Photo by Hayden Wieck (Left to right) Watson Horner, Jake Horner, Johnathan Peters, Mac Jones
Everyone loves a good underdog story, and the account of Riverside Voodoo’s emergence in the music scene is just that. The Oxford based crew, featuring Jonathan Peters on lead vocals and drums, Mac Jones on piano, Jake Horner on guitar and Watson Horner on bass, may only be getting their start in the world of music, but they are taking Mississippi and the rest of the South by storm.
Before Riverside Voodoo ever began, cousins Jake Horner and Watson Horner began playing together as middle schoolers in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“I got a guitar and then convinced him to get a bass,” Jake Horner said.
The duo formed a two-man band between themselves, playing dive bars and small gigs around town. It wasn’t until several years later during their sophomore year at Ole Miss that the real magic began to happen.
Watson struck up a friendship, heavily influenced by their love for music, with Jonathan Peters, a singer and guitar player, who would become the third member of the imminent Riverside Voodoo. The then trio began playing around Oxford and attempting to find their voice. It was during this time in the spring of 2013 that pianist and vocalist Jones came into the picture.
“Mac was huge because we were pretty much just drums, bass and guitar before,” Peters said. “He kind of filled it all in.”
With a fourth member and more instruments being implemented, Riverside Voodoo began to ignite.
“We started putting real songs together and playing real shows,” Watson Horner said.
The quartet began utilizing their musical talents, writing songs and honing their sound, which leaned towards blues and rock.
The group’s first big break came when they played alongside Moon Taxi at an Ole Miss fraternity party, where they were met with an excited crowd. A few short weeks after that, Riverside Voodoo started a recording process in Savannah, Georgia, creating a six-song demo of bayou rock hits. Since then, the four guys have created a name for themselves across state lines and played shows in Nashville and Baton Rouge. But before they head out on their out of state gigs, Riverside Voodoo will play the Proud Larry’s stage Thursday night.
In a world full of mindless pop music and teenybopper boy bands, Riverside Voodoo is a breath of fresh, muggy Mississippi air. Though they started out as a head-banging jam band, Riverside Voodoo has begun dipping their toes in the electronica genre, implementing Jones on the keyboard. The group is also creating a new album, which will take a turn towards a more progressive side of the rock genre.
“It’s going to be a little spacey and trippy at times,” Jake Horner said of the upcoming album, which is expected to release in January of 2015.
Riverside Voodoo is no stranger to the difficulties and hardships that come with making a name in the music industry.
“We just wanted people to take us seriously in the very beginning,” Jones said.
As they have come to find out, the music performing process can be an incredibly ego-bruising feat.
“You’re literally putting your work out for judgment,” Peters said.
Operating more as brothers than band mates, the motley crew understands the importance of collaboration and working as a unit.
“There’s no one person that’s written a song from start to finish,” Jones said. “It starts with one person, and then we all build upon each other.”
This togetherness clearly shines through in the music, which plays out as a divinely playful romp. From their angst-infused rock anthem “Kleptobismol” to the bluesy southern ballad “Born to Bones,” Riverside Voodoo has something for all music-lovers.
