Rivals of the Peacemaker
Chicago, Illinois, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | SELF
Music
Press
“Alex Watson has managed to put together a tight quintet capable of switching from classic country and roadhouse blues to straight ahead rock and even bits of metal. The high-energy Lollapalooza set was a perfect start to the day. Their songs sound like they’re in it for the long haul; you can see for yourself at their record release party August 8 at Empty Bottle”. - Chuck Sudo - Chicagoist
Chicago duo RIVALS OF THE PEACEMAKER have become known for the sweet, sultry bluegrass and Americana tuneage found on their debut LP, full of rowdy and romantic layers of lap steel, harmonica, banjo, mandolin and more. ” - Locaside Chicago
“Chicago's Rivals of the Peacemaker: the soundtrack to a south-set movie's bar slow dance, fight and ensuing police chase” -Matt Pais
- Chicago Tribune Red Eye
The music line-ups at The Grove stage were, for the most part, as perfectly booked as the DJs at Perry’s Stage all weekend. Sunday’s festivities kicked off with a rollicking half-hour set from local act Rivals of the Peacemaker. Doug and Alex Watson have managed to put together a tight quintet capable of switching from classic country and roadhouse blues to straight ahead rock and even bits of metal. The high-energy set was a perfect start to the day. Their songs sound like they’re in it for the long haul; you can see for yourself at their record release party August 8 at Empty Bottle. - Chuck Sudo
- Chicagoist
The music line-ups at The Grove stage were, for the most part, as perfectly booked as the DJs at Perry’s Stage all weekend. Sunday’s festivities kicked off with a rollicking half-hour set from local act Rivals of the Peacemaker. Doug and Alex Watson have managed to put together a tight quintet capable of switching from classic country and roadhouse blues to straight ahead rock and even bits of metal. The high-energy set was a perfect start to the day. Their songs sound like they’re in it for the long haul; you can see for yourself at their record release party August 8 at Empty Bottle. - Chuck Sudo
- Chicagoist
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Jeff O’Connor (Bakelite Army, plenty of others) is returning to Racine with his Bakelite Buddy Derek Crawford in a wickedly awesome band called Rivals of the Peacemaker. The rocked up outlaw country, Americana band is sure to slay audiences with even the tiniest smidge of good taste. Tight rythms, kick-ass leads, deep grooves, well-crafted lyrics and awesome vocals are the band’s calling cards. Need anything else? No, didn’t think so. Come on out, grab a beer and wipe that drool son.
- Scene262
**Live Radio broadcast of "I'm Gone", "Break My Heart", Day After The Rapture", "Not Dead Yet", "Let Me Go" and "Loser" - WLUW
**Live Radio broadcast of "I'm Gone", "Break My Heart", Day After The Rapture", "Not Dead Yet", "Let Me Go" and "Loser" - WLUW
Get Off The Couch series with Chicago songsters Jennifer Hall, and Rivals of the Peacemaker - Chicago Red Eye
Mention - The Onion, A.V. Club
"There’s no doubt that the Chicago duo will impress with their sweet, sultry Americana tuneage on a warm summer night. So, grab a drink, get a good spot up front and take a load off..."
-Richard Giraldi, Loud Loop Press - Loud Loop Press
Discography
Rivals Of the Peacemaker EP (2010)
Rivals of the Peacemaker LP (2013)
Photos
Bio
“Dark Folk and Americana from Chicago singer-songwriter
Alex Pataky of Rivals of the Peacemaker- a stark, intimate mesh of top-notch
songwriting and evocative vocals”
Americana music is built on stories and sometimes they take surprising turns, as in the case of singer-songwriter Alexandrea Pataky in fact, music wasn't the original destination at all. At first, the stories she told we're on paper - illustrations and printmaking, and then finding a niche as a scientific illustrator, telling the stories of landscapes and creatures with pen and ink, rather than guitars. She learned the ropes as a printmaker at Chicago's iconic Screwball Press poster shop making gig posters for other peoples bands, writing poems and snips of songs here and there. Restless with rock posters and in a dry spell for illustration work, Pataky picked up the guitar, mostly as a distraction.
“I
always loved lyrics. I had no
illustration work at the time, it was the dead of winter, and my brother left
me his guitar when he moved to California.” So she started writing, eventually
forming Rivals of the Peacemaker with ex-husband Billy Watson and guitarist
Anthony Rubino. The band released an EP
with those first songs, and started working up a fuller sound, bringing in a
rhythm section and friends on lap steel, violin, and banjo, drawing on the
classic country influences, and coming together on a shared
love of lush harmonies.
The
band funded a successful kickstarter to create the full-length self-titled LP
and Art Print series that attracted enough attention for a Red Bull sponsored
series of videos, a summer tour, and sets at Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago,
and CBGB Fest, culminating in a vinyl release show and an exhibit of the art prints.
The focus
on a visual art element has changed some of the ways Pataky is looking at
fronting a band – creating a dual identity for Rivals: Slimmed down to a duo,
they create a ‘stark, intimate mesh of top-notch songwriting and evocative
vocals; with the full band they craft soaring ballads and fiery, ramshackle
stompers.’ Look for The Rivals LP, Art Print series, and upcoming live dates.
Band Members
Links
