Dustbowl Revival

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.

Building a Unique Sound and Fanbase

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.

Independent Success and Notable Collaborations

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 Prison 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.

Changing Lineup and New Members

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 Oleary, 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.

Dustbowl Revival's Place in the Americana Community

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.

The Journey Ahead

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.