Pushing the boundaries of what American roots music can be with their joyful, booty-shaking soul songs and cut-to-the-heart folk-rock ballads, Dustbowl Revival’s live shows are lushly transcendent. After celebrating over a decade of sonic adventuring and playing thousands of shows together in ten countries and counting, the always evolving group of string and brass players — led by founding members Z. Lupetin, Josh Heffernan, and Ulf Bjorlin — welcomed a new wave of talent to the band since emerging from a pandemic touring hiatus.

Dustbowl Revival’s latest release, Is It You, Is It Me (2020), was produced by GRAMMY-winner Ted Hutt (Old Crow Medicine Show, Drop Kick Murphy’s) and transitioned the group from a “roots dance party band” to a nuanced ensemble embracing more soulful territory, albeit without losing their original fire. Billboard Magazine dubs the album “the biggest sonic work of the Venice, California-based troupe’s career.” Their acclaimed self-titled record (2017), a direct bridge to the newest work, rose to number one on the Amazon Americana chart and featured funky favorite “Honey I Love You” which had the band joyfully teaming up with blues master Keb Mo’.

Dustbowl Revival’s story started humbly when Lupetin, disillusioned with his job in advertising, placed a hopeful ad on Craigslist. Seeking fellow musicians who shared his roving love of Louis Armstrong, Bob Wills, Old Crow Medicine Show, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin and the brass bands of New Orleans, he also wanted to write songs like Americana pioneers Wilco, Lucinda Williams and Bruce Springsteen. There are still players in the group who responded to that initial odd quest.

Acknowledges Lupetin: “Maybe we don’t know where this journey will take us or how long it will last. That’s my take on the importance of what we try to do. Music elevates us, lifts us up, makes us change our minds, takes us out of our comfort zones. If just one person can be moved by just one song, that’s enough.”