Southern River boys bring party vibes

Perth rock’n’rollers The Southern River Band will travel to the Mid West for the first time this month with a slew of party tunes under their belt.

Riding on the coattails of their debut album, Live at the Pleasuredome, the four-piece will play at the Freemasons Hotel on Saturday, February 25, after the AFL derby.

With Geraldton buzzing from the match between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, frontman Callum Kramer said The Southern River Band would keep the good times rolling.

“It’s going to be a full blown rock’n’roll extravaganza,” he said.

“The only serious message we have to convey is we just want everyone to have as much fun as possible.

“We all just want to have a great time. We might be up on stage but we’re having a party just the same as everyone else.”

Hailing from Thornlie, south of Perth, the boys formed The Southern River Band in 2015.

Kramer and bassist Anton Dindar had already been jamming together for eight years, playing in a band with Dindar’s brother.

After the band hit a crossroads, Kramer and Dindar started writing songs together, with guitarist Jason Caniglia and drummer Carlo Romeo also jumping on board.

It wasn’t long before they had their first gig.

“We were having beers at the Thornlie Tavern and this big burly guy comes in,” Kramer said.

“He goes ‘I’m going to get you a gig’ and the next day he messages us saying we’re playing at the Thornlie Tavern in three weeks.

“We were playing covers at that point and had a few originals.

“We did the gig and it sort of just snowballed from there.

“It’s all original stuff now; we steer clear of the covers. That was purely just finding our feet, an apprenticeship, if you will.”

Released in November, Live at the Pleasuredome features old-school rock vibes with the high energy of a wild Saturday night out.

The album is also available on vinyl, with the deluxe version featuring a pull-out poster and a board game. “It’s called Get the Boys Home from the Thorn,” Kramer said.

“It’s all about the trials and tribulations that can face you whilst you’re at the Thorn and getting home.

“This is like a life moment, you pull the record out, you put it on and you play the board game.

“It’s the soundtrack to a board game.

“Monopoly hasn’t done that.”

With more than 30 original songs in their repertoire, the boys are already planning on heading back into the studio to record their second album.

The Southern River Band have an Eastern States tour lined up for the second half of the year and they hope to make it back to Geraldton sooner rather than later.

But for their first visit north of Perth, the lads hope to fit in a relaxing fishing session.

“Anyone reading this, come down and give us your best (fishing) tips,” Kramer said.

“We’re terrible at it but we’re really enthusiastic.

“Any fishing spots that anyone’s got, we’d very much like to know about them.”

The Southern River Band will play at the Southerlys Tavern in Port Denison on February 24 and at the Freemasons Hotel on February 25.