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 woulr say Dustbowl’s energetic 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 18+ 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 moved to LA from Chicago with everything he owned in the back of his Saab hatchback to be a  script writer before music took the reins.  

While the group has a reputation for leading joyful horn-blasted mini parades off the stage and sometimes rig out of the venue, it’s the storytelling that keeps folks coming back. “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 and “Get Right” - a new stomp blues that will be a part of their upcoming 2026  record, confronts the vigilante justice that exists throughout our country head on. 

While staying proudly independent, the band has garnered over twenty million streams and counting - with romantic jams like “Honey, I Love You” (featuring bluesmaster Keb’ Mo’) and fan favorites like the intense love song “Sonic Boom” and universal  healthcare ode “Debtors Prison” leading the charge.  

Many first learned about the band after the now 100-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; the quirky jam to “Never Had To Go” went viral, being 

seen over five million times, while being featured on an HBO documentary about aging with joy. A new Hollywood collab is on the way too: funnyman Ed Helms (who once hired the band to play his wedding) will join the band on his banjo in the song “Tall Tales” which will be on the new record as well. A special cameo from Vulfpeck’s Theo  Katzman on the spooky “Change Your Mind” will also come out soon. 

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. Powerhouse Lashon Halley and more recently  Alex Nester on vocals reshaped the sound as did Chad Richard on electric guitar and Nick Phakpiseth on bass, and the group still features longtime brass players like Ulf Bjorlin, Vikram Devasthali and new trumpet masters Mike Jones, Austin Drake, Max O’leary and more. The original drummer Josh Heffernan has kept the heartbeat going for nearly 15 years as well as 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 features Grammy nominated The Secret Sisters from Muscle Shoals. Life has continued to spill into the music along the way: Lupetin became a dad and nearly lost his wife to a harrowing medical incident - and the track “Be (For July)” and its emotional music video brought in new listeners from around the globe - with the new album cut “Mr. Steady” taking  the emotions with strings from original member Connor Vance to the next level.