THE BAND
RAINVILLE writes honest American music. And they play it sparse and loose like that last night before pay day. It’s gritty rural rock strained through a rusty filter of swampy blues, old-school country and gutter jazz. RAINVILLE has built a loyal and growing following with their impressive musicianship, a fiery live show, critically acc...
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THE BAND
RAINVILLE writes honest American music. And they play it sparse and loose like that last night before pay day. It’s gritty rural rock strained through a rusty filter of swampy blues, old-school country and gutter jazz. RAINVILLE has built a loyal and growing following with their impressive musicianship, a fiery live show, critically acclaimed recordings and songs that won’t leave you alone. Hear them once and they keep showing up on your front porch at 2 AM, a little drunk, staring at their boots, grinning. Come to a show and you’ll see four guys who truly love what they do...
“...witty songwriting, elegant playing, and hooks that reach glorious peaks.” --Westword Magazine
“A mix of alt-country edginess and blue collar swagger.” --The Boulder Daily Camera
“If Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits started a band in a small town north of New Orleans, it might sound like Rainville. ” --Go-Go Magazine
“Nominated - Denver’s Best Underground Bands --The Denver Post
THE RECORDINGS
RAINVILLE’S first album, “COLLECTING EMPTIES”, launched the band as an up-and-coming regional act and established John Common as a songwriter worth listening to. The album was quickly picked up and distributed by Miles of Music, a well-respected international music web sales site that highlights the finest in independent Americana music. Both Westword Magazine (Denver) and Buscadero Magazine (Italy) chose COLLECTING EMPTIES as one of the year’s Best Albums. The band released their second album, “THE LONGEST STREET IN AMERICA”, in 2002 to a wider audience and greater critical acclaim in the U.S. and Europe.
QUOTES FOR THE LONGEST STREET IN AMERICA
"A followup to 1999's excellent Collecting Empties, Rainville's second CD is another impressive showcase for songwriter John Common, who's emerged as Colorado's most authentic heartland-style rocker. --Westword Magazine “The long-awaited second album from Denver-based Rainville. John Common confirms that he is one of the most interesting emerging writers in roots music today. His music ranges from the sound of Neil Young to that of Tom Waits, with Dylan-esque influences and also of Gram Parsons. But, these simple comparisons have limits… ‘Longest Street In America’ is a personal diamond. A shining disk.” 3 _ stars (out of 5) -- Buscadero Magazine, Italy
“Rainville sounds like what you’d hear in your head while standing in a downpour in a King’s Table parking lot near Sioux City, watching your girlfriend peel out onto the highway in your truck. Like what you’d want in a dark Alabama bar at 2 in the afternoon on Wednesday. Like miles of deserted Minnesota blacktop. That’s The Longest Street In America.” -- GoGo Magazine
“The Longest Street In America takes the love, truth, pain and cheer of the band’s spiritual home, Colfax Avenue, and lays it down on a record that sweats blues, screams gospel, hollers country, and pushes poignant, palatable and just plain pure rock & roll right through your dancin’ shoes, and into places you’re afraid to talk about. 4 out of 5 stars.” -- Rocky Mountain Collegian
“Swells of music moved from a rumbling whisper to a jangly snarl.... They made me want to quit my job, get in my car and travel the country for a while.” --Go-Go Magazine
“The Longest Street In America takes the love, truth, pain and cheer of the band’s spiritual home, Colfax Avenue, and lays it down on a record that sweats blues, screams gospel, hollers country, and pushes poignant, palatable and just plain pure rock & roll right through your dancin’ shoes, and into places you’re afraid to talk about. 4 out of 5 stars.” -- Rocky Mountain Collegian
QUOTES FOR COLLECTING EMPTIES
“One heck of a debut, impressive much for its empty spaces as its muted Heartland crunch... One of the best local recordings of the past five years, a debut of impressive proportions.” --Westword Magazine
“Full of quiet despair, alcoholic oaths, and empty spaces.” --Insite Magazine
THE LIVE SHOW
RAINVILLE puts on one hell of a show. Whether it’s a stompy roadhouse rocker, a sparsely beautiful ballad, or a soaring americana anthem, RAINVILLE knows how to take a song and make the characters and stories come to life right there in front of your eyes. It doesn’t matter if it’s an intimate setting or a packed theater, RAINVILLE will turn a roomful of total strangers into a group of friends hanging out, drinking and singing out of key.
“Swells of music moved from a rumbling whisper to a jangly snarl.... They made me want to quit my job, get in my car and travel the country for a while.” --Go-Go Magazine
“…widely regarded as one of the more thrilling additions to the Denver scene” --Westword Magazine
“Their live show packs a punch, one that you’d take on the chin” --The Boulder Weekly
“Fusing blues, jazz, rock and country into a vital, innovative sound…Rainville’s performance was full of energy and emotion.” --Insite Magazine
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