"Riverman" is the moniker of Orlando, Florida's Steve Hedrick, a multi-instrumentalist who overdubs a vast array of instruments (ranging from guitar and percussion to accordion and banjo) to create neo-folk originals that owe as much to Beach Boy's band leader Brian Wilson as they do to troubadours Bob Dylan and Nick Drake"
-Insert for "Off the Clock" a compilation released by the Starbucks Entertainment label
Influences
Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, Tim Buckley, Destroyer, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, John Martyn, Neil Finn, Paul Weller, Joe Pass, Pat Metheney, Richard Thompson, Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, The Soft Machine, Love, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Kings of Convenience, Wilco, Radiohead, Lloyd Cole, Pink Floyd, Serg Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Dick Todd, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, The Clash, Getz/Gilberto, The Pale Fountains, Shack, Kenny Burrell, Fred Neil, Jackson C. Frank, Simon and Garfunkel, The Pentangle, Bert Jansch, Bruce Cockburn, Belle and Sebastian, Sam Prekop, The Sea and Cake, The Flaming Lips, Sufjan Stevens, Everything But the Girl, Archer Prewett, Andrew Byrd, Elliott Smith, and of course my long time guitar teacher and musical mentor, Mike Walker.
Greetings all! So, the long hiatus is finally over and the project I've been working on for many months is finally complete. "Vagabonding" is a special album for me. It has been in the works for a very long time, and all of the material was fully written before I sat down to record it. As a result, through the painstaking process of recording each instrument and vocal track, you can hear a continuity in the production that my other albums have lacked. Most of the songs have to do with travel, and venturing into the unknown, be it a different country, or even just turning down a local avenue that you haven't bothered to explore. Street signs and landmarks, as well as dear friends who've I've met along the way, play a central role in the lyrics, and because of these outside influences, it's all a bit less introspective than in the past. This album is about looking forward (albeit with a cautious optimism.) These songs were all recorded in my own house in Winter Park, Florida and I always tried to capture the vibe and sound of my own living room. In this open and acoustically rich location, I placed microphones in more distant places and allowed for the bleeding through of airplane sounds, honking horns, rain squalls, thunder claps, clanking pots and pans, and chirping insects. This is home-recording, so even the little glitches have a special place on this album. I'll be back before long with new material which I've been working on all through this recording process. The next project to be titled "Beatrice and the Nine-Muses" will begin shortly... Until then, enjoy "Vagabonding" and come see us live on the last Friday of each month at Stardust Video and Coffee. And please, if you enjoy what you hear, help a brother out and share this with your friends... Peace and love to you all,
Riverman
Alright Steve, 2 more classics mate. Yer never fail to deliver the business. Yer tracks are always beautifully written, performed & produced. I'm a big fan...Can't wait to hear yer album. Stay cool la, Lee
Alright Steve, Fantastic tunes these.. Crane Dance left me with a massive smile on my face.Pure quality... Hopefully, you'll have an album out soon as these tunes need to be heard by a wider audience. Regarding yer influences, I went to see Stephen Stills last week. He was great. I saw Neil Young in the same venue a couple of months back (4th time). Also, recently saw Pentangle too...I could go on, Pink Floyd, CSN (twice) Bob Dylan, John Martyn (3 times)..we have very similar tastes. Regarding Shack, I was with the bass player Martyn Campbell just last night, a cool fella. Enough from me, take care mate... Lee
