Author: Riley Hodges Music

I'm a musician straight outta Long Beach, CA! www.RileyHodges.Space

Riley’s Cosmic Soiree – Listening Party & Fireside Chat – Bring Your Own Cocktail

Howdy Friends, Fam, and all you Dreamers out there!

It’s a New Year, and I’ve got a proposition for you:

Listen…

Listen to the sound of the trees rustling in the wind, and the sun warming your skin.

Hear the Moon cry in the night, and the animals fight for their right.

It’s a menagerie of thoughts and ideas abound… a cosmic stage, round and round.

This Thursday you can tune-in to my Cosmic Soiree kicking off at 7PM for a listen of:

Life On Mars…

Listen, reflect, and engage… during my fireside chat with Life On Mars spinning on vinyl and yours truly to walk you through each song…

Fireside Listening Party: Life On Mars on Vinyl
  • Follow @RileyHodgesMusic on Instagram
  • Thursday 1/21/21 7PM: Fireside Listening Party
  • Saturday 1/23/21 2PM: Join as we continue the fun, with a Q&A + a Hoedown of sorts…
You can help us launch this thing the right way, with friends and family despite the distance we all share at the moment.
I'll also announce a release schedule where you can follow along, song-by-song and word-by-word, as we write the Story of "Life On Mars."
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Sunday Review: The Roots of Chicha

Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru

When I first arrived at Fingerprints Music on Thursday, it was the perfect opportunity.

I had already purchased items online that I was there to pick up, so naturally we browsed some more…

I didn’t know what I was looking for when I eventually made my way to the right side of the store where hip hop, soul, punk and music of the world was written on the name cards separating thousands of vinyl to choose from.

It didn’t take me long to discover what I was looking for:

The Roots of Chicha – Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru

Wow, so much yes!

I also didn’t know it until after I joyously showed Melissa my discovery, that she was actually looking for a record of Peruvian Music.

Our search was complete after 20 mins and a brown bag of vinyl to smile about.

When we arrived home, we started drinking some white wine with dinner and dropped that needle:

Side A let’s you know right away that it’s time to dance, so we danced.

Las Cumbias Eres Reál

If Side A were Downtown, maybe Side B is Uptown. Who knows really, it’s all about your imagination.

It’s upbeat, psychedelic, and sacalo!

I promise you that you will smell the food just as much as you will taste the smoke rising from the vibrant cumbias.

Eventually you come to find that it’s past 4am from a night on the town. Blurred lines and colored vibes mark the dreamy landscape that you have come to find.

That 1am strut y bailar now feels like the morning sun because you’ve danced all night and you’re ready to curse the name of your last broken hearted late night booty call.

Side C seems a bit wobbly, indeed the record refuses to lock in place. The groove is definitely all there, and the vibe is everywhere. Maybe you’re still drunk as well.

Wobbly Cumbias

If disc 1 was on land, then we are no longer there.

There’s a wah wah and a guapa to tell you more…

All in all, I give this record special privileges in my collection to play my heart for the passion that I know exists. In a world of misfortunes, this music belongs both among the stars and in our everyday life.

We can bring the cosmic realm all the way down to the ground and shake the night away knowing there’s a world worth dancing for.

Step inside:

Track List:

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Passport To Mars

Have you received your Passport to Mars?

Visit RileyHodges.com to order “Life On Mars”

Upcoming Launch Codes: follow the account below to get started

1/21/21 – Listening Party Livestream @RILEYHODGESMUSIC – comment + interact with the music of LIFE ON MARS on VINYL as we TEST LAUNCH at 7PM.

DATE TBD – Preorder Party Livestream (POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER) – be among the first to help us get off the GROUND with your signed copy of LIFE ON MARS – PREORDER IN ADVANCE & RECEIVE A SPECIAL PRIZE.

CHECK BACK OFTEN FOR MORE UPDATES – FULL LAUNCH SEQUENCE SCHEDULE PENDING…

CREATURES OF LIFE ON MARS.

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Fundamental Reality

This is just a picture, a pixel of words.

For whom do we long for and for whom are these blurbs?

Myself!

It’s the one thing that wants to emerge.

For you! It’s the one thing that keeps me encour’ged.

For them! It’s the grass on a shoulder of whistles, and though hast now understood the riddle.

How should we make sense of all this?

We do it all the time.

The world is complex, and we tend to seek novel moments.

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What do fans want?

Fans want something and I’d like to know what that is…

What do y’all want to do?

Why y’all here?

How much do you read?

How much do you listen to music?

What kinds of things are interesting to you?

A / S / L ?

Are / You / Up?

