Rik Reese & Neon Highway

Artist Information

Biography

“Rik Reese & Neon Highway are the KISS of country music and Reese is a well polished force to reckon with. He strikes me as the Paul Stanley of country/rock”—Jeff Liberty, JLArtists.com

"The rest of Canada has to see these guys live"-Debbie Wood, Publicist(Michelle Wright)

---->Noted for their live performance, Canadian Country Rockers Rik Reese & Neon Highway release their second national single entitled, Headin' Down to Memphis. The single is currently charting at Canadian Country radio with airplay in the Number #1 / Top 5 positions at various stations. Nominated for a 2010 Country Recording of the Year by the East Coast Music Association for the critically acclaimed album entitled Mama Raised a Good Boy, the album also makes list of Top Canadian Country albums of the Decade by Canadian Country Music News. The band has opened for Toby Keith, Eric Church, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, The Kentucky Headhunters, Little Texas, Nazareth, Blue Rodeo, George Canyon, Julian Austin, Lennie Gallant, Matt Minglewood to name a few. High energy and crowd pleasing, Rik Reese & Neon Highway bring festival goers to their feet and is one electric country act not to be missed. www.rikreese.com

RECENT NEWS:

--selected to open for ALABAMA Cavendish, PEI, July 7

Nominated for 2011 Music New Brunswick Award for Video of the Year.
RR&NH to open for Big & Rich/Gretchen Wilson--Aug 20, 2011--Caribou, Maine USA.

RR&NH to open for Doc Walker/Tara Oram--Bridgewater, NS-July 29/30, 2011 (www.thebigex.com)

Band chosen to return to Cavendish Beach Fest for a Main Stage performance with Toby Keith, Eric Church, Chad Brownlee, The Stellas. (www.cavendishbeachfest.com)

RR&NH to appear on national variety/talk show--The Candy Show. Air fall 2011 on APTN (www.thecandyshow.com)
"Rik was so high energy he set The Candy Show audience on fire"--Candy Palmater

Single, Headin Down to Memphis, TOP CANADIAN single for 2010 on CJSE Country 89.5 Top 89 Year end countdown.

Rising Star Showcase: Band chosen for a performance on the East Coast Music Assoc 2011 Rising Star Showcase stage in Charlottetown, PEI--April 2011.

Single, Headin Down to Memphis, selected on Top Picks of the week with Johnny Ried by the CCMIA(Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations)--National Post. http://www.nationalpost.com/theplaylist/index.html

Double Music New Brunswick nominations:
Two more nominations for the critically acclaimed album, Mama Raised a Good Boy
2010 Music New Brunswick Nominee: Group Recording of the Year
2010 Music New Brunswick Nominee: Country Recording of the Year

Band will showcase on Music New Brunswick Mainstage at Empress Theatre-Moncton, NB

Rik Reese & Neon Highway win for top Canadian video in response to a North American wide contest sponsored by Sennheiser. The contest called for entries to demonstrate their appreciation of quality sound and products and how they would allocate the winnings. After much deliberation, video submission by Rik Reese & NH was chosen as the top Canadian submission and second overall for North America. The band now exclusively uses Sennheiser microphone products.

Cavendish, PEI: Rik Reese & band rock the crowd with three performances at this year's Cavendish Beach Festival.

Canadian Country Rockers, Rik Reese & Neon Highway certainly know how to rock a crowd. Proof of that is in them recently being selected to open for Legendary Scottish Rockers, NAZARETH (Woodstock, Carleton Arena)

Rik Reese & Neon Highway selected to open for Nashville Hitmaker, Little Texas (Moncton, NB)

2010 ECMA 'Country Album of the Year' nominee for album entitled, Mama Raised a Good Boy,

"This Top 12 Canadian Country album should put Rik Reese & Neon Highway in the National Spotlight"
Larry Delaney, Country Music News

"This album by Rik Reese is like a Music filled Treasure chest, not trying to copy but rather create a refreshing mix of music with out any compromise."- Max

Instrumentation

Ben Melanson - Drums - percussion
Jock Downs - Lead Guitar / Mandolin / Vocals
Shaky White - Vocals, Bass

Discography

2011 Music New Brunswick Nominee: Video of the Year
2010 East Coast Music Association--Country Album of the Year Nominee
2010 Music New Brunswick Nominee: Group Recording of the Year
2010 Music New Brunswick Nominee: Country Recording of the Year
--Top 12 Canadian Country albums of the year by Country Music News!!

