STRETCHING THE BOUNDARIES
Revivalists embrace new sounds
You pick up a mighty mantle when you name your band the Revivalists. But David Shaw’s New Orleansbased outfit fits the name. Over the past dozen years, Shaw and his seven bandmates have tramped around Southern rock, classic soul, ’90s grunge and every iteration of Americana and roots music while stepping forward with touches of indie rock and hip-hop. In November, the Revivalists went from underground sensation to budding superstars with their new album “Take Good Care.” The LP spun off two radio hits in “All My Friends” and “Change,” and the guys sold out their Sunday House of Blues show days ago. Part of getting “Take Good Care” right came from just selecting the right songs. “We had 60, maybe 64 odd songs going into the studio,” singer-guitarist Shaw said. “So if there was a mission statement, it was find out what songs we were all excited about doing. We whittled it down to 30 and we brought them to the producers to see what they liked.” Smart move. The trio of producers for “Take Good Care” included some of the best in the business: Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell), Andrew Dawson (Kanye West, Pusha T, Pet Shop Boys) and Dave Bassett (Elle King, Vance Joy, ZZ Ward). Shaw says each added something fresh and vital to the process. “We like all the artists Dave Cobb worked with, great songwriters, great voices, and he’s obviously good at catching a good live band in the studio and squeezing all the juice out,” Shaw said. “We have a hiphop side to our band, and that is an element we didn’t want to lose. We wanted to elevate that element. Who better to do that than a guy who worked with Kanye West. Kanye has those unconventional beats that still knock, something for your brain and something for your booty, and Andrew helped us with that.” With three producers and so many band members, things could have gotten messy. But the album sticks together even as it stretches the band’s aesthetic. “We have so many personalities, and everybody wants to make sure their idea is heard. That’s important to everyone,” Shaw said. “Our records have an all-over-theplace feel, but I like albums like that. To me, it’s like when the Stones would do country or disco or hard rock. They weren’t a country band, but it worked. So why can’t we do hip-hop? I don’t want our sound to be in a box. “As long as I’m singing, Zack (Feinberg) is playing guitar, and so on, we are going to sound like us,” Shaw added. “Even if sounding like us changes over time.”