River Whyless Explained

Background:	group_or_band
River Whyless
Origin:	Asheville
Genre:	Folk rock
Years Active:	2012–present
Current Members:	Ryan O'Keefe Halli Anderson Daniel Shearin Alex McWalters

River Whyless is an American folk rock band from Asheville, North Carolina.^[1]

History

Daniel Shearin, Ryan O'Keefe, Halli Anderson, and Alex McWalters met as students at Appalachian State University. McWalters said that they considered moving to Austin, Nashville, New York, or Los Angeles, but chose eventually chose Asheville, North Carolina.^{[2] [3]} O'Keefe, Anderson, and McWalters were already performing in a band when Shearin joined them in 2012.

River Whyless released their first full-length album, titled A Stone, a Leaf, an Unfound Door, in 2012. They followed that by releasing a self-titled EP in 2015.^{[4] [5]} In 2016, the band released their second full-length album, titled We All the Light, via Roll Call Records.^{[6] [7] [8] [9]}

River Whyless released their third studio album, Kindness, a Rebel, in 2018.^[10]

They released their fourth album, Monoflora, in 2022.^[11]

Band members

• Ryan O'Keefe – vocals, guitar^{[12] [1]}
• Halli Anderson – vocals, violin^{[12] [1]}
• Daniel Shearin – vocals, bass, harmonium^{[12] [1]}
• Alex McWalters – drums^{[12] [1]}

Discography

Studio albums

• A Stone, a Leaf, an Unfound Door (2012)
• We All the Light (2016)
• Kindness, a Rebel (2018)
• Monoflora (2022)

EPs

• River Whyless (2015)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sense of Place Asheville: River Whyless. NPR.org. NPR Music. January 25, 2017.
2. News: Benton . Hayley . October 6, 2016. Can You Make It Big As a Musician in Asheville? . . June 20, 2017 .
3. Web site: Moses . Desire' . River Whyless patches world music influences into new album . April 1, 2013. Cville . June 20, 2017.
4. Web site: Golden. Grant. River Whyless: River Whyless EP. January 20, 2015. Paste. January 25, 2017.
5. Web site: The 10 Best EPs of 2015. December 31, 2015. Paste Magazine. January 25, 2017.
6. News: Stroud . Scott . September 10, 2016. Review: River Whyless, a band with a fresh sound emerging from Asheville . . June 20, 2017 .
7. Web site: Boilen. Bob. Review: River Whyless, 'We All The Light'. NPR. August 18, 2016. NPR Music. January 25, 2017.
8. Web site: O'Hearn. Amie. River Whyless drop beautifully crafted think piece on 'We All the Light' (album review). August 29, 2016 . Glide Magazine. January 25, 2017.
9. Web site: River Whyless on World Cafe. NPR.org. NPR Music. January 25, 2017.
10. Web site: River Whyless' 'Kindness, a Rebel' Examines the American Experiment . npr.org . May 31, 2018 . June 11, 2021.
11. News: Album review: River Whyless Grows 'Monoflora' in 30-Day Burst . nodepression.com . April 5, 2022 . March 18, 2024.
12. Web site: Wickstrom. Matt. 'River Whyless' moves from tiny desks to the big stage. The Kentucky Kernel. January 25, 2017.