MEET THE BAND
Zach Lupetin
The Dustbowl founder and kazoo-loving frontman was born in Chicago, had roots and blues groups in Michigan (Go Blue!), lived in New York City, traveled to 18 countries and finally settled out in sunny Venice beach in 2007. Soon after arriving he formed what was to become the Dustbowl Revival, starting as a Carter-Family style string band and expanding it into the ‘little big band’ folk-jazz collective it is today. Classically trained for over a decade on violin, Zach grew up playing bass in rock and blues outfits before falling for bluegrass, jazz, jug band and traditional Americana in college where he formed a roots group called The Royal Family and began writing tunes on harmonica and acoustic guitar. In LA Zach is also a produced playwright, a screenwriter, photographer, and boy detective. Zach wishes he could play clarinet but the tuba-kazoo will have to do for now.
Caitlin Doyle
A Fresno, CA-born chanteuse with the sweetest smile and biggest pipes in the west, Caitlin joined Dustbowl in early 2009 and helped create the current band’s signature swingin’ sound. Beloved for her swell harmony skills, blues growl, wacky washboard wizardry and impeccable sense of style, Caitlin does justice to her heroes Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell (and Sarah Silverman). Caitlin received a BA in Contemporary Music from The University of Middlesex, taught vocal workshops in England and Sweden and studied with Terrance Blanchard at Fresno State. She is also a talented songwriter in her own right and will challenge you to an arm wrestling match day or night.
Daniel Mark
Proud Santa Monica Viking and master marauder of the mandolin, Daniel “Dando” Mark has been playing stringed instruments since he could talk and only started playing the mandolin three years ago. A student of mandolin prodigy Evan Marshall and diligent follower of mandolin luminary David Grisman, Daniel seeks to bring back the mandolin into the forefront of modern folk music where it belongs. An amateur rapper, protector of the environment and bedroom stand-up comic, while he doesn’t often smile on stage, he’s forgiven because his blistering bluegrass solos take a lot of damn concentration. “No,” Daniel says, “the mandolin is not like a ukulele.”
Matt Rubin
Trumpet terror Matt Rubin grew up in Chicago, literally down the same street as Zach but didn’t meet him until they crossed paths in LA in 2008. Since getting his undergraduate and masters degrees in music at USC, Matt has tooted his horn in some of the hottest bands in town and has shared the stage with artists from all genres of music, such as Dave Brubeck, Wynton Marsalis, Steve Miller, and Stevie Wonder. A respected teacher based in Pasadena, Matt is featured on both Dustbowl records, and his nasty ‘guard-your-women’ trumpet solos are a wonder to behold. Lately, he’s even joined in on shaker, tambourine and back-up vocals duties.
Ulf Bjorlin
A Swedish-born trombonist extraordinaire, Zach first saw Ulf in renown local folk orchestra Vaud & The Villains and long being obsessed with the trombone, lured him into the group with promises of glory, suitcases of cash and beautiful women. While the gains have been slightly more modest, Ulf joined Matt as an original member of Dustbowl’s talented and growing horn section and has thrived ever since, helping Zach pen some of the group’s big-band horn lines. Trained classically at institutions in Boston, New York, Florida and Michigan, (he can sing a bit of opera so watch out) Ulf is an in-demand studio and concert musician who can also be seen in Ruby Friedman’s orchestra. Some girl fans of Dustbowl have complained that he isn’t quite as dreamy since he cut his hair but we’ll let you be the judge.
Austin Nicholsen
As he is not on Facebook and is a Vegan who wears overalls in all seasons, some may believe that Austin doesn’t really exist. Dustbowl knows better – a valuable new addition to the bass corps, Austin has been thwacking away at the bass fiddle and a host of other instruments since he was a lad in upstate NY, and has recently mastered the tiny tropical ukulele, with which he helps front the lovely folk-jazz troupe Leftover Cuties, one of Dustbowl’s favorite groups. He has also played with such accomplished groups as The Cousin Lovers and String Theory, traveling the west in boxcars and VWs and he is known to transport his bass on his back, no joke, while riding his spray-painted honda motor scooter. Yeehaw. He will be joining Dustbowl on their new record!
Jonathan Mohr
As the tallest member of the band, bassist and tuba player Jon Mohr is responsible for both holding down the rhythm and detecting dangerous weather patterns before they strike. Jon is all about versatility. Each week you can see him hopping around the hills and valleys doing tux-only symphony gigs, big bands in the afternoon and rockabilly dives at 1am. He’s also a proud union member, father, husband and part-time UN Peacekeeper in the violent regions of upper Greenland.
Josiah Mory
The longest standing member of the Dustbowl Revival, Josiah was around at the very beginning when Dustbowl was a small string band playing the dankest corners of Los Angeles proper and has returned after a stint away on tour. Known for his wall-shaking laugh and smooth ‘I’ll-seduce-your-mother-and-your-sister’ charm, not to mention his powerful lightning fingered bass playing, Josiah probably knows more of the tunes inside and out than anybody. He’s also an awesome bodyguard.
