Overview
Like a gang of tried-and-true mavericks, Rival Sons march to the beat of their own drum.
Right when you think you’ve got them figured out, the Long Beach quartet—Jay Buchanan [vocals, acoustic guitar], Scott Holiday [lead guitar], Mike Miley [drums], and Dave Beste [bass]—will flip the script and surprise you once more. Their very emergence is inexplicable in the best way. They don’t fit into any era or category, yet their uncompromising spirit might be more necessary today than ever. A sense of panache, a dash of mystery, and an unapologetic commitment to the craft of rock ‘n’ roll underscore their deep catalog highlighted by the likes of Pressure & Time [2011], Great Western Valkyrie [2014], and Feral Roots [2019], which garnered two GRAMMY® Award nominations in the categories of “Best Rock Album” and “Best Rock Performance” for the single “Too Bad.” Meanwhile, the Rock Radio #1 hit “Do Your Worst” has reeled in 70 million streams and counting. At the same time, they’ve held their own on stage with Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, and Lenny Kravitz in addition to blowing the roof off television staples such as The Late Late Show with James Corden, Jools Holland and Jimmy Kimmel.
The band, who hail from California, have recorded every release they have made with 9 x GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Dave Cobb. Back in 2009, they released their debut full-length album, Before The Fire, then the Rival Sons EP in 2010. This caught the attention of Nottingham (UK) metal record label Earache Records. Rival Sons signed to the British label that had previously specialised in grindcore & thrash metal, where they quickly recorded and released their full-length worldwide debut, the critically acclaimed Pressure & Time (2011). In their own words from 2010 the band “wanted to give the people the rock and roll they deserve by keeping it honest, visceral, and dangerous.”
The band is known for their thrilling live performances. Fans often liken the experience of seeing Rival Sons to a religious experience.
For their early recordings, the band committed themselves to creating an experience that closely matches the attitude and excitement of their live shows. Right off a 4-week stint on the road, Rival Sons wrote, recorded, and mixed Pressure & Time in just 20 days: ensuring a rawness for both the listener and the band. As guitarist Scott Holiday put it at the time, “This is just the simplest way to not cheat ourselves or the listener. Rock and Roll can’t be over-thought, and if it is, it loses its immediacy and instinct ... it needs to be a knife fight.”
It's the relationship between extraordinary frontman Jay Buchanan and guitar whizz Scott Holiday that gives Rival Sons its tension, strength, and sweetness. The interplay of their instruments, Jay’s voice and Scott’s fuzzy guitar tones complement each other, delivering a solid partnership, if one based in different yet both charismatic and resolute musical outlooks.
Jay Buchanan, who grew up in Wrightwood, California, came from a household where singing was second nature. As he matured, he developed a singer-songwriter approach with his own material, basing himself in Long Beach.
Scott Holiday, who grew up on rock’n’roll further down the PCH in Huntington Beach, was brought together with Jay by the internet and Michael Miley, a classically trained drummer keen to play “maximum r’n’b” who once described his style at that point like “A bull tied up in a pen before a rodeo.”
Scott Holiday stated in 2023, “From Before The Fire to Pressure And Time, Head Down, Great Western, Hollow Bones, and Feral Roots, each record progressively got a little less retro. We emulate our heroes until we can kick the training wheels off and actually have a sound. Every band does that more or less.”
In 2023, they continued to subvert expectations, releasing two full-length LPs—DARKFIGHTER and LIGHTBRINGER [Low Country Sound/Atlantic Records]. Though the genesis of these albums was intertwined, they also speak to the band’s perpetual progression forward.
“More than ever, we sound like our own band,” Scott leaves off. “There’s still a fight in the music. We’re still trying to break out of the box. I still have excitement and inspiration in this group of guys—and I’m proud of them! “We made something important to us. Hopefully we’ve created something the fans can embrace. Ultimately though, our goal was to create something we could embrace, something that revealed a deeper, more vulnerable side of the band that we wanted to share.”
“I’m just trying to figure out who I am and illuminate things in myself,” Jay concludes. “It just so happens I’m doing so in front of a crowd every night. It’s my hope people relate and feel less alone in their despair or joy. Music is communal. At heart, I want to be part of the solution as a DARKFIGHTER or LIGHTBRINGER. It’s a lofty goal. With my art and life, I just want to leave things better than how I found them.”
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