This River Rocks!

It Was A Top Secret Concert & Only SuperStars Was Invited!! You Are Too!

Ri-i-inng! R-i-i-ing!  The phone at SuperStars office doesn’t usually ring more than twice before it’s scooped up by one of our editors.  This time, someone very special was on the other end-River Phoenix! ‘Course, SuperStars and River are in constant contact, but this phone call was extra special.

River, as you know, has always loved music-he’s been singing, writing songs and playing guitar since he was a kid!-now, he’s formed a band.  And guess what? That band was about to give a very private concert in a funky Hoboken, New Jersey rock club.  Could SuperStars come? We’d be the only magazine there!

Now, how could anyone turn that invite down?

Meet Aleka’s Attic!

River’s rock group is called Aleka’s Attic-it’s a name, he confided, he made up, a character from one of his fictional stories.  He’s the lead singer of the band and plays guitar; his sister Rainbow does back-up vocals, plays maracas and tamborine.  Three of the most adorable guys you’ve ever seen are part of the band, too: Josh McKay is the bass player, Joshua Green, a friend of River’s from Florida, is the drummer and Tim Hankins handles guitar plus the sweet, lush sounds of the viola!

Aleka’s Attic’s been practicing for the past several months-performing all of River’s original progressive folk-rock songs in very tiny clubs all up and down the east coast.  Only River has made super sure no one knew that he was the front man for the band! He wants Aleka’s Attic to be accepted for its music-not because people know River Phoenix is involved!

River Up Close-’N Singin’!

As SuperStars entered the club, we were met by River’s mom, Arlyn, who told us that River’s signed to star in a hot new movie! And she also mentioned that Leaf-River’s adorable young brother, natch!-has just completed filming Parenthood, a film starring Steve Martin!

When we went backstage to look for River, we found him-moving equipment and hooking up amplifiers and guitars! No star treatment for this genuinely nice and humble superstar-why, he didn’t even tell his bandmates when he got his big Academy Award nomination!!  That’s how modest River Phoenix is!!

River’s hair has grown very long-in fact, it falls in his face when he talks; he’s constantly having to brush it back.  He’s lean and dresses very simply –grey corduroy jeans and a t-shirt that says “People For The  Ethical Treatment of Animals,” one of River’s most passionate causes.  Both he and Rain perform in black high top canvas sneakers-no leather for this dedicated duo!

River’s songs are personal-there’s one called “Knee High,” all about being a kid, another titled “In The Corner, Dunce,” (which sort of speaks for itself!).  There’s “Light Of The Night” and a very special tune, “Man Is Somewhere.” “It’s all about being in search of something,” River explained earnestly.

As the band played, the tiny group there to watch moved along with the music-though River calls it folk rock (and it indeed tells stories), the beat is definitely danceable!

River On Record

So when will you be able to hear Aleka’s Attic for yourself?  Sooner than you might think! For the band is working closely with Island Records-when they’re all ready, an album will be put together.  And when that happens, how will you know about it?  Why, as soon as River calls SuperStars, we’ll give you the buzz!

                *Excerpt from a 1980/1990s Teen Magazine*

When RIVER PHOENIX asked us to come hear his band ALEKA’S ATTIC at New York’s funkiest club, Wetlands, we were totally cool about it and only got there an hour early.  But soon the joint was jammin’ with River’s environmentally hip pals, like LISA BONET and MARTHA PLIMPTON, there to groove to the folksy tunes that he and sister Rain sang.  At the after-bash, River said of his music, “I want to wake up the masses.” But by 4:00 A.M. we were all running on empty, ‘cept LILI TAYLOR, who kept raving about the band, “They’re so brave, so fearless, I loved it.” We dug it, too but for the next gig, Rio...could you lose the ‘burns?

                                  *Malissa (Seventeen January 1991)*