Los Angeles
Joyful, Cathartic Storytellers

The Dustbowl Revival have already staked their claim as hometown favorites, thanks to their can’t-miss concerts, but the Los Angeles-based eight-piece ensemble is anxious to show that they can make great records, too. With their self-titled release, the band still demonstrates the good-time feeling of those lively performances, but also explores some deeper, darker terrain. It’s hard to call this a shift in style for a group that has never followed convention, always embracing a multitude of genres. But, for singer, guitarist and band founder Zach Lupetin, there was a conscious effort to expand the emotional range of their repertoire. “The music that I love most touches on this basic truth of taking a painful experience and turning it into a joyful, cathartic story,” explains Lupetin. “On this record, we’re putting it all on the table: the dark and the light.” Ted Hutt was a key catalyst in the studio—one of his chief goals as producer was to massage the band’s live sound. “Getting us to chill back,” says singer Liz Beebe. “Because our shows are so raucous and involved, having Ted tell people to stop showing off was important.” Working as an equal partnership fostered a healthy, new collaborative environment, which led to the record’s eponymous title. “This was the first album I felt had eight different voices as a part of it,” she adds. The roots folk-funk outfit—who are known for their couplets of lock-tight horns and strings, from trombone and trumpet to mandolin and fiddle—can just as easily define themselves with soulful, harmony-rich vocals as with high-octane, instrumental bliss. And, after playing upward of 200 shows a year around the country, they’ve certainly learned how to keep their audiences engaged.
“The difference now is that we try to put some of the emotional, darker songs in the set,” says Lupetin. “Not that we don’t get people’s boots stomping,” says Beebe.