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Can I get a hallelujah? Can I get an amen? The Revival Tour is coming to town.
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The Revival Tour
For all those non-believers, Chuck Ragan has something for you. It is called The Revival Tour. The Revival Tour comes to Los Angeles on Saturday, November 7, at the El Rey Theater, and will feature Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music), Jim Ward (Sparta/Sleepcar), Frank Turner (Avail), Joey Cape (Lagwagon), Audra Mae, Possessed by Paul James with Jon Gaunt on the fiddle and Digger Barnes on the upright bass are on the bill for the show. In its second year, The Hot Water Music co-front man and his wife Jill conceived the concept a few years ago, and it is a cross between old-school punk and folk music to create a unique listening experience for the audience.
I caught up with Chuck Ragan the other day to get the scoop on The Revival Tour and what he has in store.
Whose idea was The Revival Tour, and what does it mean?
The Revival Tour is front men from punk bands that tour and play in a folksy style. The idea came a few years ago and we, my wife Jill and I, had it in our brains before last years first tour but we had a hard time getting people behind it. I had been doing so many tours and by the end of the tour I was playing songs with anyone on tour and was like, "Why can't we get a bunch of like minded folks on one bus and hit the road?" Another big idea was to kinda sever the lines that people draw between artists, like the headliners and openers. When we get on a bus, we are a big family. There is no ego, no head trips and we wanted to break those boundaries down and have it be a full collaborative event. When we are performing, the show goes on and never stops and at the end we all come back on [stage]. It is all about getting together with like minded musicians. It is a lot of work and there are some payoffs, but just to see people come together and the diversity in the music is amazing.
So your wife, Jill, plays a big role in the conception for the Revival Tour?
My wife is a huge influence and has sacrificed a whole bunch for this music. What I mean is that we didn't necessarily want to manage ourselves and it [the Revival Tour] just started snowballing. I am honored to have her and it takes a huge amount of teamwork. We couldn't do it without her.
How did you put together the bill and find the musicians for the tour?
It comes from history I have had with these people, and have toured or played with. Some people are brand new. The line-up is composed of everything from searching the web, word of mouth, and even passing by a farmers market. Jill and I pick the roster, and at the same time we get a lot of input from the artists that come along. We trade music and go, "Man have you heard this?" A lot is word of mouth. We are digging up new and upcoming artists all the time that people want to discover, like Audra Mae, for example. She is absolutely brilliant and absurdly talented. Possessed by Paul James is a brilliant artist from Texas. There are twenty-four artists on tour.
There is so much incredible music that is happening in local venues. Go to your local county fair, or a blugrass festival. What is important and what is a good artist is someone who puts their heart and soul and a positive attitude and walks on stage positive and leaves positive, whether it is a good show or not. That is what I respect, and those are the people I like to have on tour.
So why folk music?
I have always enjoyed playing this music and it is getting more attention. I guess that the folk movement comes and goes and folk has always been that way and is a vague a term as rock and roll by the people for the people. That is exactly what it is; people passing on stories and traditions and passing on the torch.
Is The Revival Tour going to be around for a while?
I am really proud to announce that we are planning to keep this tour going every year, and it will be different every year, as long as fans are interested every single year. The same collaboration will be different and may never be the same next year. Every show is different and it is ever changing. If folks have any interest, it is an extremely fun evening and one of the most unique shows out there. It is like a back yard bbq party with honest music, like folk, zydeco, bluegrass and is extremely eclectic and a great time.
In fifteen years we will be in rocking chairs by then, but we'll probably take them on tour with us. We will be like Hazel Dickens. She will sit up there on a rocking chair and be kickin it. The way music goes and I think it is important [to continue the tour]. Different genres come and go, and what is popular now can be different in the future. I think that is important for music lovers and that kind of is the natural progression in our circle in society and that is how we weed out what is true and what is false. What is real and what is true will continue and go on. Other stuff will morph into something else. That is not always a bad thing because people grow and change.
What is the story with Hot Water Music? Are you ever going to tour again, and is there new music coming?
Hot Water Music, starting in November in Germany, is playing six shows. It is a matter of time and what we are focusing on is writing new stuff. We never were done and that is a big misconception. We needed a serious break and we have had it. Everyone is off and running on their own track and whenever we get a chance we play shows. We are going to be doing some writing on the bus while we are in Germany.
How is SideOneDummy treating you?
I love them to death. Those guys are insane and they came outta the woodwork. I was at a point getting a California contractors license to start a custom home building business. I do carpentry and build homes. I never stopped writing, and after the hiatus I went back to my trade and came home and kept writing music. We had met Ashley Dechter from SideOneDummy at this little place called the Silverlake Lounge right by where we lived behind there and did a show there. I went to go play and about three seconds into my set I broke a string and had to stop. They [Ashley and Joe Sib] were still stoked and asked us to come into SideOne and we had a sit down. The label to me feels like a good hearted family label and they happen to do a ridiculous amount of work and are a strong cornerstone in the indie music industry.
Live from Rock Island: The Daytrotter Session 10" vinyl comes out December 8, 2009. Why vinyl?
This album was recorded in the summer of 2009 at The Horseshack studio in downtown Rock Island, Illinois. There is no sense in putting it up digitally and Daytrotter wanted to release it on a 10". As far as the size, it comes to how many songs and minutes and how many RPMs there were. For one, vinyl has always been important and we are vinyl nerds and it is cooler than CDs or digital. It is more fun to look at, hold, and listen to, plus it lasts longer. It is pretty much as simple as that. We like making weird records, color configurations, different cuts, and this it is just as important as the music itself. It is not about he music, but the whole package. From my friends, to the photography, the art, the layout, all the way to the production, it is just teamwork.
Tell me about things you enjoy while not on tour.
I like to spend time with our little girl Ella Fitzgerald, our dog, our nieces and nephews, and fishing. To me, honestly, there is so much more to it than just fish. I find a massive amount of peace in solitude and find it in fishing on the water and hiking in rivers. I grew up all in the southeast. We grew up doing all kinds of stuff and it has always been a big part of my life and growing older. I don't know if it is ingrained in me or primal having the ability and knowledge to find the fish, catch them, clean them and put them on our table.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. I hope that fans can see a different side of you and see what Chuck Ragan and The Revival Tour is all about.
That is a really valid point. Tim Berry and I were talking bout it the other day. Most of these folks only know what we have documented on a record and the one or two hours that we play on a show. There is so much more to us, and everyone has an extreme amount of different layers. Thank you.
