JD on the RetroRyders are Back With New Music

Kicking off with a trashing guitar filled to the brim with personality before the enigmatic vocals of Joe DeMeo of JD on the RetroRyders newest pair of single “Good for the Soul” and “Save Me (From Myself)”. Coming from Huntington Beach, CA but an original New York native, you can tell DeMeo has a love of the classics intermixed with some eclectic choices as well. Citing the Beatles, Tom Petty, and the Foo Fighters as notable influences, the group alongside singers Nicole Kubis and Nicole Perreira, drummer Mike Wilson, and bassist Adrian Sanchez (plus some extra subtle instrumental backups from DeMeo’s partner Wendy), the group works effortlessly like a well-oiled machine, and you can tell under the direction of DeMeo, they believe in the songs and what they represent, which is an answer to the current sadness and unrest in the world.

URL: https://jdretroryders.wixsite.com/website

The band had high hopes for live performances in 2020 but still managed to snag a live performance in California before the virus kicked the world back into the dark ages. There’s real energy that’s just festering in the band, like an energy dam that’s ready to burst and the group makes the most of it with their rocking soaring sounds. The guitars have such a cinematic texture, like something you’d hear in an alternative movie score, and you can certainly hear the kind of west coast rock sounds you might find from the aforementioned Foo Fighters or even the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, but DeMeo’s iconic voice lends itself perfectly with this kind of Beck inspired grungy vibrato to it. Luckily shows are starting to be lined up for the band this year, and if you’re smart you’ll go out of your way to catch them because there’s nothing more infectious than a band that wants to play music so badly.

I–HEART RADIO: https://www.iheart.com/artist/jd-and-the-retroryders-33148021/?autoplay=true

Their chemistry is palpable and songwriting is catchy and fun. “Save Me (From Myself)” covers the malaise we’ve all been in, asking ourselves how do we go on, but it’s packaged in this deceptively fast-paced upbeat sound rock track that’s just deliciously performed. Much like David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, these songs are meant to be played at their max volume and I also recommend listening with headphones because that way you’ll really be able to notice all the little nuances the group has attached especially in the harmonies of the backing female vocalists and little embellishments on the guitar or ambient electronic work. The whole work ends up being this complimentary hodgepodge of styles that never feels stale, even when the band takes a slow pace on “Good for the Soul” which finds Demeo wanting to get back to the way life was, needing the energy and life that was promised to him that he can only relive in painful memories.

The two songs really take you on a journey of self-discovery that certainly must have come from a painfully honest place as the bands’ conviction on the tracks is just immeasurable. These tracks are highly recommended.

Michael Rand