Rusty Reid On the Making Of “Rio Frio”
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for "Rio Frio?"
"Rio Frio" was memorable for me from the moment it was being created. This was the last song I wrote for a would-be "rock opera" based on the history of Texas. I had been working on this idea for a few years, writing about ten songs altogether. There were songs about Indians and explorers and pirates and Mexican colonizers and Anglo colonizers and the Texas Revolution... but the project was flailing. I was realizing that the songs just weren't very good. But I continued on. Chronologically I was up to the period of the Republic of Texas and I wanted to do a song about the "Nueces Strip," a contested strip of land between the Nueces and the Rio Grande Rivers that both Texas and Mexico claimed. As such, it was not policed... the perfect place for outlaws, from both nations, to hide out. Out of the blue, came "Rio Frio," the story of which is set on a beloved little river in Texas, a tributary of the Nueces, which back in olden times would have been smack in the Nueces Strip. And the emerging song was in 3/4 time... a waltz! Where that comes from, I have no idea. Shortly after its writing, I finally gave up on the opera, but not on "Rio Frio." It quickly became a favorite of my original fans. The first recording was pretty similar to this new version, including the Mexican-flavored accordion, along with my same old orange Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar. Helping out on this recording was my Houston/Los Angeles collaborator Steven Beasley, an outstanding multi-instrumentalist and excellent singer-songwriter in his own right. We also brought Pacific Northwest drummer extraordinaire Darin Watkins to provide percussion. It's a quirky song and record... and I like that.
Have you noticed any particular interpretations or connections that listeners have made with "Rio Frio?"
Pretty much everyone who has heard the song is not aware of the historical context that it was supposed to portray as part of that ill-fated opera. I initially thought that would be a problem. But, to my pleasant surprise, a lot of people seemed to love it anyway, just interpreting the lyrics as they would. I get requests for "Rio Frio," or "that cowboy song," quite often. Yet, really, I think the melody, and perhaps the 3/4 time signature, are also very appealing aspects of the song. I do think it's one of my best melodies.
What did you enjoy most about making "Rio Frio?"
The impetus to release my new album, "Bayou Line: Songs from Houston" sprang to a significant degree from wanting to get this particular song, along with a few others, out there to the public. Following the release of my album "Head to Heart" a few years ago, I thought I had really hit my stride in terms of finding my "style" and "message." I was eager to keep going in that direction. To now stop, and go backward to my older songs, did not hold a lot of appeal for me. Yet many friends were saying, "You have to release some of your older material." Well, there was a problem with that. Those old recordings just weren't up to par with the modern world. So everything would have to be re-recorded. Ugh! What a chore! But once I got into that process, it was wonderful re-discovering these songs and seeing them come to life better than ever.
Your lyrics often tell stories. Can you talk about your approach to storytelling through music?
Well, storytelling comes naturally to many Texans. Even if they are actually "tall tales," exaggerations upon reality. A lot of Texas songwriters are master storytellers. I mean, "Pancho & Left" by Townes Van Zandt; it doesn't get much better than that. Maybe I inherited some of that. But I think more likely I was influenced by story-telling songs I heard as an impressionable child. I just loved songs like "Jambalaya" by Hank Williams, "El Paso" by Marty Robbins, "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton, "Old Shep" by Elvis Presley, "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison, "Sloop John B" by the Beach Boys, "Eleanor Rigby" and other songs by the Beatles, "Proud Mary" by Creedence, "America" by Paul Simon, "The Wreck of the Edmond Fitgzerald" by Gordon Lighfoot, pretty much any Chuck Berry song, most Bob Dylan material, a lot of Jimmy Webb tunes, and just tons and tons of those kinds of stories set to melody. So early on as a songwriter, I was trying to invent fictional scenarios which to transcribe into music. Then at some point, I thought maybe I was doing too much storyteling and not enough personal introspection and/or exploration of my own experiences and emotions in my songwriting. With my current songwriting I think I have at last stumbled into a good blend of storytelling and personal experience to share. Indeed, just a teaser, but on an upcoming album I'll be releasing a song that I figure is about as good of storytelling as I'm capable of, and also a 100 percent true heart-crushing personal experience.
What advice would you give aspiring singer-songwriters looking to develop their craft and share their music?
First and foremost, don't give up too quickly. Practice. Persist, Persevere. Be your own worst critic. Don't be too easily pleased. Demand more from yourself. Admit when you fall short. When you do that, you aren't wounded by critics dissing you. Also, be careful of sticking to what comes easily or "naturally." I think I tried to do that for too long. Sure, be true to yourself, but remember that "yourself" is potentially so much more than you think. Be ready and willing to explore new things, stretch, grow, risk, change, evolve. Not change for the sake of change, but evolution into higher, better ways of being... which then can infuse and enrich your art. Paul Simon is my model for all of that. What an outstanding catalog he has produced, just soulfully wandering through the golden fields of genres. Like Paul, accept your gift of songwriting and/or singing talent as the doorway to a journey of personal discovery... with the side benefit being more gifts you can give away to others.
