The Revivalists new album Made In Muscle Shoals was released with re-recordings of songs, covers and a new track ‘Bitter End.’
The rock band recorded the beautiful album in the historic FAME Recording Studios and they filmed it. That’s right, there’s a documentary on the process of making the album. Not only do we see the eight band members working together to create this art, but we also see snippets of interviews with each of them. They talk about the band, the sound, the creation, and the studio.
The Documentary
The brilliant 17-minute documentary was directed and edited by Jay Sansone. The transitions and cuts between scenes are skillfully put together with the help of the final song recordings.
Sansone smoothly transitions from shots of the band working or talking on a part of the song to montages of them playing it.
Without all the different parts of the doc, it wouldn’t be clear what we’re following. But, Sansone carries us through in the interviews, the live recordings, the history, and of course the band’s process.
You can watch the documentary below.
Their “Beautiful Chaos”
With the aesthetic documentary, we get a chance to view the behind-the-scenes of The Revivalists’ art-making. As fans, we don’t always get to see that side of artists but they clearly showed how well they work together to create their music.
“There can be a little bit, sometimes, of a case of too many cooks, but it’s kind of a beautiful chaos,” said guitarist Zack Feinberg on having eight band members.
And it’s a beautiful chaos that has been working for over a decade. In the documentary, the musicians talk about their ability to fill in each others’ gaps and knowing their roles.
And quite frankly, The Revivalists showed us how unified they work together. We loved watching their bond and effortless ability to understand each other in the recording studio.
The Legendary FAME Recording Studio
Not only are their talents highlighted, but the band is clear to show how the legendary FAME Recording Studio inspired and helped them in the process of this album.
“We’re really trying to learn from the people and the history that’s come before us,” said pianist Michael Girardot in the documentary.
Muscle Shoals is the historical grounds where some artists, like Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett, recorded timeless music. Being from New Orleans, the band felt the importance and magic rooted deeply in the studio.
Our favorite frontman David Shaw also shared his thoughts on the energy behind the recording studio.
“There’s a certain kind of magic that occurs when you’re amongst the spirit in that room,” Shaw said. “All the history, all the hurt, all the passion and perseverance that went into making what is now one of the most iconic studios in America was ever-present and always felt.”
Hearing Made In Muscle Shoals
The Revivalists created and recreated soulful and recognizable sounds for us. They had various re-recordings of their songs, including their hit from 2015 ‘Wish I Knew You.’
A surprise track on the album was a soulful rendition of the Bee Gees’ ‘To Love Somebody.’ While it keeps the lyrics, the sound of the cover isn’t super familiar or recognizable to the original. The love song cover slows it down and makes us want to grab a partner to slow dance with. We call dibs on at least one slow dance with the band members.
The rerecorded tracks are familiar to us when we listen to it but are different enough to have a new sound. The tunes were re-imagined to create a flawlessly renewed album.
Some of the songs had more of a blues sound, clearly seen and heard in the documentary. And the sound from the new album is just different enough to seem like different songs.
Into the Stars Tour Starting Soon and Rev Causes
The Revivalists will soon head off on their headlining tour Into the Stars starting February 28th. They’re heading to the big stops like Radio City and including a hometown show at The Filmore. The tour list is below and you can find your tickets here.
- Feb. 28 – Mashantucket, CT @ The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
- Feb. 29 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
- Mar. 3 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
- Mar. 4 – Harrisburg, PA @ Harrisburg University
- Mar. 6 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
- Mar. 7 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
- Mar. 10 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
- Mar. 11 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
- Mar. 13 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
- Mar. 14 – Chicago, IL @ Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
- Mar. 16 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
- Mar. 18 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
- Mar. 20 – Bensalem, PA @ XCite Center at Parx Casino
- Mar. 21 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
- April 10 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
- April 11 – Asheville, NC @ U.S. Cellular Center
- April 14 – Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
- April 15 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
- April 17 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
- April 18 – Key West, FL @ Key West Amphitheater
- April 21 – Huntsville, AL @ Mars Music Hall
- April 22 – Oxford, MS @ The Lyric Oxford
- April 24 – Atlanta, GA @ SweetWater 420 Fest
- April 25 – New Orleans, LA @ Jazz & Heritage Festival
- May 2 – New Orleans, LA @ The Fillmore
- May 9 – Spicewood, TX @ Spicewood Vineyards
- May 22 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues Houston
- May 23 – Tulsa, OK @ Osage Casino – Skyline Event Center
- May 27 – Chattanooga, TN @ Riverbend Festival
- May 28 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre
- May 30 – North Charleston, SC @ Volvo Car Stadium
- June 12 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
And, of course, the band is giving back to the communities through their umbrella fund, Rev Causes. A dollar for every ticket sold will be donated to the fund, helping many organizations partnered with them.
Whether or not you’ve been a fan of The Revivalists, we recommend you listen to them now. They’re 10 years going strong and don’t seem like they’re slowing down anytime soon. There’s a little something for everyone, from saxophones to drums and anything between.
We hope you like it just as much as we did. If you haven’t heard it click here and let us know what you think by tweeting us @TheHoneyPop or commenting down below!
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Featured Image Source: Erika Goldring
[…] We hope you like the new music video. If you haven’t gotten the album yet click here and let us know what you think by tweeting us @TheHoneyPop or commenting down below! If you want to know more about the album and how The Revivalists are doing their part check out this article. […]