Aaron welcomed Viv & Riley to Live and Local last week, ahead of the upcoming release of their new album “Imaginary People.”
Learn more about Viv & Riley at VivAndRiley.com.
Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno began their lives on opposite coasts – Vivian’s from Virginia, Riley’s from Seattle – but they were both raised in musical families, grew up among old-time string musicians, and eventually found each other at a festival in Port Townsend, Washington, in 2016. Since then they’ve been performing together in a band called The Onlies – but “Imaginary People” will be their first album as Viv & Riley.
“We bought a drumset,” Calcagno laughs. “It was a big departure for us.”
Leva and Calcagno are newcomers to the area, having just moved to Durham from Portland, Oregon about two years ago. In some ways that choice was random: “we (just) knew we wanted to come back east,” Leva says, and they happened to fall in love with Durham after getting an offer to housesit there. But Leva and Calcagno both say the music scene here is as vibrant and dynamic as anywhere else in the country.
“The thing that I love about this music scene is just how many people are doing different & creative things,” Calcagno says. “The vibe of the people making the music, supportive & collaborative…(it’s) a little bit off-kilter, in the most delightful way.”
Behind Leva and Calcagno, the new album also boasts a stellar supporting cast – led by producer Alex Bingham (Magic Al), an acclaimed bassist who’s performed with bands ranging from Hiss Golden Messenger to Watchhouse. (It’s a reciprocal exchange: Viv & Riley also perform on Magic Al’s new album, which is due out in November.) Other collaborators include Andy Stack of Wye Oak, another duo that relocated to Durham to join its burgeoning music scene.
“Country music is often about love and loss and heartbreak, (but) this one is just us ruminating on existence in various forms…getting older and finding ways to live in the world,” says Calcagno. “Maybe ‘coming of age’ is a corny term, but it’s just about trying to find your place and who you are.”
“Imaginary People” drops on September 15, and Viv & Riley are heading out on tour to promote it. They’re opening in Pittsburgh on September 5 and circling the Great Lakes before coming home for a show at Cats Cradle on Thursday, September 21 – opening for Mipso, another acclaimed local roots band with a new album due out soon. (If you can’t make it on September 21, mark your calendars for January 6: Viv & Riley will be back at the Cradle that evening too.)
Visit CatsCradle.com to buy tickets to the September 21 show.
Viv & Riley stopped by Live and Local to discuss the new album and play three songs: “Imaginary People,” “Is It All Over,” and “Kygers Hill.”
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