The Reivers were an American

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 1984 as Zeitgeist, they were forced to change their name before releasing their second album in 1987, due to another group claiming prior rights to the name. They chose the name The Reivers from the title of the

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...

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. The band included John Croslin, songwriter, vocalist, guitars; Kim Longacre, vocals, guitars; Cindy Toth, bass, violin; and Garrett Williams, drums. They were the best-known of a cluster of Austin-based bands loosely grouped under the name New Sincerity. Writing for '' No Depression'' in 2008, critic Peter Blackstock described The Reivers as "a classic pop band...They balanced memorable melodies and unstoppable energy with seemingly effortless ease, contrasting the rough and sweet vocals of frontfolks John Croslin and Kim Longacre (respectively) amid an infectious swirl of chiming guitars and the unbelievably lively rhythms of drummer Garrett Williams and bassist Cindy Toth." The band released four albums, all of which received critical praise but not much commercial success, then disbanded in 1991. Croslin worked as producer and engineer on records for a number of bands, notably

Spoon A spoon (, ) is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a table setting, place setting, it ...

and

Guided by Voices Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. The most well-known lineup of the band consisted o ...

. Two Reivers songs, "Almost Home" and "Araby," were covered by Hootie and the Blowfish on their 2000 collection ''

Scattered, Smothered and Covered ''Scattered, Smothered and Covered'' is a covers album by American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, released in 2000. The album was named in honor of Waffle House, a Southern restaurant chain. One of Waffle House's advertising campaigns used ...

''. In 1998,

Stereophile ''Stereophile'' is a monthly American audiophile magazine which reviews high-end audio equipment, such as loudspeakers and amplifiers, and audio-related news. History ''Stereophile'' was founded in 1962 by J. Gordon Holt. With the August 1 ...

critic Robert Baird called The Reivers "one of America's great lost bands." Croslin later co-founded an Austin band called The Fire Marshals of Bethlehem. In 2005, this band released an album titled ''Songs for Housework'', and Croslin subsequently left the band. The Reivers reunited in 2008 for occasional performances around Austin. On August 28, 2008, The Reivers played a benefit concert in Austin, and John Croslin announced that the re-formed band would be called Right or Happy. Under the new name, and including keyboardist Eric Friend, the band played at the 2009

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

. In January 2013 the band (once again calling itself The Reivers) released a new album, their first in more than 20 years. In July 2017, the band announced on their website that their show in November 2016 would be the last for the foreseeable future, and that they were on "indefinite hiatus". While the band has not broken up, there are no plans to play shows or record for the time being.

Discography

*''Zeitgeist'' ( EP, 1984)Brent Grulke
"Zeitgeist" (review)
''

Austin Chronicle Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

'', August 24, 1984. *''

Translate Slowly ''Translate Slowly'' is the 1985 debut album by The Reivers. This album was originally released under the band's original name, Zeitgeist, but was remixed in 1988 and re-released under the band name The Reivers, after another band claimed rights ...

'' (1985) *''

Saturday Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. No later than the 2nd century, the Romans named Saturday ("Saturn's Day") for the god Saturn. His planet, Saturn, controlled the first hour of that day, according to Vettius Valens. T ...

'' (1987) *''

End of the Day End of the Day may refer to: * ''End of the Day'' (The Reivers album), 1989 * ''End of the Day'' (Courtney Barnett album), 2023 * "End of the Day", a song by One Direction from their 2015 album ''Made in the A.M.'' * "End of the Day", the English ...

'' (1989) *''

Pop Beloved ''Pop Beloved'' is the fourth album released by The Reivers, in 1991. After two albums on major label Capitol Records that were critically well-reviewed but commercially underperforming, they returned to the independent DB Records. In her revi ...

'' (1991) *''Second Story'' (2013)

References

External links

thereivers.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reivers American pop music groups Musical groups established in 1984 Musical groups from Austin, Texas American jangle pop groups 1984 establishments in Texas