Merging Fashion and Music: National contest winner Keeping Riley and Of Rags to Tour the East Coast.

Oct. 7, 2010 - PRLog -- Jersey’s Keeping Riley will be busy this fall semester hitting up college campuses all along the east coast on their Of Rags College Campus Tour. The versatile 8 piece has partnered up with Of Rags (www.ofrags.com) to create a touring event emphasizing how socially conscious purchasing can have real affects in Western Africa.  Keeping Riley’s unique blend of jazz, blue-eyed funk, and pop allowed them to  beat over 7000 bands in a four-tier competition (two live battles, two rounds of online voting) to gain a record deal with Rock X Records in 2009.  The band just recently finished a 25-city, national headlining tour (where they performed with the likes of Train, Soul Asylum, The Bravery, and Badfish).  The band is eager to promote the release of their first label-backed release, Welcome Fire (available on iTunes), which was produced by the legendary Michael Seifert (Tori Amos, Regina Spektor, Colbie Cailat, Lifehouse) at Ante Up Audio in Cleveland over winter 2009-10.

After playing a fashion show with Of Rags to kick-start their summer tour, Keeping Riley quickly got on board with Of Rag’s mission of making fashion sustainable and compassion cool.  Both groups wanted to target a demographic that would be receptive to both the music and the message—college students.  In fact, a pair of current NYU students started the fashion company.  The clothes combine Ghanaian textiles with trendy urban designs to produce clothes that make a statement.  Using seed money acquired from the competitive Reynolds Grant, Of Rags is determined to donate 40% of its proceeds to public health initiatives in Ghana, including a special needs school.  In addition, Liberian refugees based in Ghana create the clothes at fair wages. The fashion company provides a great partner for the feel-good grooves of Keeping Riley’s signature sound.


Armed with acoustic rhythm, electric melodies, lively percussion, a powerful horn section, and harmonious vocals, Keeping Riley offers a truly unique concert experience.  As long as the universities provide the crowds, the band will do the rest to put them on their feet.  For more information on the band or the Of Rags Tour (such as dates and locations), please visit www.keepingriley.com or myspace.com/keepingriley.