Josh Heffernan
One of the most needed additions to the Dustbowl collective, Josh has proven to be a rock solid behind the drum kit, subtly slipping in and out of the chicken-fried rhythms of the deep south and then charging hard with Chicago blues beats without so much as breaking a sweat. Coming out of the Pacific Northwest, he studied at LA Music with Caitlin and has played across the globe, with stints in Panama City, Mexico and islands across the Caribbean. If you rub his head, you will love long and prosper.
Nate Ketner
Nate may be built like a linebacker but he’d rather tackle your ass with his clarinet and sax skills which feel alot like getting hit by a semi-truck on the 101 except that it feels damn good. Nate has been blowin’ for over 15 years, playing jazz from the teens to the present, r&b, funk, gospel, fusion, rock, hip-hop, Brazilian, salsa, cumbia, blues and–dustbowl swing. He sits in with big bands, New Orleans brass bands, vocalists, jazz combos, and small group collectives, you name it. He’s played with Jeff Hamilton, Anthony Wilson, Mark Whitfield, Conrad Herwig, Bobby Shew and more. He can bench press two Toyota Camerys, fyi.
Connor Vance
Let’s get to the basics. Our beloved fiddle phenom is a young man but a wise soul with a way with the ladies, a hip-hop heart, a bluegrass soul and a gypsy’s mind. Sorry cougars, he’s a freshman at UCLA in music and photography so we often have to pry him away from his studies with bribes and sweets. According to Time magazine Connor started listening to texas swing, gypsy jazz, celtic jigs, and yiddish swing in 3rd grade (thanks to the random music at the public library) and started violin at 8 years old. Teachers/enablers include david killen, guido lamell, guillaume sutre. Connor has played with orchestras in walt disney hall (2x), carnegie hall, west hollywood, vienna, salzburg, and prague. He also won top prize at the Topanga Fiddle & Banjo Conest in advanced fingerpicking guitar. Show off. Connor also builds skateboards, skimboards, backpacks, and hopes to learn how to make chocolate. Let’s ask the man himself and see what he has to say: “I am a journeyman sent from no place in existence, and I am here to bring sonorous melodies to spice up the lives of the people. What’s life without being awake?” Who knows. He absolutely has never done any drugs and has never been arrested (as of this writing) and we aim to keep it that way. When he goes into “Orange Blossom Special”, people tend to lose their minds.
Ray Bergstrom
Brother Ray was born and raised in Pasadena, CA and grew up listening to his dad playing pop, rock, and jazz songs on the piano. After trying the piano and the clarinet as a child, he settled on the guitar at age 13, initially inspired by classic rock and metal and later getting into jazz, funk, bluegrass, Afrobeat, and gypsy jazz. In addition to old-timeying it up with Dustbowl, Ray can be seen around town and around the country playing gypsy guitar with the Icy Hot Club, shredding heavy metal with Just Say Ozzy, wowing the teens and tweens with Glee heartthrob Mark Salling, and getting my world music groove on with the Nikhil Korula Band. He is inclined to wear vests with nothing under them and he does not sweat under any circumstances. Ray also has launched a business writing custom songs for events and occasions. Did we mention he’s also a noted local college physics professor?
Dan Gianotti (On Leave)
Dan first met the band as they were returning from San Francisco. He noticed Caitlin carrying a washboard and came over to investigate. A lover and collector of old-timey music, indeed, Dan was the banjo player Dustbowl had been looking for and it was a nice coincidence that he lived down the street from Zach in Venice. Probably the smartest member of Dustbowl, Dan hails from the tropical resort town of Anchorage, Alaska and he holds a masters in Mathematics which he teaches to children and test-takers of all stripes across LA. A man of many hobbies, when Dan is not buying another banjo (at one point he had six) or learning old Serbian folk tunes, he’s might be biking in the mountains, repairing old electronics or photographing the freaks of Venice with one of his many cameras. He is also known to wear pink belts.
Chloe Feoranzo (On Leave)
Chloe is the tiniest, youngest, newest and raciest member of The Dustbowlers and her effortless clarinet playing has been getting uproarious applause from every venue she has jived in. Don’t tell the bartenders and the booking agents, she just turned 18 and yet Chloe sounds like a grizzled vet from a late 30′s big band and along with her buddy Corey (who introduced her to us) she plays in countless jazz and swing efforts all over town including Will Ryan and the Cactus County Cowboys, Dutch Newman and the Musical Melodians, Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys, Rusty’s Rhythm Club All Stars, Jim Cullum at The Landing on The San Antonio Riverwalk and many more. It’s almost offensive how good she is at such a young age.
Alia Rodriques
Originally joining the Dustbowl Revival collective in a pinch, Hawaii-born Alia has blossomed into the band’s go-to guest singer. With silky jazz vocals that can sting you when you’re not looking, Alia draws upon influences as varied as Nina Simone and Doris Day. With a new haircut, spiffy new cowboy boots and enough raw energy to blow out the LA grid, Alia figures to be a fixture of the Dustbowl revolution for some time to come. A songwriter and band-leader herself, check out her group the Alia Rodriques Quintet if you have a moment. She’s also really good at rearranging closets.
