River City Gang Stages Music City Showcase: March 24 at 12th & Porter

(Nashville, TN – Mar. 19, 2009) Richmond, Virginia’s River City Gang will make their Nashville debut next week when they play an industry showcase event at 12th & Porter on Tuesday, March 24 at 5:30 p.m.

the town online movie

Led by former major label recording artist Kyle Davis and BMI award-winning songwriter Brian Friedman, River City Gang is a brand new band built on veteran musicianship. The group played their first show together less than three months ago in front of thousands as the opening act for Lynyrd Skynyrd in Norfolk, Va.

“Our first show, opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd – does it get any cooler?” says Friedman. “The crowd response was great, and to be accepted by Skynyrd fans is an honor in and of itself. We couldn’t have asked for a better way start 2009 and River City Gang’s touring career.”

River City Gang began in 2007 when Friedman needed a vocalist for several tracks he had written to pitch to Rascal Flatts. After Davis cut the vocal tracks, the finished mixes impressed the pair so much that they decided to keep the songs for themselves, which eventually formed the foundation of their self-released debut CD, simply titled Volume One.

“When we began writing and recording we had to get past the fact that we have totally different writing styles and influences,” says Davis. “I’m first and foremost a singer-songwriter, while Brian comes from a rock background. We don’t always arrive at our destination the same way, but when we both love something musically, that’s really the key to River City Gang – honesty.”

After releasing albums on a pair of independent labels, Davis was signed by legendary producer Phil Ramone before releasing the single “God Love Me” on Universal in 2003. Prior to forming River City Gang with Friedman, Davis spent the last several years producing his own material and writing music for television programs.

Guitarist and vocalist Brian Friedman has worked for more than ten years as a music editor and consultant in Los Angeles on numerous feature films, including “Coyote Ugly,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “The Replacements,” “Romeo Must Die” and “Not Another Teen Movie.” He also wrote the theme songs for MTV’s “Punk’d” and “The Real World” series.

Since 2007, both men have focused their energy on honing the River City Gang sound.

“Our music is song-driven modern country, what we call Virginia Rock. It’s about life experiences,” says Friedman. “I grew up with old school country music being played in my parent’s little general store in Richmond. I’ve watched two-lane byways turn into eight-lane highways. We write about what we know and what we’ve experienced. It’s about reality – the good and the bad. That’s the truth.”