What style of music do you like most?

How do you listen to your music?

How much of the behind the scenes do you like to see?

Do you like magic?

What’s your favorite kind of burrito?

What about ice cream?

Pizza? Duh…

How about nachos vs. chicken wings?

What’s your favorite song of all time?

Comment a word and I’ll use it on my next blog post and tag you on tha ‘gram.

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Lunatic Troll Manifesto

I’m going to solve all of the problems in my mind!

By virtue of my efforts I will also bring about change for all of humanity!

THIS IS OUR STORY AND I’M THE LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD!

IT’S ALL A HOAX, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT!

I’M JUST A RELATABLE HUMAN WHO WANTS ATT3NTION!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!

I KNOW THAT HALF OF THE WORLD IS SICK, AND THERE ARE SO MANY LIES!

BUT I WILL GLADLY SET US ALL FREE!

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO!

Relate lunatic anarchist troll to our story, perspective shift…

Character says crazy stuff, hoax…

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Sunday Review: Shattered

An album of loud purple sounds. Someone popped their eggnog on a fruitcicle and created a new dessert.

When you go looking for an album of magnificence in groove and the possibility of a meow style, you pick downtown for the bass line and uptown for the tempo.

All the guitars work together like a saddle fits on a horse. Everybody finds their way.

Of course the drums do all the talking when they say n”sp “sp “sp “tat “tat and that bass is walking like it don’t care none except right here.

When people say things about me, I’m the baddest mountain. Like a thunder rolled in and said “hey!” Where all my dancers at?

Track One starts out clean and keeps riding till it’s over, no stops, just a belly up slouching cruise with a clear wind carrying the salty coastal air.

Track Two begins calm, but then finds an off ramp and gets subdued when it seems to find a clearing toward the beach.

Track Three is like a reflection of your grandmother’s memoirs that jot down everything from cookies to coastal swims. Beach days are fun, and everyone gets along just fine.

Track Four is a little more calm except when it tends to escalate for a minute as if to say, “hey, I’m here.”

Track Five continues onward like a boat on an anchor, swaying in the sea. The world can’t help but to bring rain. It’s just life.

Track Six reminds us of our mothers and fathers of the world. Those who lift us up.

Track Seven reads like “a Day in the Life,” and sings like “Bitches Brew.”

Track Eight tells us when to be happy and it’s all the time. “Could you be loved?”

Track Nine has more to say. And it’s that “we want more wine, and whiskey, and a good night’s sleep as much as possible. Someone needs to remind us of this more often, and that’s what this song is all about. Funk layered with harmonies and horns and a laid back approach to life in general. Just finding connection and being willing to embrace it for what it is and to do good wherever possible.

Track Ten someone told me to write them a song and here it is. I’m here for you.

Track Eleven slow grooves and a soft voice with some percussive style, congas and hand drums. Where a groove gets locked in. We are here.

Track Twelve bring rain and birds. In no particular order, someone lights a fire in the sky. With no warning, a siren calls and tempts.

Track Thirteen there is always morning to freshen the mood. The warm sun brings a calm. It feels good to soak it in and feel whole. Cosmic guitars bring a groovy vibe.

Track Fourteen we live in a musical space. Sound is our friend. We know it when we heart it. Soothing, vibey, a tip of the hat. A step in my walk. It’s all the same. Just groove with it.

~ Just Groove With It

All Rights Reserved 2021

Release Date 1/21/21

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Feeling Uneasy

My mind is a monkey, and my body is round.

My heart beats faster while drowning in sound.

What life can bring will matter to some, and to others we fear for their life is gone.

Who the fuck condones violence to suit their own need?

A leader in charge doesn’t mean they can lead.

A leader can claw and bring about change while balancing is within our own range.

Was it me that knew I was already full?

Was it you so kindly that caused me to drool?

My mouth is frozen, like a glacier in time.

I have a path I want to follow, and a leader… it’s time.

I need to let it go for tomorrow will bring a better day.

Days for us to play around and lay in the fray…

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Tired Sun

I’m tired of sleeping on sidewalks and watching the long faces pass me by.

Shadows so transfixed by the bye.

To be stupefied by glory and lonely just for me is so touching as an eye for an I…

For I am not a lie nor a bubble of cutis or a derma for absorption.

Nor am I calculating and vested to rest it above all.

My body is bold and bright and old in the light.

My reach is infinite I am told.

Nothing can reach the ends of the light nor my inner fiery soul.

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“Live One” New_Music_Release + New Website

Howdy Friends, Family, Seekers of Truth, and all you Dreamers out there,

“Live One” is live now, just live in the now, love one another, and stay a “Live One.”