Nationally released singles:
MAMA RAISED A GOOD BOY:
HEADIN' DOWN TO MEMPHIS:

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Reverb Nation

Audio

• Headin' Down to Memphis
  Listen  
• Ain't Lookin' For Me
  Listen  
• Mama Raised a Good Boy
  Listen  
• Old Spice 'er Gun Powder
  Listen  
• Old Black Train
  Listen  
• Reasons
  Listen  
• Strong Enough
  Listen  
• Just My Luck
  Listen  
• All For Me
  Listen  
• Long White Line
  Listen  
• Someday (I Will Be)
  Listen  
• NEW Rik Reese & NH Radio Highlights
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Headin' Down To Memphis
• Ain't Lookin' For Me
• Old Spice 'er Gun Powder
• Old Black Train
• Reasons
• Strong Enough

Video

ALL FOR ME - Rik Reese & Neon Highway.mp4

Photo Gallery

Press

• The KISS of Country Music [+ Show ]
  

  "Country rockers Rik Reese and Neon Highway put on a very high-energy performance with songs that re..."Country rockers Rik Reese and Neon Highway put on a very high-energy performance with songs that really brought the crowd to life. Rik and the band are the KISS of country music in my books... and that is a huge compliment!
  Rik Reese is a well polished force to reckon with. He strikes me as the Paul Stanley of country/rock."--Jeff Liberty. JLArtists.com

• 2009 N1H1 Breakout Pays Off [+ Show ]
  

  Looking back at 2009, one of the big stories was the N1H1 breakout- Neon Highway that is. Rik Reese ...Looking back at 2009, one of the big stories was the N1H1 breakout- Neon Highway that is. Rik Reese and the band worked hard and it paid off. Back in February, the guys headed off to Newfoundland for the East Coast Music Awards in Corner Brook. They were selected for two showcase stages, the ECMA Discovery Stage and the Music NB Stage. As soon as they finished their performance on the Discovery Stage, they were approached by a promoter from the United Kingdom. They were invited to perform in Northern Ireland for a Canada Day Festival in Belfast. Reese told me the plans are in the final stages and they are scheduled to be there for two weeks in June and July 2010.
  
  Also while at the ECMA's, someone put them in touch with a publicist who worked with country star Michelle Wright. Reese used the connection, which led to the release of their current album's title track "Mama Raised a Good Boy" as a single nationally. The song also received airplay in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Australia and Japan.
  
  The country airplay in Canada led to more band profiles, such as on CBC in Halifax, where they were featured on the same program as Matt Minglewood.
  
  "Quite an honour for me as Minglewood was the first concert I attended as a youngster," said Reese.
  
  Over the summer they played the festival circuit and were an opening act for Blue Rodeo, George Canyon, Lennie Gallant, Steve Waylon, 1755, their buddies The Divorcees and Matt Minglewood twice. They also recently supported Melanie Morgan at her CD launch in Moncton at the Capitol Theatre.
  
  Neon Highway also picked up great press reviews in print and online. Canada's Country Music News, the U.K's Maverick Magazine and www.theseriousbusiness.ca were some of the places giving great reviews.
  
  "Having heard many Canadian artist before, Rik Reese has to be one of the best emerging from our Commonwealth neighbour," said one U.K magazine. Reese has been compared to Travis Tritt and to Waylon Jennings in Saskatchewan's Yorkton This Week.
  
  When the ECMA nominations were recently announced, "Mama Raised a Good Boy" was among the Country Recording of the Year nominees. They have also been chosen for a performance spot on the ECMA "Export Ready" International Stage.
  
