Media Assets

THE RIFTERS

Celebrating the release of The Enchanted World, their 7^th album released on April 28, 2023

through Howlin’ Dog Records 

The Enchanted World, on Howlin' Dog Records is the seventh album release from the northern New Mexico based trio the Rifters. The Rifters are known across the Southwest and beyond for their “Southwestern Americana”  rhythmic acoustic-based music, featuring superb musicianship and soaring harmonies, reflecting the high desert land of mountains, mesas, valleys and canyons they call home.

The album features 14 songs, 10 of which are originals or co-writes. Seversl of the songs in The Enchanted World are an homage to the ranching and western life, with all of its idiosyncrasies and challenges, and the glory of the landscape of the ranching west. Along the way the journey explores many issues of finding our way through our lives and our days, such as the challenges of maturity, environmental awareness and just paying the bills. Through it all runs a thread of wonder and gratitude for this amazing, enchanted world we are all so fortunate to inhabit.

The journey begins with “The Circle”, a tribute to the ranching life, sung by Rod, whose 40 years as a working cowboy give him a particularly rich place from which to deliver this message. Then we move on to “The Greatest Mystery”, written by Rifter friend and Lubbock-based writer Andy Wilkinson -  an exquisite treatment of the harmony and wonder we find in the rangeland and the natural world. Next we are into “The Enchanted World”, a song that speaks of the power we have to choose the way we look at things. But life's kind of complicated, you know, and “The Perfect Dance” speaks of the challenge of balancing it all and making things work in our daily lives. And speaking of challenges, “It's Cause You Lived” is a mostly autobiographical exploration of making our way through “maturity”, and the changes that it brings.

The Rifters were honored to be part of their friend Eliza Gilkyson's stellar 2022 release “Songs From the River Wind”, produced by Don and featuring the Rifters on harmony vocals. They felt like “At the Foot of the Mountain”, a co-write with Eliza and John Gorka, made a perfect Rifters song and so included it on this collection. And speaking of co-writes, Rod teamed up with his friend and great cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell for “The Dollar Worth of Mother Earth”, a powerful environmental message about taking care of our only home. “Tres Pies” (three feet) is Don's story of an old friend's three-legged dog, who always inspired Don by his relentlessly joyous embrace of life, regardless of hardships or challenges. “The Wonder of You” speaks of the realization that nothing in this world can touch the beauty of our dear loved ones and partners, and features Don's brother Diamond Jim Richmond on pedal steel.

“Nothing Is Free” is a song from the Colorado duo Moors and McCumber that Jim ran across and thought would be a fun Rifters romp, featuring Jim on lead vocal and two different basses. The old classic “That Lucky Old Sun” fell out of Rod's dusty mental basement of old songs one day in the studio while the band was talking about possible tunes, and thankfully the “tape” was running, and that was the take! “So Many Different Things” sort of sums up all the multiplicity of things we all go through, that sometimes pop out as songs, and features Eliza Gilkyson on harmony vocal, Diamond Jim on fiddle, and Michael Hearne on lead guitar. Next is “The Rail” a dark exploration of what causes people to want to exit this world, in this case via the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge west of Taos, and is given in the hope that those in that place can find their way back to the light. Like to a place where it's all just “Gentle on My Mind” - the John Hartford classic, featuring Hot Rize banjoist Pete Wernick and Michael Hearne on lead guitar.

The Rifters hope you enjoy the grand journey through The Enchanted World!

For tour dates and more, go to https://rifters.net

Press and Radio Promotion - Adam Dawson, Broken Jukebox Music, brokenjukeboxmedia@gmail.com (740) 409-0567

Tracklist:
1. The Circle

2. The Greatest Mystery

3. The Enchanted World

4. The Perfect Dance

5. It's Cause You Lived

6. At the Foot of the Mountain

7. The Dollar Worth of Mother Earth

8. Tres Pies

9. The Wonder of You

10. Nothing is Free

11. That Lucky Old Sun

12. So Many Different Things

13. At the Rail

14. Gentle on My Mind

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