Rich Ferri & the Wealth on the Water

Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water have been a traveling band for the latter half of 2012. Their goal was to show off the band's live skills while filming some of Rhode Island's most beautiful places. They recorded everywhere from Brown University's Quad, to Fort Wetherill in Jamestown, to the Mishnock Barn in West Greenwich. Check out the entire series to see the great scenes accompanied by Ferri's best work to date. All the songs (except Fever) come from Ferri's latest release, The Last One Out Of This Town. These versions showcase the band's passion, while also being much more raw, and less polished than the studio release. Below you'll find the audio bootlegs to all the videos in the series.

All the music videos were filmed and edited by Jarret Blinkhorn of JB Horn Film. JB Horn Film shoots wedding videos, short films, music videos, and anything else that he might find interesting. Be sure to check out his stellar portfolio! Some filming and audio recording was done by Jon Stenning of Jon and Friends. Jon and Friends is a podcast network featuring shows such as ''I Need Help,'' ''Mediocre Minute News,'' and more.

Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water is Rich Ferri, Mike Murdock, and Denis Murray. Be Sure to check them out at their upcoming shows!


Artwork by Rich Ferri
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water Live in RI

Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - The Long Way Back (Live At Prospect Park)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - Parallel Lines (Live At Waterplace Park)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - Good Men Look Like Me (Live At Elmwood Mills)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - The Remnants of a Novel (Live At Brown University)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - Salt of the Earth (Live At Kingston Free Library)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - Weak Bones (Live At 186 Carpenter Street)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - Rotten Soul (Live At Courthouse Tower)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - Catacombs (Live At Hopkins Hollow Cemetary)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - Bruises and Tattoos (Live At Fort Wetherill)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - He, The Greatest Deceiver (Live At Mishnock Barn)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - When It's My Turn To Go (Live At Liberty Elm Diner)
Rich Ferri and the Wealth on the Water - Fever (Maps & Atlases Cover) (Live At Murdock Drum Studios)

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Find other Rich Ferri posts on the Band Page - Justin Kerrins

On Halloween night at AS220 in downtown Providence, folk music ruled the stage that was a treat to the costume adorned masses. The Sugar Honey Iced Tea, Kristen Ford, Rich Ferri & The Wealth On The Water and The Crazy Exes From Hell brought some fantastic tunes that provided a marvelous experience on an evening where people were dressed up and ready to party. Good vibes and visual delights highlighted the Halloween festivities for a night that was simply a treasure.

Rich Ferri & The Wealth on The Water were up next with their infectious folk-rock sounds that had everybody cutting a rug on the hardwood floor. "The Long Way Back", "The Remnants Of A Novel", "Parallel Lines", "When It's My Turn To Go", "Good Old-Fashioned Greed", "Catacombs", "He, The Greatest Deceiver" and "Good Men Look Like Me". Rich and the boys have an album out called The Last One Out Of This Town along with a music video that goes with each track off of it at www.richferri.com, a very unique approach to a spectacular piece of music.
- Rob Duguay

Rich Ferri is a likeable guy. Even having never met him, there’s no mistaking it. Watch his video for “The Long Way Back.” Try not to like him. You can hear it from the very first line of his album The Last One Out of This Town, too.
My overall rating for this album is 7 out of 10.
The first song is short, sweet, and to-the-point. My first impressions of the album were made up of images of Americana and traveling. A journey of self-discovery. A journey to get out. This imagery comes from lazy listening. It’s an enjoyable listen.
Upon further inspection, the feelings I initially got held true. The lyrics add depth to and elaborate on these themes. It’s more of an inner journey than it would appear if focus was limited to the melody. This journey also includes a critical analysis of American culture. The value we place on war, the fruitlessness of the war in the Middle East. Personal issues too, like grappling with individual religious beliefs while facing the hollowness of organized religion. These subjects were unexpected for me, but interestingly enough, he manages to tangle your typical (but still valid) love story and the other ideas together effectively.
What this album gives is a portrait of someone’s life. His life in a small town and all the people connected to it. It’s more far-reaching and less selfish than an album all about one particular love life.
The best songs on the album are multi-layered. There’s the more obvious storyline paired with tiers of emotive imagery. You can relate to these songs. For example, everyone can relate to feeling completely lost like the story Ferri paints in “Catacombs.” The image of catacombs was a particularly clever and evocative one to pick. It awakens ideas about death that are also tinged with intrigue and mystery.
A few times, however, the imagery falls flat. This becomes a problem in a few lines of songs like “The Long Way Back” (which I otherwise love) and “Catacombs” (ditto). But sadly, “In classic cars on open roads…” just doesn’t do it for me.
These specifics only come from a careful listening, with the words right in front of my face. Not all of the lyrics stand out on their own. The overpowering message comes from the heart behind Ferri’s voice and the instrument choice- in most songs, Ferri’s lone guitar. This is a neutral comment, depending of if you like melody or lyrics better.
The instrumentation and vocals are varied so it doesn’t get boring either. Ferri incorporates other sounds to accompany his guitar: drums, another guitar, an extra vocalist. Even a mandolin on one track. He wisely chooses which songs to use to bring in these variations.

Photo by Payam Fahr
Thanks to this, Ferri is not a one hit wonder. I could picture myself putting this on in the car and listening to the CD all the way through.
Having said that, he doesn’t have a voice I could listen to for more than one round. It feels right for folk. It works great for several of his songs. But the raspy quality rings monotonously in my ears after about twenty minutes of uninterrupted listening. Maybe this comes from my preference for female folk singers. Unfortunately, in a few songs, his voice almost reminds me of a more generic rock singer.
The best (or worst) example of this is “Bruises and Tattoos.” Neither the words nor his approach to the topic of an abusive relationship are impressive. It sounded mainstream, ordinary, and expected. Also, the repetition was unnecessary. The repetition was unnecessary. See my point?
My favorite song off the album is “He, The Great Deceiver.” For lyrics people, it tells us something essential about the human condition. For melody people, it runs with unexpected twists and turns in the melody, the instrumentation, which influences the force behind the lyrics. Kind of like driving too fast on a windy, hilly road. The guitar strums and well-placed pauses make you feel like a part of the tangible ups and downs. It’s exhilarating. Your heart might skip a beat.
Overall, what Rich Ferri sometimes lacks for in strength of vocals, he makes up for in affect. It’s only those few songs I have a problem with. He succeeds at displaying thoughtful themes, clever lyrics, and a decent vocabulary without sounding pretentious. Most importantly, the feeling and the story are there consistently throughout the entirety of The Last One Out of This Town. Isn’t that what folk is all about? - Mackenzie Schroth