Riley Downing Releases LANDFILL POETRY on Oh Boy Records
The former Deslondes frontman will make his Grand Ole Opry debut ahead of a UK festival appearance.
Riley Downing has released his debut album for Oh Boy Records, Landfill Poetry, available to stream or purchase now. The album marks Downing's first release for the label founded by John Prine.
Throughout his career with The Deslondes and into his ongoing solo projects, Downing's songs have often been seasoned by a time in his life before he was making a living on stage, but his long-term observational writing is on full display on Landfill Poetry. The album comes from years of collected stories about life's overlooked moments and underappreciated people: from the back of a track truck in 'Landfill Poetry,' to the lonely hours of the graveyard paycheck in 'Night Shift,' to the quiet moments after a hard day of work in 'Porch Song.' The record also includes 'Hay Hay Hay,' written for restless ones who stay up too late, and 'Helen & Gene,' a song for grandchildren who admire hard-working compassion once shared between loved ones.
'A lot of my writing comes from nostalgia,' Downing says. 'A story or a moment that somebody might never think about again, I might think about for the rest of my life.'
With his sharp remembrance, Downing builds three-minute worlds throughout Landfill Poetry, whisking listeners back to similar places from their memories, or, perhaps more impressively, sending them off with a nostalgia for some place they've never been.
'Writing about anything, you just have this pile of memories and experiences,' he says. 'Thinking about where good lyrics come from, where song ideas come from. Everyone has their piles of stuff. You're not going to throw it out. You're a hoarder of all these different, little things.'
Like the rural Missouri trash truck he once manned, eventually those piles get tossed out, but luckily for fans of good, honest tunes, Downing has always known exactly what to do with them.
Downing will be making his debut on the Grand Ole Opry on September 12th. He is also set to perform at The Long Road Festival in the UK this Sunday, 8/30.
For more information, visit rileydowning.com.
About Riley Downing
For years, singer-songwriter Riley Downing has collected stories about life's overlooked moments and underappreciated people. He's unearthed these tales of castaway truths and once-faded recollections for Landfill Poetry, a sophomore solo album and Oh Boy Records debut. A native of small-town Missouri who once worked as a backroad trashman before becoming one of music's weathered journeymen, the husky-voiced Downing may be best known as a member of noisemaking Americana outfit The Deslondes, a New Orleans-born band that he co-founded after a clandestine meeting with like-minded musicians at a folk festival in Oklahoma. On Landfill Poetry, his six-string worldbuilding takes listeners to the back of the trash truck ('Landfill Poetry'), inside the lonely hours of the graveyard paycheck ('Night Shift'), and to the quiet moments after a hard day of work ('Porch Song'). He sings for the restless ones who stay up way too late ('Hay Hay Hay') and the grandchildren who admire a hard-working compassion once shared between late loved ones ('Helen & Gene'). With each song, Downing uncovers sketches of life that once might've been lost to the landfill but instead are shared anew.
Catch Riley Downing On Tour
Aug 30 - Stanford on Avon, UK - Long Road Festival
Oct 22 - Bismarck, ND - Laughing Sun Brewing
Oct 23 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium
Oct 24 - Sioux Falls, SD - The Den
Oct 25 - Kansas City, MO - Hillsiders
Oct 27 - Des Moines, IA - Vinyl Cup
Oct 28 - Columbia, MO - Birdie's Deli
Oct 29 - Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel
Oct 30 - Yorkville, IL - Law Office Pub
Dec 30 - Boise, ID - Shrine Social Club
Dec 31 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
Jan 1 - Bellingham, WA - Wild Buffalo
Jan 2 - Vancouver, BC - Hollywood Theatre
For future dates and ticket information, visit rileydowning.com.
Catch The Deslondes On Tour
Sep 6 - Sacramento, CA - The Starlet Room
Sep 19 - Edmonton, AB, Canada - Down By The River
Sep 24 - Carmel-by-the-sea, CA - Folktale Winery & Vineyards
Sep 25 - Mi-wuk Village, CA - The Good Luck Campout
Sep 26 - Fresno, CA - Strummer's
Sep 27 - Costa Mesa, CA - The Wayfarer
Sep 29 - Jacumba Hot Springs, CA - Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel
Sep 30 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet's
Oct 1 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon
Oct 7 - Fort Collins, CO - Sound Bar
Oct 8 - Boulder, CO - eTown Hall
Oct 9 - Denver, CO - Ophelia's Electric Soapbox
Oct 10 - Trinidad, CO - Fancy Spider Music Festival
For future dates and ticket information, visit deslondes.com.
Photo Credit: Tori Mills
Photo Credit: Tori Mills
