Dustbowl Revival

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How do you describe genre-defying roots music adventurers Dustbowl Revival? Even tireless founder and lead songwriter Z. Lupetin would agree you have to come to a show to find out. Going strong into their second decade after starting from a humble Craigslist ad posted in bohemian Venice Beach, some would say Dustbowl’s ever-evolving collective (there have been nearly thirty members!) plays a spicy cocktail of folky-funk or booty-shaking jangly rock n’ soul: expertly mixing their New Orleans-tinted brass section with their signature Laurel Canyon harmonies and fearless lyrics.  

While most bands stay in one lane or fade away quickly, Dustbowl Revival is a testament to building a fanbase and their own sound the old-fashioned way, with hard work and moving songs that stick to your bones when you leave the concert. There’s a reason they continue to get written up in Rolling Stone and Billboard and get played on AAA radio 16 years after they set sail. 

After releasing seven acclaimed albums starting in 2008, including their beloved live record With A Lampshade On (2015) recorded mostly at their LA homebase the famed Troubadour, and their charting self-titled record (2017) produced by Grammy-winner Ted Hutt (Flogging Molly, Old Crow Medicine Show), perhaps their magnum opus is 2020’s deeply personal Is It You, Is It Me - produced by Sam Kassirer (Lake Street Dive, Josh Ritter). It showcases their penchant for orchestral brass and intricate string work with politically-charged story-songs that unfold like mini-movies. It’s not surprising that Z. Lupetin was an award-winning playwright and screenwriter before music took the reins. “Get Rid Of You”, an ode to the courageous kids in Parkland, FL who stood up to demand common-sense control laws be passed is a heart-wrenching staple of each show. 

While staying proudly independent, the band has garnered over ten million streams and counting - with romantic jams like “Honey, I Love You” (featuring bluesmaster Keb’ Mo’) and fan favorites like “Sonic Boom” and “Debtors Pr*son” leading the charge. Many first learned about the band after the now 98-year old legend (and fan of the group) Dick Van Dyke let the gang shoot a music video with him dancing in his signature straw hat at his house - and of course the quirky jam to “Never Had To Go” went viral. 

It hasn’t always been easy - being a 7-8 piece band during the upheaval caused by the pandemic did make some in the band move on - but it also brought in a new supercharged group of amazing players - such as Lashon Halley and more recently Alex Nester on vocals, Chad Richard on electric guitar and Nick Phakpiseth on bass, while still featuring longtime brass players like Ulf Bjorlin, Vikram Devasthali, Joakim Toftgaard, Mike Jones, Max O’leary, and original drummer Josh Heffernan and special guest Michael Villiers to round out the band. Even their original lady singer Caitlin Doyle, who joined after one of the original Craigslist ads went live all those years ago - is back in the fold behind the mic. 

After throwing five of own Sway At Home Festivals during the pandemic to keep the joy going, and creating their own in person gathering Sonic Boom Fest in the hills above Malibu, 2022 and 2023 brought fresh music with their Set Me Free EP and highly-playlisted folk singles “Beside You” and “The Exception” which the features Grammy-nominated The Secret Sisters. Lupetin became a dad and nearly lost his wife too and the track “Be (For July)” and its emotional music video brought in new listeners from around the globe. 

Long known for their knock-out festival performances which often spill off the stage into the crowd - recent notable  appearances at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco, Rhythm N Roots in Rhode Island, Waterfront Blues in Portland, The Cambridge Folk Fest in England and Tonder Festival in Denmark highlight a few of their favorite stops - not to mention their state-department tour of China which prompted a funny mini documentary on Youtube. 

In 2019 the group completed a successful run of performing art centers paying homage to their heroes in The Band and in 2024-2025 Dustbowl is embarking on a new run of theaters and festivals showcasing the music of LA’s Laurel Canyon. A brassy Beatles cover will come this fall followed by a new record of originals slated for early 2025 - recorded in a cabin studio in Wisconsin with noted engineer Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens). 

However you sip their sound, Dustbowl Revival has become a beloved fixture of the Americana community - from playing tiny speakeasies and pubs around their southern California base, to headlining thousands of shows in ten countries and counting. Indeed, founder Z. Lupetin’s quixotic Craigslist ad hoping to find like-minded music-makers to play songs inspired equally by  Wilco, Bob Dylan and Springsteen as Nina Simone, Fleetwood Mac and Bill Withers may seem confusing, but somehow it worked.  

“Maybe we don’t know where this journey will take us or how long it will last,” acknowledges Lupetin, “That’s my take on the importance of what we try to do. Music elevates us, lifts us up, makes us change our minds, takes us out of our comfort zones. If just one person can be moved by just one song, that’s enough.” 

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