Rivertown Rats
"I first heard of the Rivertown Rats through Pete Rivard, who was humbly (who knew he was such a genius?) taking the songwriting class that I teach with notorious rocker and demagogue Chris Osgood. To be fair, that class is usually made up of quite a mix of talents, from the greenest neophytes to up and coming songwriters already out playing the field. But Pete surprised me. He and his buddy Steve and their group of friends from a distant and exotic place called Hastings had quite a cool thing going. So when they asked me to help them get their sound down on tape I gladly came aboard.
"Their 'sound' was (still is) a kind of storytelling folk steeped in history, fleshed out with the most traditional of acoustic instruments and plain, pure-sung voices, but also with a clever, more contemporary folk/rock spin. These guys aren't afraid to rock, or have a laugh. Still, the resonance of Pete and Steve's lyrics ring through. All of the original songs are true stories - 'Come On Lizzie', 'Blue Sundress' - or have a specific locale - 'Song of the River Rats' - that give them a life beyond the page. And when performed with Gary and Malcolm (and recorded by the esteemed Tom Herbers) they truly come alive. So soak it up, friends. We had a great time brewing."
Chan Poling
St.Paul, MN
1997
She sat alone at a cafe table
In a skinny strap blue sundress
Brown hair floated over golden shoulders
Everybody, I must confess
The most lovestruck boy in the room was me
And that goes the same for ever since
Were we meant to be when she took her seat
Or was it coincidence?
(Or was it the) backbeat on wire and wood
And the rhythm of an old squeezebox
(Was she) looking for something good
Out in pursuit of happiness,
Turnin' ev'rybody's head in her blue sundress
She drove us down to the Jersey shore
To the beach at Barnegat Light
Her skin was the color of sun on sand
Mine was paper white
She bronzed up nice by afternoon
And watched me turn stop sign red
She said, "Let's go dancin' and have some fun"
"Soon as I recover," I said
(She was hearin' the) backbeat on wire and wood
And the rhythm of an old squeezebox
(She was) lookin' for something good
To happen to us, I was a sunburnt mess;
She was a goddess in a blue sundress
She slapped my back and held me tight
Said, "Now it's me and you"
I wiped the tears running down my face
And said, "Let's go have a few"
Now there's a moral here in this song
And I don't mean to boast
Don't leave that lady sitting by herself
For he who hesitates is toast
(You'll never hear the) backbeat on wire and wood
And the rhythm of an old squeezebox
(If you're) lookin' for something good
To happen tonight, better do your best,
'Cause here comes a woman in a blue sundress
Blue Sundress was produced by Chan Poling
The Rivertown Rats are:
With: A.J. Bittner: drums
David Dean: electric guitar (all the good stuff)
Ted Heinonen: mandolin
Carolyn Boulay: fiddle
Terry Kennedy-Lares: bodhran
Karen Paurus: harmony vocals, testifying
Steve Cox: harmony vocals
Sleepy Pockets: piano, Hammond organ, percussion
"Their 'sound' was (still is) a kind of storytelling folk steeped in history, fleshed out with the most traditional of acoustic instruments and plain, pure-sung voices, but also with a clever, more contemporary folk/rock spin. These guys aren't afraid to rock, or have a laugh. Still, the resonance of Pete and Steve's lyrics ring through. All of the original songs are true stories - 'Come On Lizzie', 'Blue Sundress' - or have a specific locale - 'Song of the River Rats' - that give them a life beyond the page. And when performed with Gary and Malcolm (and recorded by the esteemed Tom Herbers) they truly come alive. So soak it up, friends. We had a great time brewing."
Chan Poling
St.Paul, MN
1997
Blue Sundress
Pete Rivard Nininger Music (ASCAP)
She sat alone at a cafe table
In a skinny strap blue sundress
Brown hair floated over golden shoulders
Everybody, I must confess
The most lovestruck boy in the room was me
And that goes the same for ever since
Were we meant to be when she took her seat
Or was it coincidence?
(Or was it the) backbeat on wire and wood
And the rhythm of an old squeezebox
(Was she) looking for something good
Out in pursuit of happiness,
Turnin' ev'rybody's head in her blue sundress
She drove us down to the Jersey shore
To the beach at Barnegat Light
Her skin was the color of sun on sand
Mine was paper white
She bronzed up nice by afternoon
And watched me turn stop sign red
She said, "Let's go dancin' and have some fun"
"Soon as I recover," I said
(She was hearin' the) backbeat on wire and wood
And the rhythm of an old squeezebox
(She was) lookin' for something good
To happen to us, I was a sunburnt mess;
She was a goddess in a blue sundress
She slapped my back and held me tight
Said, "Now it's me and you"
I wiped the tears running down my face
And said, "Let's go have a few"
Now there's a moral here in this song
And I don't mean to boast
Don't leave that lady sitting by herself
For he who hesitates is toast
(You'll never hear the) backbeat on wire and wood
And the rhythm of an old squeezebox
(If you're) lookin' for something good
To happen tonight, better do your best,
'Cause here comes a woman in a blue sundress
Blue Sundress was produced by Chan Poling
Recorded and mixed at Third Ear Recording,
Minneapolis, MN, Tom Herbers, engineer
Edited and pre-mastered by Doug Wild, Wild Audio
Cover art by Bob Hasel
Design and layout by Quixote (omnimedia)
The Rivertown Rats are:
Steve Krum: vocals, acoustic guitar, National Reso-Phonic guitar
Pete Rivard: accordion, banjo, concertina, electric guitar, harmony vocals
Gary McAlpin: bass
Malcolm Cox: pedal steel, dobro
Pete Rivard: accordion, banjo, concertina, electric guitar, harmony vocals
Gary McAlpin: bass
Malcolm Cox: pedal steel, dobro
With: A.J. Bittner: drums
David Dean: electric guitar (all the good stuff)
Ted Heinonen: mandolin
Carolyn Boulay: fiddle
Terry Kennedy-Lares: bodhran
Karen Paurus: harmony vocals, testifying
Steve Cox: harmony vocals
Sleepy Pockets: piano, Hammond organ, percussion
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