The Revivalists / The Record Company @ The Factory, St. Louis, MO

Words and photos by Duane Clawson

Scott Rowe, boss man at MTC MAG says, “any interest in covering the Revivalist next week?" Me: “Sure, what the hell is a Revivalist?” I can now say with great confidence, I know who the Revivalist are, and I’m glad I do! The Factory, one of St. Louis’s newest venues, recently played host to The Revivalists and their rip-roaring rock and roll show!

On my first visit to The Factory, I’m pretty darn impressed by just about everything! Great aesthetics, great sound system, bars, plenty of indoor plumbing. I’m hooked!

My night begins with an old favorite, The Record Company. Foregoing the sounds of their current home base, Los Angeles, The Record Company continues to fly the rock and roll flag. Frontman Chris Vos is a whirling dervish, proficiently bouncing between guitar, lap steel, and harmonica. Johnny Elkins (guitar) and Wesley Flowers (keyboards) are welcomed additions, thickening up The Record Company’s already fat sound. A few years back I saw them perform to around 200 people at a club called the Firebird. Kinda hard to say it but their vibe fit nicely in that small club and is somehow lost in translation in a bigger venue. But no matter the room size I’ll still be a fan of this band!

So, as I mentioned I was clueless to The Revivalists, but I quickly got up to speed through various media outlets. In the end, I was kicking myself for not being hip to this band. Through my research I discovered they have roots in New Orleans, those horns are unmistakably New Orleans. Seeing this band live you soon find out lead singer, David Shaw, is one charismatic dude! The Revivalists can be as mellow as springtime walk beside the Mississippi River or as boisterous as the French Quarter during Mardi Gras. The mellow is best demonstrated in their 2008 masterpiece, “Soulfight”. The boisterous shines brightest in the rousing 2010 slow building composition, “Catching Fireflies”.

Throughout the night, steel guitarist, Ed Williams, shows his proficiency on his instrument not to be outdone by the soulful saxophone stylings of Rob Ingraham. A powerful backbeat comes courtesy of dual drummers, Andrew Campanelli and PJ Howard. Shaw, appreciative of his backing musicians, takes a backseat when it’s time for his bandmates to shine. For a large band, these guys appear to have a decent balance of power. But it is sure bet when Shaw is out front, he’s working every inch of the stage!

As a fellow photographer buddy and I were talking, we heard a song that was familiar, but we couldn’t place the artist. A quick Google search made me feel silly, it was a great cover of The Beatles “I’ve Got a Feeling”. As you can imagine, this self-proclaimed music expert felt pretty small at this point! I can truly say reviewing The Revivalists was a true first for me, I came in not knowing the band and came out a big fan! Thanks to The Revivalists PR team for having MTC MAG out to review the show! And thanks to the Factory for having yet another awesome St. Louis live music venue!

Photos of the show are below:

The Record Company