of this bill, that we have a member of that mighty band open a four-act show! For those of you that saw him play with WGC at our show in August, you will need no reminding of the talents of this man. He is the bands lead guitarist, he co-produced and co-mixed Regard The End, and has become ROBERT FISHER's natural dynamic foil in the band, taking them to majestic heights with that beautiful latest album. Away from WGC, Simon is pretty much always busy as an in-demand session man with the ilk of GRAND DRIVE, and could be seen as keyboardist on tour with TEENAGE FANCLUB last year. But having written hundreds of songs from before and since gaining a publishing deal at age 15, and never really havng done anything with them, this laid back, totally lovely North-Easterner has decided the time is right to step to centre stage to see what happens. This is Simon in earthy country mode, and the few songs we have been lucky to hear are right up our allies. Yours, too, we suspect.

tour news

2005-05-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

TOUR NEWS 2006 !
with dannygeorgewilson
Mon 23rd January - 'What's Cooking @ Upstairs At The Sheep Walk', LONDON call 020 8556 1131 for tickets and details
Tues 24th january - muscian -leister 0116 283 5533 supporting Jess Klein (jessklein.com)

ONE OFF ACOUSTIC SHOW !
In rememberence of the late John Peel 13th october @ Black Lion Pub (upstairs), Main Road, Radcliffe on Trent. on stage 9pm doors 8pm should be a great night of music hope you can make it ! s
Thankyou all that showed up for the show in nottingham it was a great night of music and drinking it's allways a pleasure simon

HOUSE GIG FOR AMERICANA UK ANNOUNCED !
I will be doing an acoustic show in Liverpool for the guys from Americana uk which our last tour with danny george wilson turned out to be one of my favorites on the tour even being a bit worse for wear after a great how in the barrels in berwick apon tweed so over the moon to be invited back the show will be from 8pm on friday 4th of november the address is as follows hope you can make it simon

Americana UK
29 Avonmore Avenue
Liverpool
L18 8AL

Contact mark@americana-uk.com for details

Thankyou everyone who showed up for the house gig i really enjoyed playing for you folks in liverpool always a warm northern welcome simon
_____________________________

TOUR DATES !!

Danny will be heading out on tour this July, accompanied by multi instrumentalist and 'Mad Mile' producer Simon Alpin. The very special guests on the tour will be Jess Klein on all dates and also Fargo labelmate Christian Kjellvander on dates marked with *. See you there!

Tuesday 12th July 2005: BIRMINGHAM Bar Academy (0870 771 2000) *

Wednesday 13th July 2005: LIVERPOOL Carling Academy 2 (0870 771 2000) *

Thursday 14th July 2005: NEWCASTLE The Cluny (0191 232 1232) W/ THE BOTTLE ROCKETS

Friday 15th July 2005: BEDFORD Star Rowing Club (01234 269519/822138 or 07818 493053) *

Sunday 17th July 2005: CARDIFF Chapter Arts Centre (02920 400687)

Monday 18th July 2005: BRISTOL St. Bonaventure's Club (0870 4444 400) *

Tuesday 19th July 2005: BRIGHTON Hanbury Ballroom (01273 325440) *

Wednesday 20th July 2005: LONDON Bar Academy (0870 771 2000) *

Friday 22nd July 2005: MANCHESTER The Mitre Hotel (0161 832 1111)

Saturday 23rd July 2005: WELLINGBOROUGH Deportees Club @ The Victoria Centre (01933 277400 / http://www.thedeporteesclub.co.uk)

Sunday 24th July 2005: HULL The Adelphi (01482 348216)

Tuesday 26th July 2005: LEICESTER The Musician (0116 283 5533)

record/production reviews

2005-05-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Danny George Wilson: The Famous Mad Mile

"A soulful songwriter who sings with immense, gentle strength' MOJO

"These superb songs unfurl with passion" THE INDEPENDENT

"The stripped down front porch vibe is just right" UNCUT

"An album with highlights too plentiful to pin down" MAVERICK

"Wistful, elegaic, summery and all round gorgeous" AMERICANA-UK

"In Wilson's hands the 'Painted Pebble' becomes a diamond, which is a pretty good analogy for the whole album" SOUNDSXP.COM

Released 27 June 27 2005

Some time ago, maybe on this very page I told a story about going to see Grand Drive at the soon-to-disappear Garage on Highbury Corner in dear old London town and declaring to an old cohort that they were "the best damn band in Britain." I shouldn't really go in for pitching one band against all the others but I still have a tremendous fondness for the sterling work of the core of the band namely Ed Balch, Julian Wilson and Danny George Wilson. I'm not sure of the middle names of the other two but Danny proudly uses his on this splendid solo LP. Maybe it's to prevent him getting mixed up with the band that brought us "Mary's Prayer".

