Riverside Voodoo

issue #236 page 17
Riverside Voodoo Have Their Mojo Working:
Fresh Off Tour and Opening for Light Beam Rider at Proud Larry’s on September 3
Riverside Voodoo has been hard at work for the past few years making a name for themselves in the local music scene in Oxford. This band has shown us where effort and dedication can take you. With a rapidly growing fanbase, a killer live show, and a recent tour under their belt, these guys are earning a reputation in not only Oxford, but in surrounding areas as well.
Why should someone who has never been to a RSV show come see you?
“There’s something for everybody I think within our style—one of my favorite things about our music is that we can play a soft song, then blues, then experimental stuff, so it really doesn’t matter who you are, there’s probably going to be something that you’ll like and no
“A tour with at least 100–150 stops that extends further out of the south is a large goal, but some- thing that we can accomplish and is necessary for the growth of our band.” –Mac Jones
“Right now, my biggest goal for the band is exposure. We get great feedback from our fans so we just need to continue extending our reach and growing our fan base.” –Lee New
Band members Jonathan Peters (Jackson, Miss.), Jake Horner (Cleveland, Tenn.), Watson Horner (Cleveland, Tenn.), and Mac Jones (Vicksburg, Miss.) have all been cultivating their musical styles for over a decade, and have been playing together since 2013. Lee New is their tour manager.
one show is ever the same. We try to mix it up regularly.”
What advice can you give to musicians just getting started?
“Keep practicing. Don’t procrastinate. People like to dream about headlining at Bonnaroo and all that stuff but what it comes down to is playing the smaller shows and practicing your craft; really hone in on it but you just absolutely cannot procrastinate.” –Mac Jones
“I think what I’ve learned is that youre going to get out of it what you put into it. However hard we try is what we’re gonna get back. We’ve started to see some younger kids starting their own bands and playing with us a little bit and it’s cool to see the music scene develop around
you with your friends and you make new ones in the process.” –Lee New
What’s your goal for the next five years?
“I think more than anything right now, is just writing more of our own music because we recorded this album and played it on tour, but finding ways to get it into other people’s hands and kind of building a buzz around it. We’re all proud of it and there are some really great songs on there that need to be heard.” –Watson Horner
Their influences collectively span
many different genres of music—
rock, funk, metal, blues, and many
others. Their all-time favorite artists include Led Zeppelin, Sublime,
Phish, Pink Floyd, Tame Impala, Parliament Funkadelic, and The
Doors. With so many different influences and styles collaborating there’s always some- thing for everyone at a Voodoo show. Their songs are written and composed entirely through a team effort, creating a melting pot of styles that makes every song different.
Riverside Voodoo just got back from a summer tour in support of their most recent album “Metaphysical Seduction”, an eight- song LP recorded here in Oxford at The Tone Room studio. They traveled around the Southeast including stops in Memphis, Tupelo, Jackson, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, New Orleans, Nashville, Atlanta, and Chattanooga.
The tour gave the band an opportunity to grow and learn while also better defining the direction for their sound and future. The experi- ence also allowed for them to share the stage with many great bands along the way—one of which, Light Beam Rider, is an Oxford favorite. Riverside Voodoo will be joining them again on stage at Proud Larry’s September 3rd.

Written by Jordan James - The Local Voice

Everyone loves a good underdog story, and the account of Riverside Voodoo’s emergence in the music scene is just that. The Oxford based crew, featuring Jonathan Peters on lead vocals and drums, Mac Jones on piano, Jake Horner on guitar and Watson Horner on bass, may only be getting their start in the world of music, but they are taking Mississippi and the rest of the South by storm.
Before Riverside Voodoo ever began, cousins Jake Horner and Watson Horner began playing together as middle schoolers in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “I got a guitar and then convinced him to get a bass,” Jake Horner said. The duo formed a two-man band between themselves, playing dive bars and small gigs around town. It wasn’t until several years later during their sophomore year at Ole Miss that the real magic began to happen. Watson struck up a friendship, heavily influenced by their love for music, with Jonathan Peters, a singer and guitar player, who would become the third member of the imminent Riverside Voodoo. The then trio began playing around Oxford and attempting to find their voice. It was during this time in the spring of 2013 that pianist and vocalist Jones came into the picture. “Mac was huge because we were pretty much just drums, bass and guitar before,” Peters said. “He kind of filled it all in.” With a fourth member and more instruments being implemented, Riverside Voodoo began to ignite.
“We started putting real songs together and playing real shows,” Watson Horner said.

