Red Leather Puts Reno On The Map With Debut Album
Photo by Taylor Brandon on Unsplash.
Reno music is one of my passions for a reason, and there’s a reason why a lot of us never leave the Biggest Little City. With something for everyone here, from motorcycles to hot air balloons, rodeos to classic cars, gambling to Burning Man, skiing and snowboarding to clubbing – if you’re interested in a niche, there’s most likely a community somewhere, however big or small. It’s one of the things that makes Reno unique, and I believe, the top appeal for outsiders looking to relocate here.
I started this blog to illustrate that special spirit of my hometown, to highlight the talented, overlooked Reno musicians that eat, sleep and breathe here. Every time I stumble upon a new Reno artist, I’m always blown away by the innovative creativity and reminded of why I do what I do. It keeps me going when paychecks get sparse and the cost of living continues to rise, and it gets harder and harder for locals to stay here.
Occasionally, I find a Renoite making a name for themselves out on the road — and Red Leather is one of those artists. When it comes to Wild West music I’ve got a pretty high standard, as someone who was raised amongst the dust and the mountains and the sagebrush. There’s a grittiness and stubborn resilience you develop living in the High Desert, and many try to emulate that without truly understanding it. A lot of musicians that aren’t from here try to capture it and tame it for themselves, but there’s an undomesticated part of us that can’t ever be claimed.
Red Leather’s music perfectly embodies this feral soul with his debut album released on Friday, ‘Reno.’ Beginning with a voicemail cut short to catch a train, Red Leather strings together a story of a vagabond on the run from the law — a classic Western tale of casinos, cocaine, estranged families and questioning God. Sophisticated and polished yet grungy and raspy, the entire record portrays an urban cowboy, rough-and-tumble aesthetic that is the heart of what Reno has always been. There’s an artistic grace between each track, a cohesiveness from song to song that is hard to find, despite mixing elements of rock, electronic music and spoken soundbites. It’s an experimental ride that taps into true Nevada culture, and if you want to feel what Reno is really about, this is the musician to listen to.
Something I adore about this album as well, are the religious undertones throughout the piece. Being raised religious in the harsh environment of the desolate Great Basin is almost counterintuitive — nature doesn’t care that you pray, the sun doesn’t care if you’ve been faithful to the Lord. For people who have been here our whole lives, we understand this angst, this inner battle between believing in something larger than ourselves and the reality of the world. Red Leather’s almost Tarantino-esque chronicle of one man’s moral struggles is both tragic and beautiful, and you can expect to feel strange waves of nostalgia, longing and homesickness with every ballad.
It’s not often that I take a chance on an album from out of state. While Red Leather may reside in Los Angeles now, it’s very clear his Reno essence endures. And it makes me damn proud. As soon as this one comes out on vinyl, I’ll be first in line.
To listen to Red Leather, visit his Spotify profile here.
