Organizing an album around a theme is, of course, nothing new. It’s easy to cite examples from as far back as the 60’s, and I have no doubt the historically astute can point to even earlier projects. What’s far less common is organizing a band with a theme. That’s just what Portland, Oregon’s, Ashley Flynn did when she formed The Riveters back in the late 2010’s. In the spirit of the blue-collar, social-norm-busting Rosie the Riveter character from the 40’s, Flynn’s vision was a group of women who could throw down rock and roll or honky tonk with anyone. Their fourth album, Good Morning, Sunshine, comes out in a couple of weeks and proves they’ve succeeded at that goal.
The musical spirit of the record gets set right out of the gate with Drunk In Ojai. It’s an outlaw country number where our protagonist ends up at a Mexican cantina after a gig and wakes up the next morning with “mirrored shades still on my face.” Whew, we’ve pretty much all been there. Tilly Jane Ridge is a rock and roll tune in a Tom Petty-esque way, which certainly makes sense given the mentoring Mike Campbell has given lead guitarist/producer Nancy Luca. She’s also front and center on Much Too Proud, a ballad with a little 50’s homage in it. The title track leans more southern rock in a metaphysical viewpoint inspired by a Columbia River Gorge sunrise.
I found myself a little more infatuated with the country sounding tunes on the album. Shake the Stranger is an old school country shuffle where the person of interest is “hotter than the popcorn dancing in the pan.” Eye On the Light is another one in that style, and like several songs features some pretty sweet fiddle and harmonica parts. Love Is An Ember is a good country waltz, noting that “sometimes love is an ember” and “sometimes love is a storm no one can contain.” Little Red Wing pushes into what I’m going to call string band power pop. Flynn writes about, presumably, her daughter, whose crying upon birth was “the sweetest sound I had ever heard.”
Although some of the supporting musicians have changed over the years, founding band members Ashleigh Flynn and Nancy Luca have built a sound that recalls the honky tonk and roots rock traditions from decades ago, keeping it fresh with mostly original compositions. These Oregonians, along with a few female-led bands in the Bay Area and a larger handful of artists in LA, comprise a hotshit, west-coast core of women musicians delivering twangers and bangers far removed from the compromised country pop you see/hear on prime-time award shows. If you’re not already familiar with that rootsier sound, go get a copy of Good Morning, Sunshine, and lean in.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.