Dustbowl Revival
Dustbowl Revival has always been about pushing the boundaries of what American roots music can be. After celebrating over a decade of sonic adventuring and playing thousands of shows together in ten countries and counting, the group collected a devoted fanbase globally.
After spending years on the road, selling out hometown shows at LA’s famed Troubadour, headlining festivals and wowing crowds from Denmark to China, Dustbowl Revival never stopped making their joyful, booty-shaking soul songs and cut-to-heart folk-rock ballads that lift up their transcendent live shows.
Founder Z. Lupetin sought to find fellow musicians who shared his roving love of Louis Armstrong, Bob Wills, Old Crow Medicine Show, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin and the brass bands of New Orleans, but also wanted to write songs like Americana pioneers Wilco, Lucinda Williams and even Bruce Springsteen.
Dustbowl Revival is - Z. Lupetin (vocals/guitar), Josh Heffernan (drums/percussion), and Lashon Halley (vocals) with the help of Ulf Bjorlin (trombone), Stephen Musselman (guitar/pedal steel), Yosmel Montejo (bass), and Leider Chapotin (trumpet).
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 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.
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.”
Brothers Conor and Ryan Ashe discovered the magical and rad ways of rock n roll music at the age of 12. Through the mystical spirals of their musical journey, they picked up a multitude of sonic influences ranging from classical to jam, psychedelic to Americana, prog to alternative rock. It was then that the lightning bolt struck, and they had an epiphany. Music was their calling. And they were going to answer one way or another. They decided that the purpose of their band, Ashe Brothers would be to bridge the gap, not only among people of all kinds, but among music of all genres as well; ultimate inclusiveness. These brothers never gave up on their dream to pursue their passion. With such a degree of diligence and drive, they have landed several great opportunities and worked with some of the finest musicians in the business. Their vocal precision and harmonic mastery procured them a gig covering for Art Garfunkel in Chicago when a blizzard grounded him in his hometown of New York City. Their eclectic knowledge and appreciation of the psychedelic 60's awarded them an opening slot as a four-piece rock band for the legendary Jefferson Starship. They tackled the scene in Chicago then shipped their ambitions half way across the country to the rough and tumble entertainment capital of Los Angeles. Although they've gained tons of experience, their journey is just beginning. Keep up with them and join the Ashehole family! They'd love to meet you on the run sometime!