Outdoor Sounds: Drummer Chris Rieser perseveres after fire destroys instruments, equipment

On June 16, musician Chris Rieser and his daughter Ruby finished dinner and sat down to watch a movie. At the same time, unbeknownst to them, the 30-by-30 foot building that housed nearly all of his equipment was on fire.

Eleven custom-built drum kits, the drum set a 13-year-old Rieser received from his parents for Christmas, the drum set he used when he taught, a medium-sized light show for the stage, three PA systems – all destroyed. The building also housed aquariums, Rieser’s parent’s antiques and artwork. Family heirlooms, pictures and two vehicles were also lost in the fire.

The cause of the fire is undetermined, and there is a GoFundMe page and an account at Spokane Federal Credit Union under “RIESER EMERG. FUND” set up to help Rieser rebuild. (As of Thursday people had donated $4,300 of his $20,000 goal.)

Just a week after the fire, Rieser performed a show at Curley’s in Hauser.

When asked what motivated him to return to the stage so soon, Rieser’s answer was simple.

“You realize that, no matter what you are going through at the moment, the show must go on,” he said in an email.

This mentality has followed Rieser throughout his career, which began in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1975 and eventually settling in Spokane, Rieser’s drive has led him to gigs as a performer and a teacher.

For the past 18 years, he’s made a name for himself as half of a duo with Jay Rawley.

Rieser and Rawley will perform as part of the Browne’s Addition Concert Series on Thursday.

The pair met through a mutual friend who invited Rawley to Rieser’s acoustic show to play a few songs. Rieser immediately loved Rawley’s playing and sense of humor.

“He and I found out early on that our musical interests meshed perfectly,” Rieser said. “It seems that from the beginning, any song that we approached seem to work. Then we started writing our own material, which I’m very proud of.

“He’s a wonderful musician, but even more than that, he is an excellent human being. I have not met a more kind and quick-witted individual.”

A typical Rieser and Rawley show includes anything from Nat King Cole to acoustic Led Zeppelin. The pair is also open to new ideas from audience members.

“There have been numerous times that we would get a request for a song we didn’t know but somehow magically it became a new song for our playlist,” Rieser said.

Having lived in Spokane for so long, Rieser has a hard time comparing the city’s music scene, which he said has excellent musicians, with that of Muscle Shoals, which he said has “magic that is incomparable.”

“Each town or city has its different vibe within its music community,” he said.

From the immediate outpouring of support Rieser received after the fire, in the form of monetary donations and offers to let Rieser borrow equipment and transportation, it’s clear the Spokane music community has embraced him as he’s embraced it and that the city will always make sure Rieser and Rawley’s show goes on.