Dusty Rhodes and the River Band emerged as a distinctive roots-rock outfit from Fullerton, California, by fusing the easygoing pulse of 1970s country-rock, the clever detachment of indie rock, and the technically adventurous spirit of prog. The group’s origins trace to 2002, when Kyle Divine relocated from his Kansas hometown to Southern California and quickly bonded with Dustin Apodaca, a keyboardist who performed under the stage name Dusty Rhodes, drawn from his vintage electric piano. After multiple screenings of the Band’s documentary The Last Waltz, the pair resolved to start a band, with Divine handling drums and Apodaca on keyboards. Within a handful of early shows the configuration shifted: Apodaca stepped forward playing accordion while Divine took up guitar and lead vocals. The lineup eventually expanded into a six-piece unit that also featured Edson Choi on guitar, banjo, sitar, and vocals, Andrea Babinski on violin, mandolin, and vocals, Allen Van Orman on bass, and Eric Chirco on drums. A devoted local audience developed in Orange County, and regular appearances at the Key Club in West Hollywood extended their reach. Following three years of consistent regional touring and several self-released CDs and DVDs, the band secured a contract with the Los Angeles independent label SideOneDummy and entered the studio in 2006 under the guidance of Ikey Owens of the Mars Volta. The resulting debut, First You Live, appeared in fall 2007; its follow-up, Palace and Stage, arrived two years later.
