FOLK RIOT (www.folkriot.com) Independent southern-gothic rock act Folk Riot has a new member. This week, Fonda Theatre general manager and Goldenvoice impresario James Daly signed on to represent the Hollywood-based band as their manager, marking a major milestone for the group. With more than 20 years as a music industry professional managing venues as well as artists, Mr. Daly's passion for the band compelled him to take an active role in their development. "I met Brandon socially, and he entertained the hell out of me in just a one-on-one setting. I went to their show one Saturday night at Piano Bar, and they knocked me out. They were so engaged with each other and the crowd. So fun to watch. I had no choice but to be involved." Already known throughout Hollywood for their residencies at hot spots like Piano Bar and Sassafras Saloon, Folk Riot is setting their sights higher as they begin this new stage in the life of the band. In true LA-rock fashion, Folk Riot formed in 2010 in a speakeasy underneath a Silverlake party house. Folk Riot founders Brandon McCulloch (lead vocalist, guitar, songwriter), Mike Yarbrough (lead guitar), and Tyler Johnson (vocals, tambourine) began playing parties as a trio at the hillside home on Earl Street, where the popular Cha Cha Lounge and Red Lion Tavern were just a stone's roll down the hill. McCulloch, a career musician with multiple song appearances on network and cable television, as well as regular gigs at The Largo Theatre with the Paul F. Tompkins Show (now Varietopia), was looking for an outlet for his new work. Classically trained in guitar and steeped in the rock scene of both coasts, he found a complimentary match to his vision in Johnson and Yarbrough, both from Texas. Yarbrough's guitar, influenced by a variety of sounds from alt-country to Brit-pop, and Johnson's erstwhile choir-boy harmonies gave the group the open, alt-country, man-on-the-run sound McCulloch was after. "I like to think of it as 'Southern gothic'," says McCulloch of the band's sound. "It's that feeling of walking into an abandoned church. Something sacred turned dark and a little dangerous." When the group was eventually joined by drummer Nathan Seyler, a seasoned Nashville pro looking for a Hollywood break, and bassist Nicholas Morford, an Iowan who grew up surrounded by the great folk-rock tradition of the Mid-west, everything gelled. With a LP record mixed by Grammy winner Ari Levine already under their belts, Folk Riot is back in the studio working on their latest song, "Bow and Arrow", a prequel of sorts to the group's raucous, crowd pleasing number, "Wanted Man". A video for "Bow and Arrow" is in the works as well, "inspired by and hopefully kin to the style of True Detective and Breaking Bad," says McCulloch. Entering their fourth year as a group, and now with Daly's guiding hand, Folk Riot stands ready to make big moves in the coming year. They couldn't be more ready.

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