When Joe Michelini played tiny solo shows in 2007 under the name River City Extension, he probably didn’t expect to end up where he is now.
Michelini is now a part of an eight-person band of the same name that has played to huge festival crowds across the country and has been featured both in Paste Magazine and on NPR.
“It’s been a long, long group of happenings,” said Michelini of the band’s unique formation, which took place from 2007 to 2009. The singer, songwriter and guitarist started off by reconnecting with a high school friend to play bass and a childhood friend to play cello.
The band of three played shows together as a small group until one night, when they went to the house of Nick Cucci, a musician who had opened for them, after the show.
“We went back to his house and he said, ‘Have you guys ever had tequila before?'” Michelini said. “We ‘tried’ the tequila and started playing music together. And almost instantly, we got a little loose and started jamming together.” Cucci’s roommate Dan Melius joined in to play trumpet, and the band had found its guitarist and trumpeter.
Soon enough, a bass player, another vocalist and a pianist joined in to round out the group. River City Extension, once a moniker for a solo artist, was now an octet.
“When we play live, we are eight people getting into the van, eight people coming to practice,” Michelini said.
The band certainly makes use of its size — there are epic buildups, sing-along choruses and various musical styles throughout the band’s debut 2010 full-length, The Unmistakable Man. The eight musicians have collaborated to form a unique, interesting Americana sound that blends a variety of sounds and instruments.
“I’ll write the songs, I’ll come to them and everyone kind of adds their own bit, instrumentation-wise,” Michelini said. “When you have a group of people, and everyone plays at least two instruments, there’s always new possibilities opening up; someone’s always bringing a different angle. We’re hearing something we would not have thought of ourselves.”
The large group dynamic not only helps the band’s songwriting, but it amplifies River City Extension’s live shows, as each band member displays their emotion and passion individually during each song.
While Michelini says he and his bandmates may lose the initial emotional connection they have with their songs after playing them every single night on tour, “you do reconnect to the song in a different way,” he said.
The band will be in the studio on Oct. 10 to record their next album, which Michelini said will have a “darker, more concentrated feeling” that will reflect changes going on within himself, in the band, and in the world.
“It’s a little quieter, a little sadder and it sounds like we’ve been traveling,” he said. “It sounds like America, I hope.”
More than anything, the singer said he is looking forward to connecting with people. It’s that deeper connection — both with the fans and with the music — that Michelini seems to enjoy most.
“The best shows are when you start playing, you close your eyes, and you, you just go,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a whole song, sometimes it’s a show, sometimes it’s a moment — but I think that’s why we play live music.”
River City Extension will play Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Va. on Saturday. The show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets are $10.
diversions@umdbk.com
