![]() ![]() “I think we got a little sick of people asking, ‘Do you actually think you’re the world’s best American band? That sounds really cocky.’ This time we were like, ‘Let’s avoid that and make it something nice so that nobody calls us cocky and we can be on our way,’” the 26-year-old laughs.īut the fact that some people bought White Reaper’s piss-taking messiah complex says a lot. ![]() It’s why their third outing, last year’s You Deserve Love, had a more sober moniker. But the joke backfired when people believed the group might actually be serious. The World’s Best American Band in 2017 had followed the band’s 2015 debut White Reaper Does It Again. We thought it was funny.”Īs first-rate record titles go, White Reaper were on a hot streak. “We wanted it to be the most ridiculous, outlandish statement on the front of our record, just so that people might pick it up,” explains singer and guitarist Tony Esposito. In fact, that was the title of their second album. The garage rockers from Louisville, Kentucky even proclaimed to be The World’s Best American Band once. Overall, it was a lifting performance for a Tuesday evening, and we’ll definitely be adding the band to our scream-it-out playlists.White Reaper know how to make an introduction. The band’s skillful blend of rock musicality and punk vocals meshed well, loud enough to back their attitude but with soulful lyrics that kept listeners wanting more. “Might Be Right,” a song about a relationship that’s fallen on shaky grounds, was the hit of the night, drawing the most singing along from the excited crowd. Lead vocalist and guitarist Tony Esposito ran through the band’s hits at lightning speed, keeping the crowd headbanging and moshing throughout the entire performance. The band’s performance was framed by the venue’s signed portraits of various musical legends that have also graced the stage. This definitely seems true, based on the band’s high-energy performance at Exit/In. This perfectionist attitude shines through in the careful choices and artistic mastery on “You Deserve Love.”Īdditionally, Hater revealed that Nashville is one of his “favorite places to play.” We’re all our own worst critics, so nothing is making it past the cutting room floor if it’s not exactly what it needs to be,” Hater said. “We’re all basically family, and we just trust each other and work together really well. Regarding their latest release, Hater stated that the band drew from all of the aforementioned sources for inspiration during their collaborative creative process. “We just like to listen to stuff and take it all in, and that molds you as a listener and then as a creator after that.” “It ranges from Metallica to Van Halen to The Killers, from older bands to newer bands to pop stuff like The Backstreet Boys, Charlie XCX, and Swedish Pop,” Hater said. Hater accredited many legendary artists as part of the band’s influences. White Reaper’s guitarist Hunter Thompson on stage at Exit/In, as photographed on Sept. I had the opportunity to sit down with the band’s keyboardist, Ryan Hater, to discuss musical influences, his approach to the creative process, and his excitement to perform at Nashville’s iconic Exit/In on Sept. Production for the album was done by Nashville native producer Jay Joyce. The track is from the band’s latest release, “You Deserve Love,” their first album to break through Billboard’s alternative and rock charts. New listeners may recognize the popular track “Might Be Right,” which currently sits at 12 million Spotify streams. ![]() Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, the band has released critically-acclaimed rock albums since 2015. White Reaper is the modern quintessential garage punk band.
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