  "The band and I are extremely looking forward to attending the ECMA's this year in Sydney, Nova Scotia," wrote Reese in an e-mail. "Ten years ago, I remember sitting in my small basement apartment in Ontario while attending university and watching the ECMA's. Watching them made me homesick, but often made me think and say 'what if?'. Now fast forward a decade and March 2010 will find the band and I sitting in the audience as a nominee, and with any luck, a trip home with the ECMA hardware, which will signal one thing- hurry home and get to work on album number two."
  
  The first week of January will see the guys off to Ontario to sign a management deal they have been working on.
  
  Copies of "Mama Raised a Good Boy" are available at Franks' Music in Moncton and at www.neonhighwayband.com or www.iTunes.com.

• Reese has Element of Waylon Jennings [+ Show ]
  

  Rik Reese is something of a country music throwback, and that is a good thing. When I first listene...Rik Reese is something of a country music throwback, and that is a good thing.
  When I first listened to Mama Raised a Good Boy I was thinking how much of the music would have fit nicely on a country CD from around the time of Dukes of Hazzard, the TV show, not the junky movie. The CD’s title cut would be a good alternate theme song for that good ole series.
  Certainly Long White Line would have fit in on the soundtrack of a show such as Movin’ On from the mid-1970s.
  There was more of a true country soul to country music back then, and Reese and his band generally manage to recapture that spirit.
  There is certainly an element of Waylon in Rik Reese, and I would be amazed if the good old country boy isn’t one of this Maritimer’s influences. Yes I did say Maritimes, the band comes out of New Brunswick, proving country comes from a state-of-mind, not a postal code.
  There isn’t much here not to like. Reese can sing, and the music is a nice mix. There are the upbeat fun cuts; Ain’t Lookin’ For Me and Headin’ Down to Memphis, which you want to turn up the volume on as you cruise the highway.
  They can also slow it down. Old Black Train is the best cut on the disk.
  All For Me slows things down as well, and really has the Waylon going on.
  Just My Luck is a definite radio hit cut too.
  A very good country disk, well worth searching out.
  Check the disk out at www.neonhighwayband.com
  -- CALVIN DANIELS

• Demonstrating a Legend in the Making (UK) [+ Show ]
  

  "Having heard many Canadian bands and solo artists before, this has to be one of the best emerging ..."Having heard many Canadian bands and solo artists before, this has to be one of the best
  emerging from our Commonwealth
  neighbour."--Russell Hill(Maverick Magazine)
  
  Upon initially hearing this album
  without having read any information
  about Rik, I thought this album
  consisted of tracks written by other
  people. But, to my own and probably
  other's amazement, this eleven track
  album is one which was entirely self penned
  by Rik. Now, there are many
  artists out there who write both the
  lyrics and music but often to not a
  very high standard. Here, that is not
  the case. To say this guy has talent
  pouring out of his ears would be an
  understatement.
  With its enticing opening that
  then seems to explode right before
  your very ears, Long White Line
  contains simply outrageous electric
  guitar playing with vocals that more
  than hold themselves against this
  musical detonation and damn right
  awesomeness. Old Spice 'Er Gun
  Powder also has a great opening and
  the potential to become a driving
  song legend. Cruising along one of
  those American highways, the type
  that never seems to end, whilst this
  song being played in the background
  with your sunglasses reflecting the
  Mid West glaze certainly sounds like
  this reviewer's idea of bliss. With
  its Kiss undertones, you can just
  imagine the efforts of Gene Simmons
  being a part of this track due to the
  gradual build up on electric guitar
  normally associated with his work. It
  has an almost romantic sound to it
  which makes you want to raise that
  lighter in the air and sway from side
  to side with your best girl by your
  side. Probably the best track of the
  album is Headin' Down to Memphis
  due to its Alan Jackson sound that
  has something extra which I just
  can't quite put my finger on; a sense
  of excellence I suppose. The piano
  and guitar playing act as though
  a musical duel is happening, with
  those responsible for producing such
  sounds knowing that only one of
  them will emerge victorious. Such
  musical injections hardly happen here
  in the UK on the so-called pop music
  charts, and this reviewer certainly
  looks on with envious ears when
  hearing such tracks being released
  in Canada.
  This being his first album, such
  material has the potential to go on
  to even better things. Having heard
  many Canadian bands and solo artists
  before, this has to be one of the best
  emerging from our Commonwealth
  neighbour. Roll on the next album.
  Russell Hill
  
  

• Neon Highway on Fast Track to Success [+ Show ]
  

  Rik Reese and his band Neon Highway are taking major steps down the road to Canadian country music s...Rik Reese and his band Neon Highway are taking major steps down the road to Canadian country music success this week.
  