The quartet began utilizing their musical talents, writing songs and honing their sound, which leaned towards blues and rock.


The group’s first big break came when they played alongside Moon Taxi at an Ole Miss fraternity party, where they were met with an excited crowd. A few short weeks after that, Riverside Voodoo started a recording process in Savannah, Georgia, creating a six-song demo of bayou rock hits. Since then, the four guys have created a name for themselves across state lines and played shows in Nashville and Baton Rouge. But before they head out on their out of state gigs, Riverside Voodoo will play the Proud Larry’s stage Thursday night.
In a world full of mindless pop music and teenybopper boy bands, Riverside Voodoo is a breath of fresh, muggy Mississippi air. Though they started out as a head-banging jam band, Riverside Voodoo has begun dipping their toes in the electronica genre, implementing Jones on the keyboard. The group is also creating a new album, which will take a turn towards a more progressive side of the rock genre. Riverside Voodoo is no stranger to the difficulties and hardships that come with making a name in the music industry. “We just wanted people to take us seriously in the very beginning,” Jones said.

As they have come to find out, the music performing process can be an incredibly ego-bruising feat.
“You’re literally putting your work out for judgment,” Peters said.
Operating more as brothers than band mates, the motley crew understands the importance of collaboration and working as a unit.
“There’s no one person that’s written a song from start to finish,” Jones said. “It starts with one person, and then we all build upon each other.”
This togetherness clearly shines through in the music, which plays out as a divinely playful romp. From their angst-infused rock anthem “Kleptobismol” to the bluesy southern ballad “Born to Bones,” Riverside Voodoo has something for all music-lovers. - The Daily Mississippian

Riverside Voodoo has been shaking up the Oxford music scene for the past few years with their eclectic sound and jam-band energy. Their psychedelic rock n’ roll romp continues with the recent release of the band’s first full-length album “Metaphysical Seduction.” The group will be debuting their new album as they take Proud Larry’s stage tonight at 9 p.m. with Oxford locals Delta Springs and Chief and the Chains.

This creation from members Jonathan Peters, Mac Jones, Watson Horner and Jake Horner is far more than just a personal dream for the crew- as they put it, it’s also a very real labor of love.

“You hear that in the songs a lot on this one,” bassist Watson Horner said. “They’ve got more time put into them, and I think they’re more well thought out and put together. They’re still like the old ones, but there’s a little more of everything in this album. There’s a lot of different genres. You just have to listen and notice them.”

As opposed to the three-day production of their first EP, “Metaphysical Seduction” had a three-month fabrication timeline led by Bryan Ward of the Tone Room in Oxford, Mississippi. The utilization of a producer and studio created an incredibly refreshing musical environment for the artists, encouraging the writing and creative process. “Yeah, when you’re in a studio and being charged by the hour, time is a factor,” said vocalist and drummer Jonathan Peters. “It’s good to have constraints like that because it makes you finish. It makes you come up with something. Whereas, otherwise, you’re just being lazy.”

Despite their transition into studio production, the motley crew is sticking close to their raw and rowdy roots. The polishing and construction through the production process has helped enhance the group’s progressive rock sound. “It’s been a really good process if you think about it,” said Horner. “This is the kind of album that we all always wanted to make. We’re all proud of it, and it’s something that a lot of folks will enjoy. And I think it’s cool that we just went out and did it, and now we get to show it to people.”

Since the release of the 8-track album on iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud, “Metaphysical Seduction” has been making waves among the group’s fan base, which spans far outside of Oxford and even Mississippi.

“We’ve been promoting it a lot more, so I think we’ll have a better turnout at the album release show,” said keyboardist Mac Jones. “Since we got the album out, I think a lot of people are listening. It’s been very well received so far, so I think everybody is going to be excited to hear the new songs since we haven’t played many of them before.”

With the release of the album behind them, Riverside Voodoo plans on taking the next step and reaching their fans in other states by going on tour.

“We’re just trying to promote and get people to listen to the new album,” Horner said. “We’ll play some loose shows in May and June. And in July, we’re planning on doing pretty much a whole month of the Southeast. We’re just trying to build everything up in an upward trajectory. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do, and I think we have to promote the album in the right way.”

Until then, Riverside Voodoo is planning on rocking their hometown with a “trippier” and “spacier” set than usual.

“I think it’ll be a really cool show for a lot of reasons, whether it’s the album release or the other two bands,” what other two bands? the ones mentioned at the beginning of the article, duh! lol Horner said. “It’s a cool night, and I think that there’s something for everyone with this album.” - Daily Mississippian