Though The Famous Mad Mile revolves around Danny's distinctive voice and guitar playing there are some lovely extra touches provided by guest musicians including New York singer songwriter Jess Klein on harmony vocals and some fantastic violin playing by Josh Hillman.

The title track is a classic example of what makes D G Wilson such a fine songwriter. He manages to use a battered old car as the trigger for a delightfully wistful tune about times long gone and he does it without ever sounding remotely cheesy. One of his heroes - Bruce Springsteen - would be justly proud of such an effort.

That's just one of many excellent songs on this record which is beautifully produced with a lightness of touch by Simon Alpin. It sounds like an LP made at leisure with friends in warm, relaxing surroundings. If that's an accurate description of Alpin's front room, then I'm spot-on. Fans of Grand Drive will be delighted to discover that one of the many highlights on the record is a co-composition with Julian Wilson. If I knew his middle name, I'd tell you.

Gideon Coe

-----------------------------------------

Danny George Wilson The Famous Mad Mile
Fargo

Article written by Ged M
Jul 27, 2005.

There’s an inherent tension in Americana between traditional US themes -broad vistas, haunted landscapes, constant sense of lonely wandering - and the inspirations of the songwriters; in the case of English writers, it’s more likely to be the more insular, static, suburban society of our crowded island. That can lead to little more than pleasant-sounding pastiche. Taking a break from his Sutton-based Americana-outfit Grand Drive, Danny George Wilson avoids that tension by stripping the album down to his emotive voice, backed by guitar, cello, dobro and the sparse patter of drums, and singing intimate, personal songs with universal themes. With the exception of ‘The Bellringer’, which is a little too parochial, this generally works; Wilson makes the title track, describing the road out of Sutton used by boy racers in souped-up Fiestas, into an English cousin of Springsteen’s ‘Racing in the Streets’.

In my notes on these songs, the words ‘simple’ and ‘sparse’ recur frequently. ‘Somewhere Else Instead’ is simple and very melodic, with a romantic theme that hankers back to childhood memories, and has a curiously lingering effect. ‘Old Soul’ has some stunningly pretty vocal harmonies from Jess Klein, while ‘Baby I’m On Your Side’ and ‘Every Cloud’ make clear the album’s overarching mood of optimism. ‘Painted Pebble’ is remarkable for the way it infuses an everyday object with supernatural powers based on the memories it holds. In Wilson’s hands, the pebble becomes a diamond, which is a pretty good analogy for the whole album.

Produced and recorded by Simon Alpin of Willard Grant Conspiracy, Wilson’s songs have a slow-burning elegance and soulfulness about them. Although, in that very English way, they don’t clamour for attention, nonetheless their impact is both subtle and effective.

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UNCUT
Willard Grant Conspiracy
REGARD THE END LOOSE
HHHHH