  The hard workin', hard rockin' country outfit from Moncton has built both a solid reputation and an ever increasing fan base on the strength of their high energy live shows.
  
  Last year Reese and his band launched their debut CD Mama Raised a Good Boy and set out to make waves in the regional country music scene.
  
  The disc was received with critical acclaim by both regional and national media outlets.
  
  Influential trade publication Country Music News named it among the top 12 Canadian country records of the year.
  
  Reese's hard work and business smarts have paid off since releasing the record.
  
  They have become a strong live draw across the region and by networking with some of the industry's top insiders at events like the East Coast Music Awards they have made the necessary connections to take the band to the next plateau.
  
  This week Rik Reese and Neon Highway go national when they release their debut single to country music radio stations across Canada.
  
  It's a milestone moment for the band, brought about by making the right connections at this year's ECMAs.
  
  "We did do a lot of networking at the East Coast Music Awards and we met the right people for sure," Reese explains over the phone from his Moncton home, but adds that it's not all too different from working a bar gig.
  
  After a show Reese traditionally walks about the room shaking hands and making conversation with patrons.
  
  The difference here is that at the ECMAs, those patrons have connections.
  
  "We met up with Deb Wood, she's (Canadian country music superstar) Michelle Wright's publicist.
  
  She had asked us to send some information and CDs and she'd have a listen and let us know if she was interested."
  
  With CDs in the mail, Reese waited to hear from Wood, whose experience and connections can be instrumental in taking his group further up the food chain.
  
  He wasn't prepared for the call that was to follow some time later.
  
  "I picked up the phone one day and she was on the phone telling me how many times that she listened to the record cover-to-cover and let me know that she was very interested in working with us.
  
  "Right away she said to lead with the title track for our lead single and that she thought there was potential for five or six singles on the record.
  
  "Since then, things have been in high gear."
  
  High gear indeed as Wood has helped Reese get his music in front of influential radio station programmers in preparation for this week's nationwide release.
  
  Together they are working a plan to make Neon Highway a national commodity, perhaps international. "At the ECMAs we just had a lot of luck bumping into people with the right connections.
  
  "We had just walked off the stage at a showcase gig and a man walked right up to me, stuck his hand out and with the biggest accent I'd ever heard said 'Boys, have you even thought of playing in Ireland?'
  
  "Now we've got our visas and passports just about ready and there's a very strong possibility that we'll be playing a small tour of the U.K. and Ireland in the summer."
  
  While the band has been picking up speed, some recent personnel changes have helped the band toughen up it's sound, earning Neon Highway it's notoriety for playing "untamed country."
  
  Drummer Wayne Gallant and guitarist Jim Messer (yes, of Don Messer lineage) have helped Reese work a rockier sound that has earned the group comparisons to country music in the style of Travis Tritt.
  
  Launching a Canada-wide single and making connections to further his musical dreams have Reese excited about things to come.
  
  However, he maintains that the main focus for Neon Highway is to build on the group's reputation as the best live act around and there will be plenty of opportunities for fans to judge for themselves.
  
  Festival promoters have been calling to book the group for several high profile (and high paying) festival gigs and bar owners are bringing them back time and time again because they keep bringing the crowds into their venues.
  
  Reese notes that he's starting to notice the same people at a Moncton show and a week later in Miramichi, a testament to a loyal fan base.
  
  In the past year they have worked with such high profile names as the Kentucky Headhunters and east coast legend Matt Minglewood.
  
  They will also be sharing the stage with Minglewood at upcoming shows this summer as well as landing an opening slot for Blue Rodeo in Miramichi later this year.
  
  While the road ahead may lead Reese and his bandmates to country music glory, he's keeping his nose to the grindstone by working on material for a follow-up disc and striving to put on the best live show he's capable of producing for his fans.
  
