Concerts rarely move me to tears. In fact, the last time it happened was at a Neil Young solo performance in 2023. Maybe it was the nostalgia of youth, or a particular memory, or simply the realization that, at that moment, I was truly happy. Not long ago, River Whyless managed to bring water to my eyes. Twice.
In a performance that combined beautiful songwriting, a gorgeous setting, and a vibrant crowd, Halli Anderson, Alex McWalters, Daniel Shearin, and Ryan O’Keefe gave the near capacity audience (1,750) a warm evening of flawless harmonies, stellar musicianship, and the emotional release that dancing under the evening sky brings.
River Whyless was founded in 2012 in Asheville, North Carolina after its members had abandoned their previous musical project, Do It to Julia, formed during their years at Appalachia State University in Boone. (The Orwellian reference may strike many as somewhat alarming nowadays). I first saw the band perform in 2013 for what has proven to be a lifelong musical connection. Writing for Parklife DC a few years later I reflected, “To describe River Whyless’ music as amazing, awesome, or beautiful is a woefully inadequate use of adjectives. Perhaps using descriptors like “creative,” “adventurous,” “complex,” and “unique” is more accurate. From the band’s first release, 2012’s A Stone, a Leaf, an Unfound Door, each album has crossed new boundaries, lyrically as well as melodically. Described by some as folk-rock, nature-pop, or baroque folk, the songs eschewed the usual verse, verse, chorus pop song structure, instead opting for an avant-garde, yet accessible instrumental approach.”
The band’s four members have each embarked on distinct personal journeys (marriage, kids, various professional ventures) since those early days but have remained true to the band’s musical vision: highly accessible compositions that flirt with complex melodies and countermelodies, incorporate intricate rhythmic patterns, and employ diverse yet somehow familiar song structures. Three quarters of the band are still based in Asheville, while Anderson has relocated to Oregon (“I love it out here!”). The pandemic, personal endeavors, and natural disasters have prevented recording new music since the band’s 2019 album, Monoflora, but a re-recording of “Sailing Away” for The Resonance Sessions (a fundraiser for flood relief following Hurricane Helene in North Carolina in September 2024) did appear a few months ago.
Stream Monoflora by River Whyless on Spotify:
After an East Coast tour earlier this year, the band trekked out west for a four-date sprint through the Pacific Northwest, with the first show at beautiful Topaz Farm on July 31. Outside venues can play havoc with the sound at concerts, but a windless evening sheltered by towering trees, surrounded by wildflowers, and a respectful but joyous crowd, could not have provided a more perfect place to experience River Whyless.
After a short but energetic set by The Barbaras, a “mid-century country, doo wop, and rock ‘n roll band” with a modern twist, River Whyless took the stage as the setting sun allowed the evening air to cool (while Seals and Crofts’ “Summer Breeze,” played in my mind). Opening with The Hunt (from their 2015 EP), I was filled with that overwhelming familiar pleasure I associate with River Whyless music, something I’d missed over the past three years.
Lowering my camera, I allowed the tears of joy to well up in my eyes. Resisting the urge to weep in front of a thousand people I quickly began snapping again while the band launched into “Kalangala” from the 2016 album, We All the Light, featuring McWalters’ intricate and unique drumming. Continuing the show’s uptempo nature, “Born in the Right Country” (from the 2018 release, Kindness, A Rebel) was next, its underlying meaning not lost on anybody paying attention to the current political environment. “Life Crisis,” from the eponymous 2015 EP followed before a gorgeous version of the aforementioned, “Sailing Away,” mesmerized the audience.
Watch River Whyless perform “Sailing Away” for The Resonance Sessions at the Old Marshall jail on YouTube:
Topaz Farm owners Kat Topaz and Jim Abeles had introduced River Whyless with a short story about perseverance and strength, recalling how Halli, at a concert with The Hackles (her other band) the previous year, had been stung (“not once, not twice, but three times!”) by a yellowjacket wasp on her underarm during a violin solo. As a true professional and “badass” musician, she finished without missing a beat.
Halli has long had the gift of amiable, charming, and funny onstage banter, at one point turning a colonoscopy story into a lesson on how to win new fans. While thanking The Barbaras for their opening set, she lamented the fact that two of their members are multi-talented graphic designers and that she couldn’t hope to compete…“but I can take a bee sting!” Over the years and the many River Whyless performances, I’ve witnessed each band members’ ease with and ability to play multiple instruments: Ryan, guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, vocals; Daniel, bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals; Alex, drums, various percussion instruments; and Halli, violin, various string instruments, percussion, and vocals. Oh, yeah, and they also write songs. Great songs. River Whyless, not multi-talented? We’ll just have to agree to disagree.
Setlist
The concert continued with performances marked by subtle nuance, sublime harmonies, and a steadily growing energy that soon drew dancers to the front of the stage. Although the revelers took a break for “The Pool,” a gorgeous piece about the passing of a childhood friend of Ryan’s. Similarly, we were transfixed during the extended performance of “Motel 6,” a song about facing the future without regret, that also prompted my second bout with trying to hold back tears.
Watch River Whyless perform “Motel 6” live at KUTX Austin, Texas, on YouTube:
The main set ended with a crowded dance “floor” and a rambunctious “All Day All Night” from 2016’s We All the Light. Returning for a two-song encore, the first a cover of Woody Guthrie’s (as recorded by Billy Bragg and Wilco) “Airline to Heaven,” followed by the energetic and highly danceable “The Feeling of Freedom.” And then it was over, despite the crowd’s repeated attempts to get another number.
We often talk about how music and art bring us together, create community, and make positive change possible. For weeks, small farms in Oregon, like Topaz Farm, had faced the possibility of losing the right to host “non-farming” events such as Halloween pumpkin patches, tractor hay rides, and, of course, concerts. In a win for grassroots organizing and community support, Oregon’s governor had shut down the effort the week prior. Perseverance and strength, indeed.
Though their personal journeys have diverged, River Whyless’s four members still feel the pull that began over a decade ago, making music that touches heart and soul. Community support means that Topaz Farm will continue presenting concerts into the foreseeable future. And in a world too often cruel and unfair, missed opportunities may yet prove to have positive outcomes. As Halli sings in “Bend Time,” “It’s not a question of how we began, it’s all the good things we could do to each other in the end.”
To stay up to date on new music and upcoming tour dates, visit the River Whyless website.
Here are some more photos of River Whyless at Topaz Farms on July 31, 2025. All photos courtesy of and copyright Mark Caicedo.
