The Revivalists have been lauded nationally as a band that spans many genres and playing fields. The New Orleans natives have become some what of a sensation, selling out gigs around the country and making several television appearances.
Their re-release of the City of Sound LP now includes live material from various performances since their inception in 2007.
A unique blend of rock, soul, R&B and indie, the band is set to hit the road again this April, making stops all through the South and eventually heading to New York's Brooklyn Bowl.
Singer David Shaw took some time off from welcoming his sister's newborn to speak with Classicalite about the reissue campaign and what an indie jazz band from New Orleans really means in a larger sense.
Classicalite: The Revivalists span not just a younger audience but an older crowd as well, where you bring these old sounds, which you have "revived," to new listeners who seem to be receiving it well. Where does the name "The Revivalists" come from? What does it mean to you?
David Shaw: You kind of hit it on the head, we're reviving that older style of music and putting a newer twist on it. As far as it goes, [New Orleans], as we were starting the band, was in a big state of resurgence from Katrina. There was a large rebirth of people leaving the city as well as artists coming into it. A lot of times when a disaster hits, artists from all over the world will migrate to that area. It's kind of like this artistic boom that comes from a state of disaster. That's definitely what happened in New Orleans. And, you know, it works two-fold: We're working to preserve a style of music and put our own taste and artistic choices into it. We all like old styles of music, and we all like new styles of music. That makes our style.
C: In reviving these old styles to synergize with your new twist, what do you think of the newer genres of mainstream music. What might it signify?
DS: I mean, I don't want to get down on today's music but, you know, a lot of it's a little soulless. It's made to be a product, just like a lot of things are these days. There's this craftsmanship involved and the next person says, "I see this idea. I'm going to find a way to replicate it." We're trying to instill this craftsmanship in the way we write our songs. It's not songwriting, it's song crafting.
C: Being an indie band--but without cementing yourself to one genre--how do you fit the underground scene in New Orleans? How have you contributed to it?
DS: Before we started as a band, [the scene] was definitely growing and starting. We definitely helped bring a national identity to this underground. It's still growing. And it's still very underground, but I feel like New Orleans is one of America's best kept secrets. That music that comes out of there--hip-hop, jazz and indie--it's all very much influenced by each other. The indie bands that come out of New Orleans don't sound like the indie bands that come out of New York.
C: So, what does indie mean as a term, then? And what does it mean in our most contemporary sense?
DS: It's turned into a genre and a sound; it's just kind of what has happened. People have always done indie, it's not like indie hasn't been around. It's more and more prevalent these days. People are able to do it. You can make a record at your home, on your Apple, fast. It might not sound as good, but that's what has propelled the independent genre. People are making these records on their laptops, one mic, learning how to make it cool. It helps to have $1,000 compressors and people to work on it. But if you have an ear for it, you can make things sound good with just the bare bones.
C: You mentioned New York City and how the New Orleans scene differs from what comes out of there. Which place seems to resemble more of the mainstream than the underground?
DS: You know what, I don't really know. I would consider us more a bastard child of the indie scene. We are influenced heavily by soul, jazz and R&B--that New Orleans sound. We have that straight rock 'n' roll, too. The way I sing, you know, you really don't hear that much in indie sound. New York should be great, though.
C: Regarding the re-release of City of Sound: What does the addition of this new live content mean for this new disc?
DS: Our fans had been asking us to put out more since we released our first live disc in 2009. And we were just playing so much, we didn't really have the money to record a lot of these live shows. Just this past year, we kind of have been able to start recording all of our live shows. Then Wind Up Records approached us and said, "Hey, we want to re-release City of Sound and give it some legs, what do you think about that?" And we said, "Cool, but it's already been out for a year and a half!" So, we continued to wonder what we can do for our fans where they would want to re-listen to the album. They already have it, you know? We're giving the fans an eight-track live disc for free. It's mixed very professionally. We're stoked about it.
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