  "Hey, if we're not changing our shirts after each set then we're not working hard enough."
  
  For more on Rik Reese and Neon Highway visit their website at www.neonhighwayband.com.
  
  If your New Brunswick based act, event or venue would like to be featured in this column, please email the columnist at: oneyearofnbmusic@yahoo.ca

• Sailing Away to ECMA [+ Show ]
  

  Many bands hit the road to promote their latest album but Rik Reese and Neon Highway are hitting the...Many bands hit the road to promote their latest album but Rik Reese and Neon Highway are hitting the open sea. The band is taking the ferry to Newfoundland to attend the East Coast Music Awards in Cornerbrook.
  "Everyone's going to be there," Reese says of the upcoming boat ride. "It'll be one big party".
  He said many of the musicians are travelling on the same buses. The band decided to apply for a showcase appearance after getting good reviews for their debut CD in publications such as Country Music News. They submitted a CD and portfolio and were accepted for the showcase. They have been chose to represent their home province in the MusicNB showcase.
  The journey to Cornerbrook started when Reese was six years old and was given a guitar in his home town of Campbellton. The first song he learned to play was the rock classic "Smoke on the Water".
  "Dad only knew two chords," Reese joked of his early guitar lessons. By 15 he was invited to play gigs with bands, but had to have his parents sign permission slips because he was to young to be in a bar.
  "You learn your first few chords, you think it's a good idea to write a song." said Reese. His early attempts at song writing were centered around girls and he admits those first few songs weren't great. His song writing has developed to the point where all the tracks on "Mama Raised A Good Boy" are originals. Recorded in New Brunswick with Reese and Claude Melanson producing, with mastering work done in Nashville, the CD tracks have been featured on Moncton XL 96 during the Sunday night East Coast Country program. The CD was also profiled on CBC. The first single was Old Spice 'er Gun Powder, which netted them chart action on the CanCountry top 100.
  
  Reese was playing bars with a friend who decided to get out of the music scene. He hooked up with a band through a classified ad in 2003 and the present line-up in Neon Highway evolved from that time. The current roster is: Reese on lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitar and fiddle, Pete King on bass and vocals; Wayne Gallant on drums and vocals and Jim Messer on lead guitar and vocals. Yes, his family is related to Don Messer.
  Working hard to make a name for themselves, the guys were finalists in the 2007 Best New Country Band for Atlantic Canada. They have opened for Julian Austin, Matt Minglewood and Grammy Award winners The Kentucky Headhunters. Showmanship is important to the group.
  "I'm a big fan of Kiss because of the theatrics," said Reese. The group's performances have included Reese cutting an acoustic guitar in two with a chainsaw, which he said led to many remembering the show and recognizing him later.
  It was Dwight Yoakam who attracted him to country music and he's been compared vocally to Travis Tritt in Country Music News. Neon Highway hooked up with a promoter from Nashville and plans to saturate the Maritimes after the ECMA's, working out of their base in Moncton to build the bands reputation. The band is preparing for another CD already with Reese and Gallant both writing.
  Their next trip to the ECMA's could be as nominees.
  They sell their CD at live shows, at Frank's Music in Moncton and from their website
  www.neonhighwayband.com . The website features links to MySpace and ReverbNation where you can hear clips from party-meets-country songs.

• Neon Highway selected for '09 ECMA stage [+ Show ]
  

  Rik Reese & Neon Highway selected for a performance spot on the East Coast Music Award Discovery Sta...Rik Reese & Neon Highway selected for a performance spot on the East Coast Music Award Discovery Stage in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland--Feb '09. Since the release of his album in June '08, entitled Mama Raised a Good Boy, Rik and his band have opened for The Kentucky Headhunters, Julian Austin, Matt Minglewood, & The Carson Downey Band. This recent ECMA news adds to the progress that Rik Reese & Neon Highway have been working towards. (Campbellton, New Brunswick Canada--Dec 2008)

Setlist

A heapin' helpin' tunes from the album mixed with our versions of crowd pleasin', drivin' country/rock tunes.
We play to entertain!

Basic Requirements

Calendar