The Dustbowl Revival recently returned to one of their favorite venues, The Hamilton Live in DC, for a riveting performance. It was the band’s first show in the DC area since a February 2020 appearance at 9:30 Club.

A brass and strings band known for its roots dance music, The Dustbowl Revival has undergone a significant evolution driven by personnel changes occurring since that pre-pandemic 9:30 Club show. Most notable, Liz Beebe has stepped aside after a long run as co-lead which made room for Lashon Halley to join the group in 2021 to provide lead female vocals. Also gone are Daniel Mark on mandolin, Connor Vance on violin, and Matthew Rubin on trumpet.

But the band didn’t miss a beat at The Hamilton Live on Aug. 20. With the string section gone, Shawn Morones stepped in on electric guitar which, mixed with Nick Phakpiseth on electric bass and Lashon’s soulful voice, has added a distinctive funk element to the band’s traditional roots sound.

The Dustbowl Revival’s current lineup features Zach and Lashon on co-lead vocals, backed by Josh Heffernan on drums, Nick on bass, Shawn on electric guitar, Alex Csillag on trombone, Mike Jones on trumpet, and Zach leading it all on acoustic guitar.

Check out Jam in the Van – Dustbowl Revival (Live Session, Los Angeles, CA, 2021) on Spotify:

The band has been unrolling some new songs as it tours over the summer. It’s been releasing a single each month which will be part of the group’s “Set Me Free” EP to be released later this year.

The most recent single is “Be (For July),” which dropped on Aug. 19. The song, inspired by Zach’s wife, Taylor, and the birth of their daughter, July, is the most personal piece of music he’s ever written. In January 2022, Taylor experienced severe complications while giving birth to July and was on a ventilator multiple times in the weeks that followed. When introducing the song at the Hamilton performance, Zach mentioned that Taylor almost died on four separate occasions during her month-long recovery.

“When I almost lost my wife 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. Sometimes when [July] is freaking out, playing music is the only thing that calms both dad and babe down!”

Fortunately, Taylor is doing much better now, and the family was able to get away to Yosemite National Park recently where they filmed a beautiful music video for “Be (For July).”

Watch the official music video for “Be (For July)” by The Dustbowl Revival on YouTube:

The Hamilton setlist was a mixture of some old stuff like “Enemy” and “Sonic Boom,” some new stuff like “In Debt” (written about giving birth without health insurance), and “Be (For July),” and some great covers of “The Weight” by The Band and “Oh Darlin'” by the Beatles.

In addition to an EP coming out later this year, The Dustbowl Revival has other projects in the works. The band is throwing its own music festival in LA on Oct 15. The historic Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California, will be the venue for The Paramount Ranch Sonic Boom which will feature live performances by Rebirth Brass Band, Dustbowl Revival, Dom Flemons, as well as Yosmel Montejo y El Caliente, Eagle Rock Gospel Singers and Water Tower. Check out The Dustbowl Revival website for more details.

Enjoy some more photos of The Dustbowl Revival performing at The Hamilton Live on Aug. 20, 2022. All images are copyrighted and courtesy of Ari Strauss.