RIVERSIDE DRIVE (BE NICE TO YOUR OPENERS)

Hailing from Windsor Ontario, we managed to catch Josh Lowe from Riverside Drive right before his opening set at the Bar Orwell. Josh got his start with an acoustic record that he put out when he was 18 and over the course of throwing together his second album he realized he “needed more than the sound of his own voice.” So he teamed up with drummer Eric Noble, and they joined forces with a couple more guys from the plethora of great musicians coming out of Windsor, and thus, Riverside Drive was formed.

Noting influences like Rise Against, AFI, and Silverstein, this pop punk band packs a punch! When you’re looking off in the distance from the edge of Windsor into Detroit, you are looking at Riverside Drive. This is what inspires the band, the idea of trying to get out of the city and into something bigger. On top of that, almost every city has a Riverside Drive, ergo the majority of people can find some comfort and familiarity in their name.

While speaking with Josh in the stairwell down to the washrooms In Bar Orwell (excellent acoustics by the way), he told us that this was his band's second show in Toronto. Unfortunately, their first show did not go according to plan. Riverside Drive was the only pop punk band on an entirely metal/hardcore card and they were not shown the love they deserved. Furthermore, while the crowd at Bar Orwell was tiny, the love and support for the band could be felt all through the future fans on the numerous couches lining the walls of the bar. It’s completely valid to not enjoy a type of music different from the one you came to see. However, it is not okay to be a knob to the performers that have worked their asses off to get on stage and play a set for you. If you don’t like the opening band, that's fine, go outside and touch grass or smoke a cigarette or something, don’t bitch about the talent because it's not your thing. Instead of heckling the artists for not sounding the exact same as every other band on the card, get up, mosh, and I promise you giving them your energy and attention will make them sound 100 times better.

Now with that being said, please check out Riverside Drives album Better Days on anywhere you stream your music, do yourself a favour and try to catch them at a show near you. (Windsor, June 23rd,) (Guelph, June 24th) (Lindsay, June 25th)

By Greg Wicinski, 2023