Philadelphia-based Celtic-tinged folk rock collective River Drivers offers up their latest song “Everlasting Faint (The Tale of the Greenbrier Ghost)” in conjunction with Domestic Violence Awareness Month and co-sponsored by Carnegie Hall WV. The song by bandmate Mindy Murray tells of the death of a young woman at the hands of her husband. According to the mile marker and local legend, the Greenbrier County West Virginia woman’s ghost appeared before her mother to help convict her husband of murder. Both the song and music video will be used to help raise funds for the Family Refuge Center which serves three counties in southern West Virginia and stands just several miles away from where the murder occurred. The music video shot on location is set to premiere by Carnegie Hall WV on October 28.
River Drivers is a four-piece whose unique passion-infused style of music draws from Celtic, Americana and Appalachian influences and features powerful and distinctive vocals. Their repertoire strikes a fine balance of original songs and more obscure folk songs, resurrected from deep folk vaults.
Anchored by Mindy Murray (vocals, guitar, banjo, bass) and Kevin McCloskey (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass) with accompaniment by Marian Moran (tin whistle, low whistle concertina) and Meagan Ratini (fiddle, Irish flute, tin whistle) their high energy music explores themes of social injustice and hard-working men and women.
In “Everlasting Faint (The Tale of the Greenbrier Ghost)” as in many of the songs she writes, Mindy draws on her life experiences and oral histories to create songs that serve to tell the stories and raise awareness of people caught up in the struggles of day-to-day living. Her song “Blair Mountain” which tells of the fight to bring the union into the coal fields of West Virginia caught the eye of the United Mine Workers of America and was featured in their annual report the year it was released. Another of her songs, “Did Ya Vote” was recognized by the International Women’s Freedom Song in 2020. Stories of West Virginia reflect the years she spent in the Mountain State tending the needs of the people while attending medical school in Lewisburg, WV.
Kevin’s passion for songs portraying the plight of working men and women was kindled by a childhood performing Irish standards with his father, Irish tenor Tommy McCloskey. He brings a raw intensity to his music and to the band’s sound that was shaped by his years in a punk band. Kevin hones his extensive repertoire at a weekly residency at Fergie’s, an Irish pub in Philadelphia, singing ballads and folk standards.
Marian’s roots lie in the town of Ardara , County Donegal, an epicenter of Celtic music. She steals back to the rugged coastline as often as she can to play in the town’s many traditional Irish music festivals.
Meagan, Mindy’s daughter, rounds out the band with her fiddle, Irish flute and tin whistle. She and Mindy performed for several years as the duo, Port Murray.
River Drivers can be found playing major festivals such as the Philly Folk Festival, The New Jersey Folk Festival and Musikfest, as well as for beautiful concert halls like The Bucks County Playhouse and Carnegie Hall, WV. Across the pond, they have played for the Cup of Tea Festival in Donegal County Ireland. Their music has been widely praised by reviewers from such notable outlets as The Irish Music Magazine, fRoots, No Depression and many others. They are members of the Philly Music Co-op and the Philadelphia FolkSong Society.
“Everlasting Faint (The Tale of the Greenbrier Ghost)” is now available on all streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Soundcloud, YouTube and Amazon. It is available for purchase on Bandcamp.
But most importantly, DONATE here to help support the Family Refuge Center and victims of domestic violence. GET HELP from the National Domestic Violence Hotline if you or a loved one is a victim of domestic violence
CREDITS
Song by Mindy Murray
Engineered and Mastered by Richard Hartline
Cinematography by Meagan Ratini, Angelo Ratini
Film Editor- Mindy Murray
Keep up with River Drivers www.theriverdrivers.com https://www.facebook.com/theriverdrivers http://riverdrivers.bandcamp.com https://twitter.com/theriverdrivers https://www.instagram.com/theriverdrivers https://soundcloud.com/riverdrivers https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzdWO3Keefs9IcV84pqvaNg https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/river-drivers/970624969 https://open.spotify.com/artist/32c2nG7zxv7vqlR3dzYPvJ
For any questions, contact Melinda — mailto:info@TheRiverDrivers.com