The Dustbowl Revival

Based out of Venice, California, the Dustbowl Revival operate as an expansive string and brass ensemble whose blend of swing, bluegrass, jazz, and Americana has built them a nationwide audience. Early recordings captured a loose, playful spirit that highlighted the natural give-and-take among players, an approach that reached its high point with the 2015 live-in-the-studio release With a Lampshade On. The self-titled 2017 album shifted the ensemble toward a more current sonic palette and studio polish while retaining the interplay made possible by its sizable instrumental roster.

Zach Lupetin assembled the core lineup in 2007 after posting a Craigslist notice seeking fellow musicians and collaborators; he has remained the group’s bandleader and chief songwriter. The act quickly became known for its high-energy, boisterous performances, and its roster has expanded at times to fifteen players featuring assorted horns, mandolin, banjo, accordion, clarinet, and the contrasting vocals of Lupetin alongside co-vocalist Liz Beebe. Their debut full-length, Holy Ghost Station, appeared in 2011 and showcased the collective’s range through an emphasis on old-time rave-ups, early gospel, and swing. Carry Me Home followed in 2013 and pursued a comparable direction, merging brass-band traditions with vintage string-band textures and large-scale group singing.

The third album, 2015’s With a Lampshade On, adopted a more immediate method by documenting the band onstage in San Francisco and Los Angeles, supplemented by studio takes recorded live in New York; the resulting set offered the clearest rendering of their sound up to that point. Two years afterward the ensemble issued its fourth record, produced by Grammy-winning Ted Hutt, which tightened arrangements and moved toward a contemporary feel while preserving the retro character that had defined their identity. Is It You, Is It Me arrived in 2020 with a more unadorned, naturalistic production style even as the material advanced the group’s modern pop leanings.