Dustbowl Revival

$25 in advance

$30 at doors

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.
A summer staple on the festival circuit, notable appearances include Hardly Strictly
Bluegrass in San Francisco, Bottle Rock in Napa, Rhythm N Roots in Rhode Island,
Waterfront Blues in Portland, The Cambridge Folk Fest in England and Tonder Festival
in Denmark to highlight a few of their favorite stops with a new tour in England on the
way this summer. An eye-opening state-department tour of China was also undertaken,
prompting a funny mini documentary on Youtube.
Dustbowl does like to pay homage to their heroes with special concept shows now and
again: the group first completed a successful run of performing art centers paying the
music of The Band (Robbie Robertson even sent a signed vinyl as a thank you) and in
2024-2025 Dustbowl is embarked on a run of theaters and festivals showcasing the
music of LA’s Laurel Canyon. A brassy Beatles cover of “Oh! Darling” was shared
featuring Ivan Neville on organ and the band released the politically charged “The
Truth” confronting the overturning of Roe V Wade. Recorded in cabin studio in
Wisconsin with noted engineer Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens) – it is a preview
of their upcoming record CHANGE YOUR MIND.

However you sip their sound, Dustbowl Revival has become a beloved fixture of the
Americana community – from playing tiny speakeasies and pubs around their southern
California base, to headlining thousands of shows in ten countries and counting.

Indeed, founder Z. Lupetin’s quixotic Craigslist ad hoping to find like-minded music-
makers to play songs inspired equally by Wilco, Bob Dylan and Springsteen as Nina

Simone, Fleetwood Mac and Bill Withers may seem confusing, but somehow it’s
worked.
“Maybe we don’t know where this journey will take us or how long it will last,”
acknowledges Lupetin, “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.”