Q&A with Local Band Riley Road

Riley Road, a local band specializing in blues, will be one of the many bands performing at this weekend's . This will be the fifth time the borough holds the festival, which will be on Main Street.

Riley Road is comprised of three area students, from Owen J. Roberts, Great Valley High School and the Renaissance Academy. Below is a Q&A with the band:

Tell us about how you got started and what steps you took along the road to get to where you are today.

Riley Road first started as an experiment by Phoenixville’s Rock and Roll After School Program in September of 2010.  Erin Riley, who owns the program, recruited guitarist , drummer Isaiah Weatherspoon and bassist Brandon Walker to play together in the school’s program. Nick, a long time student of the Downingtown School of Rock had played previously with Brandon and Brandon had played with Isaiah in the Rock and Roll After School program.  Nick had wanted to develop a small band to write and perform blues rock inspired music. Through the 4 month program, the band grew and continued to play outside of the program.  Local venues like Steel City Music Café and Chaplins supported the band and provided an outlet for this young band (ages 13-15). 

In the Spring of 2011, the band continued to write songs and develop their style.  They entered the Episcopal Academy Battle of the Bands and took top honors.  They also took top honors at the Upper Merion Township Battle of the Bands.  By the end of the summer, they were playing regularly and were selected to play the Phoenixville Blues Festival. 

What are your feelings about the opportunity to play at the Spring City festival?

Brandon – I really like playing outdoors for large crowds.  Spring City is my hometown and I started taking lessons at Georges Music.  We have played at a couple of times and this is a great venue.  I am looking forward to playing for my friends and family in Spring City

Nick and Isaiah – We are really thankful to chosen to play in Spring City's festival. 

For each member: What are your future aspirations? Do you want to stick with music or is another career lurking in your mind?

Brandon – My future aspirations are to pursue a career in music, although not necessarily performance, although I think I want to continue to perform on some level.  I would like to go to college for sound recording or possibly have a career in Sound Engineering.

Nick – Right now, I can only see myself doing something with music...either touring or studio work.  I also know I am going to go to college, but I am not sure where. 

Isaiah – I think I will be staying in music.  I want to tour and make CDs.  Right now, I think I am interested in the Berklee College of Music in Boston Mass.

For each member: Who is your main inspiration in your life, on a personal level (family members, friends, teachers, coaches, etc)

Brandon –Michael O’Brien is an instructor at Rock and Roll After School.  He used to play bass for a band called Jealousy Curve.  Michael has been a mentor and friend of mine for a few years and is an incredible instructor.  I have learned a great deal from Michael.   My parents have also been a great inspiration as well.

Nick –  Besides my Mom and Dad, my guitar teacher at the Downingtown School of Rock has had a big influence on me.  He has been my guitar teacher for x years now. 

Isaiah – My parent have been a big influence.  They have supported me in playing the drums since a very early age.  They bought me my first drum set and helped me start playing with my church when I was 5 years old.

For each member: Who is your main inspiration in your life as far as idols go (celebrities, historic figures, etc., dead or alive)?

Brandon – There are a few bass players that have excelled and changed the perception of this instrument. People like Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Victor Wooten from Bela Fleck and the Flectones have shown me what a bass can do and how important it is to always be a student of the instrument.  You can always learn from other musicians. I also am inspired by bass players like John Paul Jones, Les Claypool, Noel Redding and Roger Waters.

Nick –  My two biggest influences right now are Davy Knowles and Warren Haynes. I was fortunate enough to share the stage with Davy two years ago on New Year's Eve.  He's a fantastic guitarist/singer from the Isle of Man.  I am also really into the 60's blues rock guys such as Peter Green, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck.

Isaiah –  I have so many favorite drum players, there are too many to list.  I have start with Tony Royster.  Tony has played with a number of artist but is also known for winning the Guitar Center National Drum-Off competition in 1995 (at the age of 11).  I also like QuestLove from the Roots.  I met him once back stage at the Jimmy Fallon show.  I wasnt old enough to get into the show, but my friend Erin Riley helped me get backstage to meet him.  He was a really nice guy.

What do you hope to get out of the experience of playing at the Spring City festival?

Brandon – Riley Road has been a lot of fun.  Its been fun to meet other musicians and to play at many different venues.  This will be the first time we have played at the Spring City Music Festival and we are looking forward to showing some people who have never heard of us what we can do. 

Nick – For each show that we play, we get more experience. The Spring City music and market festival will be a little different than most places we play.  It will be outside on the street.  There will be lots of people there who have never heard us before.  Maybe someone will hear us that will provide more opportunities to play.

Isaiah – I think it will be alot of fun playing in Spring City.  There are a lot of other bands playing that day and playing outside is always fun.  Maybe Riley Road can pick up some more fans and friends.

What's the hardest thing about balancing what you love (music) and life's responsibilities (school)?

Brandon – The hardest thing about balancing school and music is finding the time to do anything else.  Between the music programs, Riley Road practice, our shows and all the homework from school, there isn’t much time for anything else. I have to make sure that all of my homework is finished first, often I’m staying up late just to get it all done.

Nick – I find it hard to set priorities to decide which is more important to work on at different times.  I have a lot of school work this year and I also have to put time in to write or learn new songs.  Although school work is the priority, sometimes its tough to choose.

Isaiah – The hardest thing is trying to set priorities between wanting to play music all the time and do homework and study.  I know I should be doing homework, but I always want to practice.

Anything else you guys want to add or promote?

We would like to promote our website: www.RileyRoad.com.  We have Facebook, Myspace and ReverbNation pages, but they can all be found through our webpage.  The web page always has our current schedule and there are videos and recordings of some of our music, as well as lots of pictures.

We’re looking forward to playing at Steel City CoffeeHouse in Phoenixville, October 7th with the band Blue Bizness.  Steel City has been very supportive of Riley Road and we always have a great show there. 

We are entering a number of competitions this fall including the "In the Groove" battle of the bands in Philly on Nov 12 and the NAMM Best Teen Band in America competition also in November.

Blues Festival: Riley Road Returns to Churn the Burning Funk

This remarkable young band returns to wow crowds at this weekends Phoenixville Blues Festival. Anyone who attended last year’s Phoenixville Blues Festival will remember the encore that brought the house down. Three young kids wowed the crowd with their raw talent, leaving behind 3,000 folks who just couldn’t believe that sound came from people that age. Nick Cianci is a sophomore at Great Valley High School. He and Brandon Walker, a sophomore at Owen J. Roberts, met Isaiah Weatherspoon (a freshman at Renaissance Academy) at Erin Riley’s Rock and Roll After School program in 2010...