BIT O’ PRESS
New record + show review in Seattle’s MONARCH REVIEW
Article in PASADENA WEEKLY
“The Dustbowl Revival swings so solidly that all the effort remains behind the curtain. All that can be heard is a large group of people playing and singing their hearts out. And having an awesome great time while they do it. Positively infectious. I defy anyone to get through this album without smiling, much less taking to the floor and grabbing the nearest partner. It doesn’t matter if you know how to dance; there are so many styles on this disc even someone with three left feet could find something that worked. Absolutely fabulous.”
–AIDING AND ABETTING
“The Dustbowl Revival throw everything they’ve got at recreating a folk band, swing band, rock n roll band, a jazz-roots-jive band, an uncategorisable, wild, dance band. You’d have to be a gloomy beggar not to jig around to this; it’s well-rehearsed fun. ‘Dan’s Jam’ is the sound of a party your great-grandpop might’ve been at, back in the day, and ‘Swingin’ Sammy’ sees the band possessed by Cab Calloway…9-10 Rating.”
–AMERICANA UK
“They’ve gone to the top of the Monarch Charts. This band is rangy: Gypsy, Country, Swing, Blues, Rock and Roll–they can do it all–and without sounding like a mish-mash hodge-podge. The music lives again, and so bountifully as to make us nostalgic for the present!”
MONARCH REVIEW (SEATTLE)
“Bluegrass swing like the Blue Ridge miners from the 1920’s heading into town for dancing and drinking.”
–MUSIC SPECTRUM
Recent Live Review From FREE FOR ALL FESTIVAL
“Many great acts graced the stages at the Free For All Festival, but there were a few acts that really stuck out in my mind. The Dustbowl Revival was one of those bands. They played a great mixture of jazzy swing and Big Band style music, without the cliche pop swing sound that is commonly associated with this genre of music nowadays. They sounded authentic and had the audience up and moving. Most audience members ended up looking like hippies dancing around to a Grateful Dead tune more than swing dancers, but nontheless, people were feeling what The Dustbowl Revival was serving up and enjoying every minute of it.”
“With a name that evokes an era decades past, Dustbowl Revival can surprise audiences as one of the more musically sure-footed and adventurous ensembles in town — and, not coincidentally, one of the most fun.…That may seem an unlikely observation to make about a band of smartly dressed merrymakers who routinely pillage songbooks from the 1920s and ’30s. But bandleader Zach Lupetin and his “folk-blues orchestra” work hard to win over listeners.”
“The thirteen songs and one hour’s worth of sounds that comprise this collection of songs covers an awful lot of ground over its duration, which I imagine will confuse and turn away some who give this record a chance. It’s an unfortunate truth of our oft-closed minded society, because this album is a real joy for those who look for and are able to establish a connection with what the band is trying to do. Moreover, You Can’t Go Back to the Garden of Eden is just an awful lot of fun when it comes down to it and is the type of LP that can easily stand out and distinguish itself from the rest of your music collection.”
–STRIKER BILL
“…The first few songs on You Can’t Go Back To The Garden of Eden remind us in many ways of The Kinks’ Muswell Hillbillies album. Some of this band’s tunes have a cool, loose New Orleans flavor that is characterized by cool spontaneous vocals and some really nifty and loose dixieland horns. As the album progresses, the tunes seem to become more sparse and direct…which is pretty damn cool considering the fact that most bands take the exact opposite approach.”
–BABY SUE
“If you’re not having fun while listening to this fantastic big-band, bluegrass blending of styles, I don’t know what to tell you. They’d be perfect for a dancehall jamboree or a front-porch house party…”
–THE WOUNDED JUKE BOX
“The Dustbowl Revival doesn’t exactly follow the fickle path of fashion. A sweet-hearted ride through Dylanesque melancholy [that] ends with a whistle.”
–Magnet Magazine
“It’s kind of ironic that in these days of economic recession that a band comes along that literally sounds as if it came wandering out of the dustbowl around the time of the Great Depression. Traditional music has never sounded so uplifting or fun to listen to.”
–The Pop! Stereo
“I believe that Zach Lupetin knows the blues deep down in his soul…his is a timeless, happy sound – a very talented singer.”
–Freddy Celis / Rootstime Magazine, Belgium
“Venice-based The Dustbowl Revival sounds dusty all right and harks to an era when a washboard and kazoo were cutting-edge. Grab a spot on the porch swing.”
–Kevin Bronson, Buzzbands LA
“Mr. Lupetin obviously loves this music and the players match his affection with their technique which results in something utterly charming. Matt Rubin’s trumpet work throughout flits around the songs pollinating and stinging, transporting the listener to a black and white life, Dennis Potter, Woody Allen, raising musical eyebrows with a knowing wink. If you want to picture it, think of Clem Snide in a 1930′s musical with Eddie Cantor or the soundtrack to an unseen Marx Brothers film and you’ll be somewhere near.”
—David Cowling, Americana UK
“Any band with a tuba, trombone and washboard (among many other wonderful instruments) should definitely be listened to. The LA music landscape is so rich, so innovative, with so many bands taking so many chances to make their sounds heard. As I slid into my spot at the Silverlake Lounge the other night I was reminded of this very fact. This crazy brass concoction, eight piece band, whose sound is way too large for this stage, brought me back to another era. Their music is a throwback to a previous sound, one that littered joyous nights from the west to the east coasts bringing into its merriment all that would be taken hold of by this music. And while I was not alive all those years ago, The Dustbowl Revival does an amazing job of channeling a creative force from the past while making it truly their own as they performed for us…there is a genuine and very organic approach to their sounds, allowing them to play music the only way they know how which is by having tons of fun on stage and making the sounds truly their own. The Dustbowl Revival makes happy music, right to the core, leaving you with a smile on your face.”
—Loudvine.com
“I ended up really enjoying this. It would go nice with a drunken bar scene in a movie. Also, that is definitely the coolest trumpet solo I’ve heard all year. I doubt you’ll ever hear something like this on MTV, but it’s a nice addition to your collection if you like unique music.”
–-Pigeons And Planes
