Rizdales - 20 Years

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Saturday afternoon at the Richmond Tavern in London and the Rizdales are celebrating the 20 year anniversary of their first show as a band and their first LP release "Another Payday Night" (2003). There's been some changes, but they remain as the pure country couple Tom and Tara Dunphy with Blair Heddle on guitar, Steve Crew on drums, and Oscar Macedo on bass. We had dropped in a month ago to see them, we had so much fun, so here we are again. Feelin' good to be feelin' good again.

Our No. 1 son Christopher is visiting from Germany. We're sure he'll like the show (he keeps trying to get me to like Jeff Beck, I keep trying to get him to like Country & Americana). We've talked with our friends Sam and Al who are also keen on the show; we meet at their place for some pre-show drinks and a nosh. Sam and Al are friends of the band, Sam used to perform with a group called Julia Propellor in the 1980's. 

I drop off Kate and Joan (Al's mom) at the bar and find a place to park. The others are walking over from Picadilly & Colborne. Later Kate finds a closer spot in the parking lot next door to the club and I move the car there so she has a place to rest a bit. Parking in the city is expensive but this is convenient and worth it.

We arrive to the show getting there a good half hour early. But there are no seats at all in the main room with the stage.  I learn later from an acquaintance that he arrived an hour early and got the last seat in the main room. It happens to be by the stage. He sees me shooting photos but we've never really met face to face (turns out he's a friend of Al's and was talking to him). We end up in the room next door where there's a couple of tall stools and the pool table. In the main room it was standing room only with a very crowded dance floor once things get rolling.

Frank Ridsdale, who was also celebrating a 20th anniversary of sorts, was the opening act. He's an accomplished long time player in the London scene having founded the band Uranus which led or started the punk scene of the late 1970's on into the 1980's. Uranus was one of the first bands who got into play at the Cedar Lounge. Today Frank Ridsdale, accompanied by Blair on electric, sounds an awful lot like Van Morrison to me — that's a good thing.

At the break between acts Chris and I walked over the the London Music Hall of Fame on Dundas Street. I wanted to show him some of my photos on display from the punk shows of the early 1980's. There are still several on display and a few in a collection of mounted photos and posters. It turns out I have taken him there before.

We talk a bit with Tara and Tom before their set. Tara thanks me for the pictures taken and posted at the last show. Al knows all the band members and brought them a round of Jack Daniels during their set. Al no longer drinks, but when he did he was a bit of a terror.

Outside on the street I'm wearing a Wabi Sabi's T-shirt and greeted by Peter Tangredi (of the Wabi Sabi's) who admires my shirt. I admire his early work with Crash 80's and Suffer Machine (we were talking about Peter and those bands with the guide at the Music Hall) and follow the Wabi Sabi's. I see Peter later on the dance floor and he's obviously having a great time. The Rizdales have recorded his song "The Legend of Bobby Orr" (2023) and play it during the second set. The "Dancing Cowboy", Bev Camp, is another fellow we know who lives for these Saturday afternoon shows.

In the washroom (you only rent beer for a short time) I'm talking to some of the guys. We're all enjoying the music and are pleasantly surprised by the diversity of the crowd. There's young folks and old geezers, rich and poor, and a surprising connection between the punks of our youth and the country and Americana fans of today. See the exuberance and ages of the dancers in the photo above.

Back at the Richmond we stay for the first set. I grab a few pictures but it's a bit of struggle to get near the stage. We might have stayed longer but Kate needed to be off her feet.

Congratulations to the Rizdales and the Richmond Tavern for 20years of great country music. We'll be back ...

Postscript: I read from the Rizdales Facebook posting for the event: "Come celebrate our 20th Anniversary which is also the 20th anniversary of our debut album, Another Payday Night. Available ONLY at Rizdales shows." I've been after that record for years now. Maybe we can get a copy!

See also:

• The Rizdales on Facebook.
• The Rizdales web site (includes online store).
• Richmond Tavern on Facebook.