The former Reivers plus one are now making music as Right Or Happy. Recordings are in the works, but in the meantime, come out and see us play!
The Reivers were a unique band in a number of ways. First, there was a certain musical chemistry among the musicians that permeated all their songs. You could hear in the music that they really enjoyed what they were doing and clicked as a band. There was a refreshing lack of pretension in the sound they created on album and in performances. These were people you felt you could walk up to on the street and talk to. Second, they put to good use unusual vocal arrangements. The interplay of John Croslin's and Kim Longacre's voices on songs such as "Freight Train Rain", and "Blue Eyes" with Kim singing melody lines- in effect, using her voice as an instrument, was dynamic.
The Reivers' first incarnation, Zeitgeist, originated in Austin, TX with a lineup that included: John Croslin- main songwriter, vocalist, guitars; Kim Longacre- vocals, guitars; Kelly Bell- bass; and Joey Shuffield- drums. Shuffield left the band during rehearsals and was replaced by Garrett Williams. By the time their first self-titled E.P. was released on db Records in 1984, Cindy Toth had replaced Bell as bass player. This new lineup would remain consistent throughout the remainder of the Reivers' existence. Releasing the full-length album "Translate Slowly" the next year, they began to build a sizeable audience. In mid-1987 they were forced to change their name by a new age band which claimed the copyright. Choosing the name "The Reivers" (pronounced Reever, meaning Thieves or Raiders- from the Scottish "Reiffar") from the title of a William Faulkner novel, they continued recording. "Translate Slowly" was later reissued with the new name on cd with additional tracks.
Their second album also came out in 1987. Called "Saturday", it showed a marked maturity in the sound and songwriting. 1989 saw the release "End of the Day". "Pop Beloved", which would prove to be The Reivers' final album, came out in 1991. They played their final show at Austin's Cannibal Club later in the year. The road during the band's career had been a rocky one. In the Austin Chronicle article found in the articles section of this site, Ken Lieck writes:"The record business troubles that plagued Zeitgeist/The Reivers from day one are legend in themselves.... what is mostly important is that circumstances led the group to an early breakup and Croslin far from the urge to start another band."
Record company troubles always seemed to be a problem for Zeitgeist/The Reivers. From another Ken Lieck Austin Chronicle article (vol. 15, issue 32):
"As Zeitgeist, the quartet had built up a good following through an indie album and touring, but on the eve of releasing their first major label album, Capitol Records did a name search and found that the German word had already been trademarked by a New Age ensemble. Front man John Croslin recalls that the crystal-wearers "weren't flexible at all" and so the band ended up with the new name, leaving their fan base baffled. "We could've changed it to ..Zeitghost' or something, but we didn't," says Croslin. "We all regretted the name change later, but it's what we voted on." Keeping in mind that the band was having other problems, including record company apathy, leading to their giving up the ghost (ouch) in 1991, Croslin adds that the name change "wasn't the crushing blow, but at the time it was another bad thing." Considering that when R.E.M. released their hit album Green, a band called Green received a good deal of press by promptly putting out an EP titled R.E.M., one can only wonder how much smoother the transition would have been if the Reivers had simply titled their first album 'Zeitgeist.' "
After the breakup of the band, Croslin turned his hand to producing other bands from his home studio. The short lived ABC show "Cupid" (created by previous Austinite Rob Thomas) featured a character named after John called "Crazy Judge Croslin". The others (who all still reside in the Austin area) have also been involved in various musical projects over the years. (text copyright Rob Caldwell)