Listen on your favorite streaming app, and check out the music video I made from my trip to Iceland.

“Live One,” is a new single from our coming album, “Life on Mars” that was written on a journey through Iceland.

“Life on Mars” represents our collective ability to create a better world filled with Love and Empathy, asking the question, “If we were to go to Mars, what would we want to do differently?”

Stay tuned for our Kickstarter launch 3.20.20 (update, links to Preorder on my website) and help support artists promoting a vision of love and empathy through inspired Americana Music and High Quality imagery from a journey through Iceland.

“Within this or that are those that seek nought in the shackles breaking.” Lyrics from “Live One.”

Thank you for reading and please stay in touch!

Riley Hodges – Vocals, Lyrics, Guitar, Hammond B3
Tim Bullock – Bass Guitar
Eric Hirschhorn – Saxophone
Antoine Arvizu – Producer, Drums, Engineer

FULL LYRICS for “Live One”

I’ve been waiting for a sign that I should’ve seen 10 days ago. Staring at a blue sky swirling into red again. Like a vibrational high, I contemplate that I’m not fading. Just purify your mind. We’ll tear apart a magnet, baby. The rolling winds bring life when they whisper bursts of nothingness. I wonder if it’s known that we can be the nothingness. Like a thousand year stone and they call upon the night, “A Live One! A Live One!”

Capture moments that are still and wish we were forever now. The mother of this world uttering divine to men. If One is a gift to the many, God is manifest in contemplating. Within this or that are those that seek naught in the shackles breaking. Stillness in your mind, and it feels just like a loving kiss. Pouring rain in this life will bring returns of genesis. What’s it like to be a stone that’s shot into magma bursting out? I’ve been waiting for a sign and they call upon the night, “A Live One! A Live One!”

In purity of mind does choice bring moral prominence? Does our manifest deserve One and serve the greater good, or is it like the stone blessed by divine metamorphosing? When do we satisfy ourselves and have compassion on doors closing? Are we doomed to befall the consequence of our own bliss? I wonder if it’s known that we can be the nothingness. I’ve been waiting for a sign and the horse brings a gift. “A Live One! A Live One!” Echoes through the night and I am alright. “A Live One! A Live One!” I’ve been waiting for a sign and they call upon the night, “A Live One! A Live One!” © 2020 Riley Hodges

Riley Hodges is a musician from Long Beach, CA, and is the lead singer and songwriter for the Cosmic Cowboys. The music has roots in Americana with each song distinctly all its own.

“Street Walker” is the opening track of “Life on Mars” that recites the exclaims of pedestrian life through bouncy beats, clean guitar riffs and a padded saxophone, while “Maybelline,” a dreamer wanting to sleep among the stars, follows a laid-back funk-rhythm that is supported by uplifting vocals and a Hammond B3.

Riley grew up in his families bar business in Long Beach, CA and credits his parents for introducing him to good music. His mom had the hippest collection of music among his friends, and Riley’s uncle Roland, lead singer and keyboardist from the Elm Street Band, would play backyard parties at their house and events in the neighborhood while Riley was growing up. Riley began piano lessons at a young age, eventually switching to drums for a few years, then as a teenager picked up a guitar and learned to sing. Fast forward to adulthood, Riley operates Shannon’s bars, restaurant, and entertainment venue with his family, and as those businesses have grown, Riley intends to focus more on writing, recording, and playing live music. Over the past several years, Riley has written and recorded 20 original songs with growing commercial success. Listeners describe his music as catchy, upbeat, thoughtful and enjoyable. 

Before the Cosmic Cowboys, Riley met and formed Taste of Red with his friends, John Capito and Tim Bullock, and they were fortunate to play their biggest venue to date at The Observatory in Orange County, CA. Fast forward several years later and John is now the lead guitar player for the Cosmic Cowboys, and their next biggest performance is scheduled for March 14, 2020 where the Cosmic Cowboys are ready to play to a large crowd of festival attendees for St. Pat’s Party on Pine hosted by Shannon’s Corner in Long Beach, CA.

Thanks again for reading! We appreciate your support, and we hope you enjoy the release of “Live One.”

P.s. If you haven’t seen our Kickstarter teaser, check it out here and consider making a pledge when we launch our Kickstarter on 3.20.20 for a cause that stands for Love and Empathy! Our goal is to raise $10,0000 so we can release “Life on Mars” on “vinyllll, vinyllll, vinylll!” in the Fall of 2020. With a little courage you too can experience this inspired vision through a beautifully produced Americana music album by hardworking humans just like you! Together, we can change the world through positive vibrations 🙂

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