The Revival Tour - revolving revolution
- Oct 17, 2011
The Revival Tour is one of those things that makes little sense in a lot of ways and is all the better for it. It sees a bunch of punks swapping electric guitars for acoustic plucking, screams for whispers and bravado for understatement.
Chuck Ragan, legendary singer of punks Hot Water Music, made up the Revival Tour back in 2005, bringing genres and musicians together in a way few people expected, or probably wanted. Since then, folk rock has gone global, with the likes of Frank Turner popularising a combination of punk ethos and folk melodies that has been present from Woody Guthrie up to Bruce Springsteen.
What the Revival Tour does well is get lots of very talented musicians together, stick them on a stage and let them do what comes naturally. It takes them out of their comfort zones and means they often have a lot more fun than on their musical day jobs. Brian Fallon, rock god and blue collar hero with The Gaslight Anthem, is able to croon lullabies, while Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano tones down the angst.
"The most important part of The Revival Tour is the camaraderie and the way people are drawn to each other whether they're playing a mandolin, singing, playing fiddle or there to see the show," said Chuck Ragan.
"We live and breathe this music and I think it's just a natural instinct for people who believe and live music to want to share that with other like-minded musicians."
As cheesy as it may sound, it's all about the music here. These aren't big stars slumming it, they're friends playing songs they believe in to people who are open-minded enough to listen. The revolving line-up on the Revival Tour means few fans at the shows know all of the artists, so there is the chance to discover new music rather than just get caught up in your old favourites.
This year's Revival Tour features Chuck Ragan, Brian Fallon, Dan Andriano, Dave Hause and others. The last night of the Revival Tour 2011 is in Portsmouth tonight - if you can go, do.
