Late last year, MOONRIIVR — the project formed in 2023 by the Wooden Sky's Gavin Gardiner and Dwayne Gretzky's "Champagne" James Robertson, featuring Ben Whiteley (the Weather Station) and Lyle Mozlan (Kathleen Edwards) — delivered their debut album, the aptly titled Vol. 1. They've been touring it around ever since, and have two new live-off-the-floor collections to show for it.
The first two instalments in the Tascam Series of EPs are set for release on November 20 through Victory Pool. Per a press release, The Dorval Sessions and Live at Jenny's Bar "capture the band live in action, in and around the streets of Toronto, bringing a taste of their charming, faded elegance to front stoops and locally-owned businesses in their neighbourhood."
As one may have guessed, the EPs were recorded with a Tascam 388 analog tape recorder. "It fits easily in the back of my car and means we leave the computers at home," Robertson explained.
Today, MOONRIIVR preview the collections with "Let the World Turn (Live at Victoria's)," captured at the Victoria's Flower Shop storefront at the corner of Bloor and Dorval to underscore the still-blooming optimism in lyrics like, "Life's a lousy joke, but that's okay." Take it in below, where you'll also find the tracklist info and the band's tour schedule.
The Dorval Sessions:
1. Flowers on the Fire Escape
2. Blonde Hair Now
3. Let The World Turn
4. A Mother to Me
5. The Hypnotist
Live at Jenny's Bar:
1. 10,000 Suns
2. Bachelor Nation
3. Midnight at the Garden Hotel
4. Run
MOONRIIVR 2024 Tour Dates:
09/14 Hamilton, ON - Supercrawl
09/20 Peterborough, ON - Bar 379
09/21 Ottawa, ON - The 27 Club
11/07 Calgary, AB - Idle Eyes Collective
11/08 Lethbridge, AB - Owl Acoustic Lounge
11/09 Edmonton, AB - The Aviary
11/22 Vancouver, BC - Green Auto
12/13 Winnipeg, MB - Times Change(d)