British husband and wife blues rock duo WHEN RIVERS MEET return to the music fold with their highly anticipated sophomore album Saving Grace released by One Road Records on Friday 19th November 2021. The album is now available from www.whenriversmeet.co.uk. Today is also the day they release their new single Never Coming Home.
It’s been an amazing year for Grace and Aaron Bond of When Rivers Meet.
In May 2021, they were first band to win four awards at the UK Blues Awards including “Blues Band Of The Year”, “Blues Album Of The Year” (for their 2020 debut album “We Fly Free”), “Emerging Blues Artist Of The Year” and “Most InspirationalOnline Performance Of The Year”. They also won “Best New Band” award at Planet Rock’s”The Rocks”.
WRM embark on a nationwide 17-Date Headline UK Tour on April 21, 2022 with special guest Troy Redfern. Tickets are available from www.thegigcartel.com and www.seetickets.com.
As a warm-up to their 2022 UK tour, on Saturday December 18, 2021, WRM will perform songs from Saving Grace at a sold-out concert at Hunter Bar in Bury St. Edmunds.
Saving Grace follows the band’s critically acclaimed debut album We Fly Free that was released in November 2020, and their previous two EPs, The Uprising and Innocence of Youth. The past year has been a non-stop thrill-ride for WRM, who are comprised of Grace Bond (lead vocals, mandolin, violin) and Aaron Bond (guitar, vocals).
In October 2021, WRM toured the UK as King King’s special guest, and received rave reviews.
“As they walk out on stage to a massive cheer from an already capacity crowd, it is evident they are very popular, and it is easy to see why.” – The Razor’s Edge
“With the heavy bluestones and the incredible vocal harmonies, When Rivers Meet bring back the grit of classic blues rock in a traditional way for a modern audience.”– Rock N Load
“Bags of noise and bags of power… there’s certainly plenty that will appeal to both hard rock and blues fans in terms of this duo’s highly original output.” – Get Ready to Rock
With Saving Grace, WRM have set out to produce a blues rock album with a more upbeat, punchy, and exciting sound.
“We were very conscious that our debut album We Fly Free was a step up in production from our two EP releases previously The Uprising EP and Innocence of Youth,” says Grace. “We also wanted to keep a live, authentic vibe to the new album to retain the energetic feel in the music.”
Says Aaron, “We wanted the album to have more of an upbeat rock feel. We knew exactly what we wanted before we set off to record Saving Grace. We set our expectations high. We’re so pleased with the result and just hope everyone else loves it as much as we do.”
As with their debut album, We Fly Free, a lot of care and attention given to the detail, not only went into the song-writing, but also went into the production on each track, and telling a story from start to finish.
“Although we wanted to do something different from our previous work, we still wanted all the same elements that make our music distinctive and recognisable as When Rivers Meet,” says Grace.
As with their previous album and two EPs, the new album Saving Grace was recorded at the Boathouse in Suffolk with producer and engineer, Adam Bowers.
“He just gets everything we do and want,” says Grace. “As Adam says, ‘Bring me a drawing, and I will colour it in’, which is a great analogy of how we work together.”
SAVING GRACE – TRACK LIST
1. I Can’t Fight This Feeling (2:56)
2. Never Coming Home (3:30)
3. He’ll Drive You Crazy* (3:35)
4. Don’t Tell Me Goodbye (3:52)
5. Do You Remember My Name (3:10)
6. Have No Doubt About It (3:58)
7. Eye of A Hurricane (Friend of Mine Pt. 2)* (5:34)
8. Testify (3:24)
9. Shoot The Breeze* (2:51)
10. Lost & Found (3:45)
11. Talking In My Sleep (4:20)
12. Make A Grown Man Cry* (2:28)
The new album is mastered by Mike Curtis. Says Aaron, “the mastering is always the most exciting part of the process. We always look forward to receiving the mastered tracks from Mike.”
As with all their previous recordings, Grace, Aaron, and producer Adam have massive input with instrumentation. Aaron plays guitar and sings vocals, Grace sings vocals, plays mandolin and fiddle, while Adam plays bass, drums, and keyboard and pretty much anything else that Grace and Aaron need added including trumpet on specific songs.
“It’s a case of going into the studio with a song,” reflects Grace. “Aaron will play it on guitar, I’ll lay down the vocals, whilst Adam adds the drums. We start to get a feel as to what the song is and what it means, it then grows from there into the direction we think it should go.”
Continues Grace, “Sometimes it can take a while before we get the right feel for example the drums or the tone of the song. But we always have a clear plan for each song going into the studio and a good idea on the feel that we want to create. Our ethos is that we keep it sounding authentic, whether that be vocals, instrumentation, or any effects. It’s always got to sound organic and real.”
After the success of their debut album, We Fly Free, how does the sophomore album Saving Grace differ?
“Saving Grace has a more upbeat rock feeling than We Fly Free,” says Aaron. “We were very conscious when we started to record this album that’s the direction that we wanted to move in, and it was exactly the kind of result that wanted to achieve.”
Continues Aaron, “As well as being inspired by classic blues including John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters, we also draw a lot of influence from classic rock bands that include Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, Cream, and Free. To emulate some of the feel or tone of these legendary blues pioneers and seminal rock bands is something that we strive to do, and hopefully people will hear that in our music and relate to it.”
When Rivers Meet’s passion for blues rock shows through with an underpinning of traditional blues and classic rock. The duo make a concerted effort to keep to a genuine, gritty sound using authentic techniques, including tube tape echo and reverb chambers, which have created a live sound that keeps a truly vintage vibe that not only has energy but is also a true representation of the ever evolving sound this duo produces.
WRM show great delight that a Hammond organ has been introduced into some of the tracks on this album. This classic blues rock feel will transport you back in time while also inducing a contemporary When Rivers Meet twist.
WHEN RIVERS MEET
APRIL & MAY 2022 HEADLINE TOUR
With special guest
Troy Redfern
Sheffield Greystones – Thursday April 21, 2022
Bath Komedia – Friday April 22, 2022
Southampton 1865 – Saturday April 23, 2022
Colchester Arts Centre – Friday April 29, 2022
Newbury Arlington Arts – Saturday April 30, 2022
Leeds Brudenell Social Club – Thursday May 5, 2022
Newcastle Cluny – Friday May 6, 2022
Glasgow Òran Mór – Saturday May 7, 2022
London Garage – Thursday May 12, 2022
Birmingham The Asylum – Friday May 13, 2022
Norwich Waterfront Arts – Saturday May 14, 2022
Manchester Deaf Institute – Thursday May 19, 2022
Bristol Exchange – Friday May 20, 2022
Leek Foxlow Arts – Saturday May 21, 2022
Shoreham Ropetackle – Thursday May 26, 2022
Nottingham The Bodega – Friday May 27, 2022
Edinburgh Blues Club – The Voodoo Rooms – Saturday May 28, 2022
Tickets available from
The Gig Cartel, See Tickets and Planet Rock Tickets
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