The Dustbowl Revival (Photo by Bob Turton)
The Dustbowl Revival has been hard at work on new music! And frontman Zach (aka. Z.) Lupetin shared some of his personal experiences of family on life via his Instagram account in the lead up to his band hitting the road again!
Locally, The Dustbowl Revival appear at The Hamilton Live in DC on Saturday, Aug. 20, and Parklife DC’s Ari Strauss emailed a few questions to Zach to ask him about life, love, and music. Zach generously provided some answers prior to The Dustbowl Revival’s return to DC.
(This email interview has been edited only slightly for grammar and punctuation.)
Ari Strauss: I’ll ask the most important question first, how are Taylor and the baby? I was so captivated by your Instagram story thread earlier this year in which you detailed your wife’s difficult recovery and extended hospital stay after the birth of your daughter. It was obvious from the comments, you’ve got a really strong and loving fan base.
Zach Lupetin: Thanks for asking! Obviously, this has been one of the most trying and beautiful times of my life. Little July is six months old now and doing great. My wife is getting stronger and has had some encouraging recovery news. We were able to shoot a really beautiful music video with them at Yosemite National Park that will come out Aug. 19 with the song “Be (For July).”
Watch a teaser video for “Be (for July)” by The Dustbowl Revival on YouTube:
AS: I did indeed hear you were releasing “Be (for July).” You say, on an Instagram post, that it’s the most personal song you’ve ever written. Can you talk about what inspired the song and your process for writing and producing it?
ZL: When I almost lost my wife during that crazy month, and I was at home alone with the little one, that song comforted me and helped me understand or process what we were going through. Sometimes when she’s freaking out, playing music is the only thing that calms both dad and babe down!
AS: Dustbowl Revival has had some significant personnel changes since I last saw you live at 9:30 Club in 2020 (fantastic show btw). Liz Beebe stepped aside after a long run as co-lead and Lashon Halley has joined the band to provide lead female vocals. You’ve got a new man on trumpet, and there is no longer a violin and mandolin in the string section. Can you tell us a bit about how the band’s sound has evolved with these new changes?
ZL: We’ve always operated as an extended collective of friends and collaborators, but of course a pandemic (and us not being in our 20s) can make longtime members like Liz (Beebe), Connor (Vance), and Matt (Rubin) want to pursue other ventures. Most bands don’t last over a decade! We’ve been moving into more of a folky-funk and soulful rock n’ roll sound for a long while, so adding in Lashon Halley has been an incredible boost for us vocally, and adding some new friends on electric guitar and horns have lifted the sound to a new level.
Watch the official music video for “Lying to Myself” by The Dustbowl Revival on YouTube:
AS: Does the single release of “Be (for July)” this week portend a new album in the near future? Can we expect to hear you trying out some new material when you play The Hamilton Live in DC this Saturday?
ZL: Yes, we are unrolling some new songs on the road. The singles coming out each month this summer will be a part of our Set Me Free EP, and we have some new projects in the works, too. We are throwing our own music fest in Los Angeles on Oct 15. It’s called the Paramount Ranch Sonic Boom, so we will have our hands full! We adore playing DC — so many friends and family in the house.
****
Catch The Dustbowl Revival at The Hamilton Live in DC on Saturday, Aug. 20!
The Dustbowl Revival
w/ Pressing Strings
The Hamilton Live
Saturday, Aug. 20
Doors @ 6:30pm
$15-$25
All ages
[…] during that crazy month, and I was at home alone with the little one,” Zach told me during a pre-show email interview, “that song comforted me and helped me understand or process what we were going through. […]