Editor’s Note: River Rise Band (Classic Rock, Curitiba – PR), formed by Juliana von Mühlen (vocals) and Márcio Arend (guitars), is about to release their first album, Right Path, which will be available on all streaming platforms from March 19th 2021 on. Got curious? Their music is already out there, with the singles Unreal and Give It a Try, released in January and February 2021.
Right Path has Classic Rock, Blues and Soul features, with the best combination of drums, bass, guitar and vocals in English. The album has life changes as the main theme, and establishes a harmonic dialog among the expressive guitar lines from Márcio Arend, blunt riffs and engaging solos, and the voice melodies at times sweet or nostalgic, at times strong and decisive, from Juliana von Mühlen – the main strengths of this sounding blast!
The songs have all been composed, produced and recorded by the band itself, completely independent in their home studio, between June and October 2020. Juliana is responsible for all the lyrics; and Márcio, besides recording the guitars, drums and bass, also takes care of the sound mixing. Currently, the musicians are working on the launching of their first album and preparing the production of the first music video. To follow the band and for more information, go to www.riverriseband.com and h
In this mental health conversation with Madness To Creation, Juliana von Muhlen of River Rise Band discusses education, mental health, “Right Path” and the 2021 release of their single “Unreal.”. They also discuss Brazilian culture and the rock music scene of Brazil. Fans can also find River Rise Band at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/theriverriseband
www.instagram.com/riverriseband
Category One: Education
Madness To Creation: How has music education impacted you as an artist? What were some amazing things that you learned?
Juliana von Muhlen: I didn’t have music classes at school, but I sang in the school choir and I learned to play the guitar when I was a child. Music has always been in my life and as I always wanted to sing I had to learn how to study it on my own.
Madness To Creation: Tell me a teacher that inspired you to be the person that you are today, how did they inspire you?
Juliana von Muhlen: I had a singing teacher who helped build up my confidence and really encouraged me to believe in myself and to believe in my voice. I’ll always be grateful to her! Fortunately, I always had teachers who inspired me and changed my life.
Madness To Creation: Most difficult and easiest subject for you in school and why?
Juliana von Muhlen: I always loved Literature, History and Portuguese, so those were the easiest subjects for me. The most difficult subjects always were Geography and Biology.
Category Two: Mental Health
Madness To Creation: What is the soundtrack to your life? Meaning who is your go-to artist/band and what song/album gets you through the most?
Juliana von Muhlen: That is a difficult question to answer! Over the years, music has helped me through so many tough times in my life, it’s difficult to choose just one song or just one band, but “Alice in Chains”, “A Perfect Circle” and “Ataraxia” are certainly on my list.
Madness To Creation: Tell me about a time that was difficult for you and you rose to the occasion and realized everything was going to be okay?
Juliana von Muhlen: When my family split I was a teenager and that moment was very difficult, but at the same time I had to learn to live alone and that was a great learning experience for me. So I realized that everything was going to be okay as long as I believed in myself.
Madness To Creation: What are some routines or regiments you do to keep your mental health in check?
Juliana von Muhlen: I try to do yoga every day and I do my vocal exercises every day to keep my vocal health. I read books constantly and I continue to study different subjects. It helps me stay in good mental health.
Madness To Creation: Advice you have for the reader that is struggling.
Juliana von Muhlen: Believe in yourself and never give up. Keep studying! Learning new things is exciting and rewarding, so is therapeutic for a troubled time.
Madness To Creation: Biggest thing you learned about yourself through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Juliana von Muhlen: I learned to believe in myself as a songwriter and I learned how to accept my own voice for what it is.
Category Three: The music of River Rise Band:
Madness To Creation: Take us into the Brazilian music scene, personally I love the scene because it’s so rich and organic.
Juliana von Muhlen: The Brazilian music scene is very rich! From “samba” and “bossanova” to rock and heavy metal. Brazil has many talented musicians and there is a lot of musical diversity because the country is huge.
Madness To Creation: What was the most “Unreal” story about your single, meaning what did you learn about yourself in the band and making music with the single?
Juliana von Muhlen: I think the “Unreal” part of making this song was the meaning of the lyrics for me. I composed it and it was only after I recorded it that I really understood the meaning. And the fact that my husband and I made this entire album by ourselves, in our house, from songwriting to mixing, was really a great learning experience!
Madness To Creation: Biggest influences for River Rise Band
Juliana von Muhlen: We love “Maragold”, “Joe Bonamassa”, “Larkin Poe”, they’re huge influences for us as a band.
Madness To Creation: What can fans expect from “Right Path?”
Juliana von Muhlen: “Right Path” saved us. During the pandemic we composed this album to keep our minds healthy. We put all our love and all our hope into these songs, so people can expect an honest and versatile album, a rock and blues album centered on life changes, battles between expectation and reality, memories and desires.
Madness To Creation: What else would you like to add in regards to the band?
Juliana von Muhlen: More than a band Márcio Arend (guitar) and me, Juliana von Mühlen (vocals) are a family. Married since 2018, we currently live in Brazil. Sharing individual experiences and influences, we managed to combine them into original compositions creating our own first album. We hope this is just the beginning of our path.
And there you have it! Check out the album “Right Path” by River Rise Band in its entirety below!
