“[A] rad band from Memphis that features the songwriting, singing, and shred-fest, riff-heavy, tasteful-but-wicked-solos guitar playing of Alicja Trout. I bopped my head and felt elated. After the band finished, I didn’t want to see anything else. I wanted to go home with The River City Tanlines’ songs ringing in my ears. That’s when you know it’s been a good night.”
— Carrie Brownstein (NPR)
The River City Tanlines (the name being a play on the concept of a “farmer tan”) is a three-piece rock band from Memphis, TN.
Alicja Trout, the principle songwriter, is a veteran of countless noteworthy punk/indie bands over the years, including The Clears (Smells Like Records), The Lost Sounds (In the Red Records, Fat Possum) and her other current projects, Alicja-pop, MouseRocket and Black Sunday. Likewise, the powerful rhythm section of Terrence Bishop and John Bonds are no strangers to success, having played together behind such names as Jack Oblivian, R.L. Burnside, Jim Dandy & Black Oak Arkansas, and Monsieur Jeffrey Evans.
In 2009 the Tanlines appeared in Craig Brewer’s (Hustle and Flow, Black Snake Moan) web-series (and soundtrack) for MTV, Five Dollar Cover, and performed “I’m Your Negative” in a rollerderby fight scene. They also have a song (“Black Knight,” a crowd favorite at live shows) featured in the EA Sports video game Skate.
Together since late 2004, the band has toured extensively in North America and Europe playing clubs and festivals, and has ten releases on various record labels around the world. Their album I’m Your Negative was released in 2006 by Dirtnap Records out of Portland, OR.
A new album is due this July on Big Legal Mess. The band has been recording at Bruce Watson’s Dial Back Sound Studios in Water Valley, MS with engineer Lynn Bridges. They will tour Europe again this October, 2012.