As a genre, rock n’ roll hasn’t seen the heights it flourished in during the 70s and 80s, or the pop culture dominance of the grunge and pop rock mid to late 90s.
However, that hasn’t stopped Riverside Odds from continuing to tour and create some classic rock music. I spoke with band front man R.W Hellborn about their new project, Punching Above our Weight, their tour and the state of rock n’ roll.
Roderick Thomas: Mr. Hellborn! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.
R.W. Hellborn: It’s my pleasure.
RT: Where is everyone from?
R.W.H: All of us in the band are from different cities right outside of Philadelphia.
RT: Is Rock dead?
R.W.H: Well, you definitely don’t hear rock n’ roll on the radio as much as you used to. It doesn’t have the same marketability like it used to in the 80’s and 90s.
R.W.H: People complain about Kiss and Motley Crue still touring. Well, nobody is doing it the way that they are, you need these guys. Everything is cyclical though, rock will also have a resurgence.
RT: Is it because rock requires you to play instruments and we are in a digital era?
R.W.H: I don’t know. I think things just come and go in cycles. Even the word rockstar has grown beyond the rock genre. To be honest it’s overused.
R.W.H: I mean disco is back in a way with artists now too. For rock, it’s just a matter of time.
RT: How do you think rock will make a comeback?
R.W.H: Maybe through grunge, it’s hard to say. There are so many different sub genres within rock itself. Humans haven’t changed music, what sounds good, sounds good no matter the interpretation.
RT: Who were the folks that you loved when you were coming up?
R.W.H: I love musicians that aren’t afraid to be theatrical and command a crowd. Freddy Mercury in Queen, Fiona Apple and Tina Turner are great examples of that. I especially love women in rock, they’re just so badass as performers.
RT: What makes a Rockstar?
R.W.H: It’s about the feeling for me. It’s not just music, its performance and its theater. For me, a rockstar has all three things: good songs, personality and great performances.
RT: Who do you like in music right now?
R.W.H: These days, I listen to more pop artists than rock n roll. I like Billie Eilish, she’s interesting.
RT: Do you think women have an edge in the genre?
R.W.H: I think women have freedom on stage. I think for a lot of dudes in many genres, they get typecast and aren’t as expressive on stage.
RT: How was it creating your new album Punching Above Our Weight?
R.W.H: With this album, we let go of all restrictions and we allowed ourselves to have some freedom, and wrote the best songs we could write.
RT: What’s the hardest part about touring?
R.W.H: Doing it when you’re independent, encountering the unknown and all the idiosyncrasies of being a bandmate on a bus [laughs].
RT: What do you want to accomplish this year?
R.W.H: We definitely want to get back to the west coast and the midwest by the end of the year.
RT: What kind of musical legacy do you want to create?
R.W.H: That we were having fun. That you had a great time watching and listening to us.
RT: What’s coming up next for you?
R.W.H: We’ve got a couple shows coming up on the east coast. We are actually doing a show with Lisa B and Supreme, some excellent Philly rappers, can’t wait!
RT: Thank you so much for speaking with me, congrats on your new album.
R.W.H: Thank you!
RT: Check out Riverside Odds on tour and their new project, Punching Above Our Weight, available now on streaming platforms.
Author
Roderick Thomas is an NYC based writer filmmaker
