Meet Dusty Rhodes and the River Band

Music like a storybook

Dusty Rhodes and the River Band from Fullerton has toured with Flogging Molly and Blind Melon among others. Vocalist/guitarist Kyle Divine was kind enough to take some times to answer some questions about the band, including one question in which he guesses what each band member would be doing if not in this band.

Where would you file your music in a record store?

In a record shop we're usually in the rock/pop section, that makes the most sense to me.  I know that's a boring answer but when you break it down, we're a rock band.

You're trying to get me to come to your show. What's your pitch?

Our live show is a lot of fun, we have great chemistry on stage and everyone watching is usually pretty happy.

Why should I have Dusty Rhodes and the River Band in my desert island music?

That's a tough question.  Our music is like a storybook, happy and sad, optimistic and dreary, detailed and vague...and colorful.  There is a lot of variety and complexity in our songs though they sound sometimes like simple pop songs and that makes it interesting.  You pick up something new every time you hear it and if it's all you had on a desert island (and you had a working CD player or iPod) it would keep you entertained for at least the first few weeks.

If you meet the devil at the crossroads, what are you getting for your soul?

I have never truly considered what I would want in exchange for my soul at the crossroads.  I can't speak for the whole band but I would want to be (or come close to being) as profound and prolific as John Lennon.

What would you be doing if you weren't making music?

The whole band isn't here to answer this question but this is my guess. If Dustin wasn't making music in this band he'd still be working at Mega Video, playing video games all day and riding scooters. If Dre wasn't making music she'd be living in a co-op, growing her own food and selling her paintings to earn a living. If Edson wasn't making music he'd be traveling the world, accumulating debt but growing spiritually. If Eric wasn't making music he'd probably be finishing up school, working at Trader Joe's part time and engaged. If I wasn't in this band I'd probably be some kind of band manager or booking agent, living in the Northwest and riding bicycles everywhere.