It seems that whilst River found no pleasure in movies, fame or show business, he did find happiness as a musician. "Music is a whole oasis in my head," he said. "The creation process is so personal and fulfilling."

River wrote a song during the making of A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon that got the attention of Chris Blackwell, head of Island Records who offered him a development deal. "I was Chris Blackwell's pet project," said River. "It's an open-ended contract and works entirely around the career in films I've established. Chris is very patient and is happy to let it brew away and see what it turns into."

River Phoenix top center Rain Phoenix top right

When the Phoenix family moved to Gainesville, Florida, River found friends who shared his love of rock music. They would play all-night sessions together and soon formed a band called Aleka's Attic. River himself thought of the name. "Aleka is a poet philosopher," he said. "The Attic is a meeting place where he lives and he has a secret society. They come and visit him and read his works. He then dies and they meet irregularly and continue the readings of his works, and from that learn their own, and become filled with this new passion for life. And they express it through music and form a band. We've put it in a fairytale setting." The band's first song, Aleka Dozy Encircles, tells this fairytale.

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