Ashleigh Flynn & The Riveters – Good Morning, Sunshine
This set is rooted in a more earthy soil reminiscent of rockabilly with twang & other retro rock traditions. The attraction is the modern update that is quite innovative & the production is squeaky clean. This is the West Coast-based band’s sophomore effort. An all-female ensemble that inserted their rivets, turned on their pneumatic hammers & let it rip from 2017. They’re still not short on energy, taste & gutsiness. It’s just that these riveters use strings on guitars, harmonicas & skins on drums.
The 11 cut Good Morning, Sunshine (Drops April 4/Blackbird/37:13) was produced by Nancy Luca (electric guitar) with lead vocals by Ashleigh Flynn (acoustic guitar). They have the genre down solid as they move through slices of pure rock ‘n’ roll, Motown, bluegrass & whatever else their ears picked up as they grew up. The sound they generate is expansive (they don’t have that rawness of a garage or bar band). They’re seasoned, polished musicians. Not a fly gets away if it lands on their beer glass.
But women have been forerunners in the music business for decades, they just seldom got the hat tip & ink they deserved. Famed & legendary drummer Buddy Rich even acknowledged the masterful jazz drummer Viola Smith, who was a pioneering jazz drummer with her all-female orchestra during the Big Band era that had flash & precision in 1939. There was a 1930 acoustic guitarist, pianist & stylistic singer, Lee Morse & many more.
So, Ms. Flynn is actually continuing in that tradition with The Riveters. Doing it with vitality & essential sweetness with added vocal muscle. The Riveters give a respectful salute to “Rosie the Riveter,” the gutsy, determined women of WWII who worked in factories while men were away. They put planes & ships together with their sleeves rolled up, grease on their noses & earning every callous on their hands. You want a hero? I give you Rosie.
It’s admirable that the women in this collection of songs are equally resilient & play with lots of torque. They are all well-oiled machines. They have spirit & Ashleigh’s voice is perfectly suited to these melodic jaunts. There’s nothing brittle or contrived in their performance. This is a wild “going” band & if they ask you to dance, better let them lead.
Highlights – “Drunk In Ojai,” “Good Morning, Sunshine,” “Love Is An Ember,” “Eye On the Light,” “Bird In a Cage” & “Don’t Leave Me Lonesome.”
Musicians – Carmen Paradise (bass), Leila Chicko (drums), Jenny Conlee (piano & organ), Kathryn Claire (violin/harmony vocals), Kat Fountain (vocals/harmonica) & others from a revolving group of female players.
Photos courtesy of the band’s website. CD at Apple Music + Amazon & https://www.ashleighflynnandtheriveters.com/ & https://www.kgmusicpress.com/home/blog/7523473/ashleigh-flynn-the-riveters-radiate-on-good-morning-sunshine-april-4th
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: Ashleigh Flynn & the Riveters “Deep River Hollow”