Glorious fifth from ever-shifting Bostonians reaches down through the years

With the unanimous, critic-drooling clamour afforded 2000's Everything's Fine, WGC seemed to have hoisted themselves onto a rarified plateau from which the only way was down. After the quasi-psychedelia of debut 3 AM Sunday @ Fortune Otto's (1996), the fluid membership collective built around founder members Robert Fisher (vocals) and Paul Austin (guitar) had begun carving a rep as peddlers of doom-laden, redemptive balm for the lost and damaged with 1998's Flying Low and the following year's Mojave. Central to WGC's black pit of campfire-folk sorrow was the exorcising of demons: particularly the self-loathing and emotional dislocation that had driven Fisher to pills and booze from an appallingly tender age. By (the only semi-ironically titled) Everything's Fine, the singer appeared to have reached a place where the abandoned, but ever-tugging, allure of the sauce had been drowned in music's cathartic, healing waters. That record - Lambchop-paralleled in these pages as WGC's Nixon - seemed unassailable. Until now, that is.
The most immediate thing about Regard The End is the sheer, bloodied power of Fisher's voice. Like a colossal centrifugal force, everything else spins around it. In its untethered shift stage centre, it both defines an entire mood and ushers in depths of feeling rendering much of their back catalogue almost anaemic in comparison. On Flying Low, for instance, he was forever vying for space with tough acoustic guitars, drums and studio trickery, so that for every unadorned "Evening Mass" there was the distorted vocal mix of "August List". Even Everything's Fine now appears like Fisher was holding back, its more conventional band format denying the space around the vocal which sharpens Regard The End in such dramatic relief. Compared to Fisher's deep-swamp baritone here, only the former's "Wicked" and "Ballad Of John Parker" tap the same wellspring.
The second point of major departure is Fisher's delving into traditional folk forms, informed as much by Celtic/European folk as the turn-of-the-century rusticity of Greil Marcus's "old, weird America". Partly recorded in Slovenia (where Fisher hooked up with long-term ally and, tellingly perhaps, Europe-championing musical flame-keeper, The Walkabouts' Chris Eckman), Boston and London, Regard The End stitches four traditional songs into seven originals without exposing the seams. This time around, Paul Austin opts for the 'occassional member' card, making way for multi-instrumentalist Simon Alpin (most recently seen pumping keyboards on the Teenage Fanclub tour), who co-produces. With Fisher leading from the front - amongst his peers, only The Hansdome Family's Brett Sparks shares the same page - various guests' contributions, bleeding in and around the narrative, are never less than consummate. Take Dennis Cronin, for example, likened by Fisher to Chet Baker, adding beautiful trumpet blush to "Fare Thee Well", or the doleful Celtic fiddle that both saddens and stirs "The Trials Of Harrison Hayes" and "Rosalee", or Alpin's gorgeous mandolin intro to "Beyond The Shore".
Lyrically, as evinced by the title, death is never far, though this never sounds like a maudlin record. Trad. opener "River In The Pines" turns the tragic demise of two young lovers into an affirmation of unbreakable devotion, whilst "Beyond The Shore" finds Fisher tenderly intoning over softly ebbing strings "I've struggled long with Shame's great load/And shouldered my share of pain/To feel the caress of the long black veil/I've worked, but not in vain". On one level, it's about fleeing the mortal realm, on another it's a hymn to the transfiguring cycle of the human spirit ("I'm bound to go beyond this shore/In Glory I will be placed"). Elsewhere, as on the spare "Ghost Of The Girl In The Well", allowed to breathe over creaky guitar and saw, he's joined by Kristin Hersh to recount the tale of a 14-year-old falling to her death whilst escaping the clutches of an evil landowner. Pure, classic Southern Gothic.
Ultimately, Regard The End is a quest for truth, an attempt to uncover life's harshest lessons however tough, however unpalatable. Often armed only with personal faith as the difference between salvation and the abyss. The stunning "The Trials Of Harrison Hayes", in dissecting human failings, admits: "Misery doesn't come from the earth/Trouble doesn't sprout from the ground/People are born to trouble/Just as sparks fly upwards into the clouds", whilst break-up ballad "Fare Thee Well" (brightened by WGC touring partner Jess Klein's warm, breathy warble) intones "Faith can heal a lot of wounds/Here at night in this rented room/I look to the ceiling and find a reason/To carry on".
Of the traditionals, "Twistifaction" (a simpler, denuded version to the one released on WGC's 2001 collaborative album with Dutch band Telefunk, In The Fishtank) employs softly-caressing violins and the hypnotic pipe of a lonely melodica to enact the tale of a mysterious siren skulking in the deep and muddy waters of a maple swamp. "Day Is Past And Gone" finds Fisher at his most soothing, evoking all the weary contentment of a tired, fulfilled life drawing down the shade in fading light. Conversely, "Another Man Is Gone" updates the old slave song, "Another Man Done Gone" (as covered by Odetta and others), into a rumble of whining slide guitar, shivering strings and dobs of piano. Smouldering for the most part like crackling firewood, Fisher's voice suddenly erupts at 2:22, bellowing one huge, suspended note that slowly dissolves into soft, lonely piano notes to the song's end. It's a nape-tingling, sublime moment, leaving a charged silence that still knocks me backwards after living with this record for weeks.
Of Fisher's originals, closer "The Suffering Song" may come cloaked in apocalyptic doom, but is the most magnificent endpiece imaginable, Fisher coming over like some great gospel hybrid of Paul Robeson's earth-shaking tenor and Johnny Cash's brimstone holler.
All done, Regard The End is the first Willard Grant album to truly immerse yourself in. In ditching most of their traditional band ethic, they've tapped into the finest folk gothic traditions of death, suffering, misery and hardship and fashioned a paradoxically uplifting, transformative record of extraordinary power. If this is the end of the world as we know it, I feel just fine.
ROB HUGHES

KIMCHEE REVIEW

Robert Fisher and Simon Alpin wrote most of the songs here, and they're joined by a cast of more than a dozen. Recorded in Slovenia (really!), this album sounds more like a one-man effort than a collective.

But maybe that's what it is, after all. Fisher has the bulk of the writing credits, and I assume that's him doing most of the singing. The songs themselves are these gorgeously dark rambles, something that brings to mind the sight of a midwestern dust storm a few minutes before impact.

I suppose that might be a bit of an obscure reference. These songs are well-crafted and produced to elicit a decidedly spooky sound. There's a good amount of reverb, and when the fiddle wails I do get a bit of a Dirty Three chill. Works like a charm, too.

Just when I think things can't get more desolate or bleak, there's a killer of a last line. The lyrics follow in the tradition of the blues. This works well, even if the music itself is anything but bluesy. The end result is, strangely, uplifting and affirming. Survival is something of a task, but it does bring great rewards.

