“Here’s to life!” Fans around the world can be found singing the chorus of the Roger Clyne-penned fan favorite “Mekong” and toasting their glasses in unison to celebrate life through rock-n-roll. But the inspiration for the song dates back to the time Roger went to Taipei, Taiwan, as a college student to teach English during the day and busk with his guitar at night for money.
Today, as Clyne prepares to release his 11th studio album, he continues to transform his life experiences, inspirations, observations and his own muses into timeless music. And whether he’s wearing his Converse high tops, boots or sandals, Clyne’s blend of punk rock, americana, indie-pop and mariachi influences have made him, drummer PH Naffah, guitarist Jim Dalton and bassist Nick Scropos – collectively known as Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers – one of America’s best live rock-n-roll bands.
Starting with the seminal Tempe quartet, The Refreshments, Clyne and Naffah put the fun in rock & roll during the 90s grunge era with a sense of humor. They also started what would become a trademark sound on all future albums by adding mariachi horns, something Clyne was influenced by while in college studying Cultural Anthropology with an ethnography study of mariachis during a three month Spanish-immersion stay with a local family in Ensenada, Mexico.
The Refreshments’ debut album, “Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy,” became a cult classic.
Changes within their record label and internal band issues resulted in Clyne and Naffah going on a vision quest of sorts in the Whetstone Mountains near the Clyne Ranch in Southeastern Arizona. It was there that Clyne found inspiration in the rolling hills and the jukeboxes of small town taverns that still played Marty Robbins and Johnny Cash – music he had shed from his youth in favor of bands like Camper Van Beethoven & They Might Be Giants. But after reconnecting with those old country records, Clyne and Naffah wrote and recorded under a new moniker what would become Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers’ debut album, “Honky Tonk Union.”
The album was the perfect combination of classic rock and twang, and fans immediately connected with it. Their independent release, “Honky Tonk Union,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Internet Album Sales chart in 1999 prompting a call from a Billboard exec to their Manager demanding, “Who the hell is Roger Clyne and why is he #1 on my chart?!” beating out much better known artists that week like Santana, Creed, Nine Inch Nails, Melissa Ethridge and 311.
RCPM released eight more albums that landed in the top ten of Billboard’s Internet Album Sales chart, including a No.1 debut for their third album, “¡Americano!” – all without the backing of a major record label and while flying under the radar of commercial radio.
Currently, they just finished their next album, “Hell to Breakfast.” The first single hit streaming on November 21st, 2025, the second single will drop Jan 9th, 2026 and the album launches March 6th, 2026.
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers have toured all over the US and achieved a faithful following through hard work and great music. They have done this all while being independent, without the safety net of a label or a label’s radio promotion department. Dubbed “The Springsteen of the Southwest,” by the Asbury Park Press the band delivers exciting live performances that garner declarations like the one from emcee Jay Peterman of the Seinfeld TV show at Alice Cooper’s annual Christmas Pudding event, “Young man, you light that stage a-flame!”