In June 2021, rock ’n’ roll band, Rival Sons, delivered two live performances from Catalina Island, CA. They were originally streamed via Veeps to fans at home across the world, many of whom were still in lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rival Sons set out from their homes in L.A. and Long Beach, and on a friend’s yacht they sailed over to Catalina Island with all their equipment and their crew, to perform in the Catalina Casino for global audiences. Frontman Jay Buchanan comments: “'Pair Of Aces' was recorded over two days in May of 2021 at the Casino in Avalon Bay on Santa Catalina Island, California. Part One (‘Before The Fire’) was recorded in the ballroom on May 19th and Part Two (‘Rival Sons’ EP) was recorded in the historic theater on May 20th.”
At the time, the band stated: “We’ve all been through so much this past year and a half. We have longed to be on the road playing for you. As you know, we launched our label Sacred Tongue Recordings and have been re-releasing our early material. We felt that revisiting these first two records in a live, prestigious setting was the best way to give them the first-class treatment that our humble beginnings couldn’t provide.”
Now, for the first time, these performances will be available to watch on YouTube and to stream on audio platforms. Both performances will be premiered via YouTube and released in their entirety digitally. A Pair Of Aces: Live From Santa Catalina Island (Part 1) will be released on November 22; pre-save here. RSVP for the YouTube premiere here. A Pair Of Aces: Live From Santa Catalina Island (Part 2) will be released on December 13; pre-save here. Individual songs for both nights will also be made available the following day.
Buchanan states: “To finally release both audio and video of these performances feels good. When we recorded these performances, the band was neck deep in what was to become the Darkfighter/Lightbringer collection so breaking away from all of that heavy lifting to go blow some dust off of our origin story felt amazing. It’s a raw, unfiltered glimpse at a band raging against the isolation of the times.”
Watch two preview clips of Rival Sons performing “I Want More” (from Night #1), and “Soul” (from Night #2), below.
Santa Catalina Island is a rocky island, off the coast of Southern California in the Gulf of Santa Catalina. The island covers an area of about 75 square miles. The Catalina Casino is a 92-year-old building built by The Wrigleys. Dominating the Avalon landscape from its regal perch along the bay, the casino exemplifies the style and romance of Catalina Island.
Buchanan elaborates, “It had been a dream of mine to play the Casino since I’d gone there as a child. Through the pandemic years we’d had the intention to record a live stream, but we’d been turned off by how terribly we’d seen it go for so many bands. We wanted to record a performance where we were just playing for each other without an audience. Generate the energy together for the sake of doing it. Along with everyone else, we hadn’t been able to tour or play shows at all in over fifteen months and it was killing us.”
Guitarist Scott Holiday comments: “You can see Catalina Island from the beach town I live in. I’ve been visiting it for years. Every time I’ve gone, I’ve made sure to visit the old historic casino that sits proudly at one end of the harbor in Avalon. And every time I’ve taken the tour I’ve thought the same thing…wouldn’t it be so great to play in these rooms and make a live film? And so…Rival Sons did just that.”
At the time the band stated: “It is beautiful, and perfectly exudes how we wanted to portray these recordings.” Scott elaborates: “In recognition of the 10-year anniversary of our first 2 albums, we played each album in its entirety over 2 different nights. One night in the ballroom (in the round!) performing 'Before the Fire,' and the next night we played the self-titled record in the old movie theatre. It was every bit as cool and interesting as I’d hoped. A real honor and pleasure to fill this beautiful place with sound. The director did a great job capturing it for everyone to share in the experience with us and now it will be available to listen and watch anytime you’d like.”
Before The Fire, originally recorded in 2009 with producer (and now 9x Grammy Award winner) Dave Cobb, was Rival Sons’ debut album, and includes the fan favorites “Tell Me Something,” “Memphis Sun,” and “On My Way.”
The Rival Sons six-song EP - originally recorded in 2010, again with Dave Cobb - was the release which led to the band first getting signed. It includes tracks such as “Get What’s Coming,” “Torture,” “Radio,” “Sacred,” “Tongue,” and “Soul,” which are all fan favorites.
The band promised that, “Each night will have its own surprises and songs will be delivered with a new presentation of who we are now.”
A Pair Of Aces: Live From Santa Catalina Island (Part 1) tracklisting:
"Tell Me Something"
"Lucky Girl"
"Memphis Sun"
"Angel"
"Pocketful Of Stones"
"The Man Who Wasn’t There"
"Pleasant Return"
"On My Way"
"I Want More"
"Flames Of Lanka"
"Nanda Nandana"
A Pair Of Aces: Live From Santa Catalina Island (Part 2) tracklisting:
"Get What’s Coming"
"Torture"
"Radio"
"Sleepwalker"
"Soul"
"Sacred Tongue"
A Pair Of Aces: A live performance recording. Mixed by /Mark Rains. Mastered by / Pete Lyman for Infrasonic Mastering. Recorded at The Catalina Casino in Avalon, California. Recording engineer / Spencer Bishop. Recording assistants / Pierre Rochman & Tim Koch. Tour management / Pete Stahl. Front of house engineer, head of live production / Neil Macdonald. Guitar technician / Nate Dawson. Drum technician / “Classic” Nate Miller. Cover art / Nick Steinhardt. Photo / Rick Horn. Graphic Layout / Mike Anderson. Produced by Rival Sons.
(Photo - Rick Horn)