R E V I E W S

WHERE THE KILLERS RUN (released September 12 2005) &
POROUS (released May 2 2005)

“Outstanding… sounds like The Birthday Party doing Johnny Cash.”
Uncut Magazine reviewing ‘Porous’.

“A swooning blend of violins, mandolins, country death songs and Nick Cave vocals… This is the sound of revenge. Served icy cold.”
The Independent reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.

“I loved it … great dark stuff. It’s so different … in a category of its own.”
Iain Banks on Mark Riley’s 6 Music show. ‘Porous’ was voted album of the week.

“Dark and wonderful, Viarosa fuse Nick Cave-esque vocals, haunting violins and that special brand of lyricism that grabs you by the hairs on the back of your neck… this is a fabulous album and Viarosa really are doing something quite special.”
Irish World reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.

“Mightily impressive Country Noir… above the benchmark of the rest of the genre… A fantastic insight into a band that are showing all the signs of releasing one of the most intricate and interesting albums of 2005.”
Americana UK reviewing ‘Porous’.

“…a record that is ultimately both uplifting and redemptive. Demanding of its listener but totally satisfying, ‘Where The Killers Run’ is an album to be treasured.”
Penny Black Music - John Clarkson selects ‘Where The Killers Run’ as Editor’s Choice.

“…rich and inspiring songs, inventively and satisfyingly arranged. My album of the year? Very likely. Where The Killers Run has coiled itself into my bloodstream, my via rosa, as nothing has for a while.”
Comes With A Smile - Jane Oriel reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.

“positively spellbinding… Never has isolation been phrased through song so elegantly… evocative to the extreme… their music is brilliant verging on the awesome.”
Funky Mofo - Marty Drury reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.

“This music is haunting; every note almost drips with the thoughts of a dying man tied to music. A man musing over all the sadness and beauty he ever encountered in his life from beginning to end is reflected in its hesitant initial notes until its quiet fade out, from birth to death. It is simply stunning. Where the Killers Run creeps up on you like a skulking ghoul in the night, and then grips hard and will not let go… for fans of any honest, real music from American Music Club to Neil Young. It is not just a diamond in the rough, it’s a fucking diamond mine.”
Alternative Nation - Charlie Parker reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.

“…close to perfection…. Richard Neuberg sounds like a man digging his own grave in the baking desert sun. His tales of bloodshed, betrayal and death suggest the ghost of Johnny Cash rattles on.”
New Noise - Jim Merrett reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.

“…bleak but beautiful masterpieces.. if you have been fortunate enough to hear this record then you will cherish it.”
Tasty Fanzine - Shane Blanchard reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.

“This album is pulsing with lineage… an ethnic, earthy, noble prince of a sound, preferably to be accompanied with a chunk of smoked cheese and washed down with a tankard of stout.”
Candy Factory Lines - Lauren Strain reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.

“…amazingly catchy.. Highly recomended and yes, it is that good.” Rating: 5/5
Blogcritics.org reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.

“Imagine if you will the bastard offspring of Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen who had been taught to play by Johnny Cash and had spent his Summer afternoons receiving singing lessons from Jim Morrison fronting a 21st century hybrid of Lindisfarne and The Doors, and you’ll start to get the picture…Yeah, I dig this, and something tells me that these guys could be huge if given half a chance.”
Subba-cultcha reviewing ‘Porous’.

“Together the band play a blend of alternative country that also takes in rock and folk influences to create an original and deeply emotional sound that makes the hairs on your neck stand to attention… Porous is a mini album that’s uncompromising, a brutally honest release that’s not afraid to lay bare all of life’s demons. A stunning and compelling release for everyone that’s ever known heartache and suffering and not been able to articulate themselves, this will do the job for you.”
Rhythm and Booze reviewing ‘Porous’.

“VIAROSA offer a heightened and dramatic version of roots based music, infusing their sound with the vibrancy of rock and a sensibility that is pleasingly still based on this side of the pond… the mini album succeeds admirably in providing a tempting taster of VIAROSA's potential that can range from detailed intimacy to broad epic.”
Whisperin’ and Hollerin’ (8/10) reviewing ‘Porous’.

“…crafted from the same cloth as Nick Cave and the wonderful Walkabouts… sonically dramatic, emotionally open, and musically rich, with elements of folk, country and death knoll blues……when the nights are long and cold, the mood often dictates a lack of modern noises, and this mini album could indeed be an appropriate soundtrack.”
Ireallylovemusic.com reviewing ‘Porous’.

“These are uplifting sounds and messages for life, made sound with no hint of condescension or contempt. This little bitch rocks and if you doubt it, listen to “Whiskeyworld” - it’s the first sighting of the black-hearted country-punk Alice Cooper. Whatever kind of music you like best, you'll still like this a lot.”
Unpeeled Magazine reviewing ‘Porous’.