The Revivalists Perform “Oh No” at Muscle Shoals’ Legendary FAME Recording Studios (interview)

Leave it to the Revivalists to do the unexpected and yet thoroughly logical thing. Always willing to keep their songs thriving and evolving, the New Orleans outfit recently retreated to the legendary FAME Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama to perform songs from their acclaimed album Take Good Care.

Fans can now get a taste of those sessions via a new clip for the song “Oh No”. The band perfectly straddle the line between the raw and the polished on this performance, showcasing their first-rate musicianship and songwriting as well as their ability to let the music’s rougher, rock ‘n’ roll edges shine.

“That was one that our singer, David Shaw, put together pretty much on his own,” says guitarist Zack Feinberg. “It’s a really great live rock song. I like this version maybe more so than the record version. It’s also got a really nice mix from Rob Kirwan, who has worked on Hozier’s stuff.”

The Revivalists will resume tour dates in August (see below). Feinberg recently spoke with PopMatters about the FAME sessions, meeting the Rolling Stones and much more.

You just recently opened a date for the Rolling Stones.

It was absolutely incredible. I had an amazing time. Just the fact that it’s 2019 and my band was opening for them is very crazy. They were already halfway through their long, illustrious career when I was born in 1987. It was great to be out there with rock ‘n’ roll royalty.

I know it doesn’t always happen when you open for someone of that magnitude but did you get to meet them?

We were very lucky to be able to do a quick photo with them. Charlie Watts walked in first. They had just played New Orleans, so we talked about some local musicians that he was hanging out with. He talked about how Stanton Moore, the drummer, is frighteningly good. We all agreed. He also talked about checking out Shannon Powell. The rest of the guys came in, Mick gave everybody a quick pound, and I got to put my arms around Keith and Ron for the photo.

Tell me about this trip that you guys made to Muscle Shoals.

We like to do live sessions, essentially different arrangements or live arrangements of our songs and put that out on video. We did it on our last record, super low budget in New Orleans, This time around we’re in a little bit of a different position. We said, “Why don’t we use this as an opportunity to go to Muscle Shoals and work at FAME Studios?”

It’s not too far of a drive from New Orleans. There’s a super cool vibe in that room. It’s very disarming. It smells like your grandparents’ basement or something. It’s small. There’s nothing intimidating about it. The music that has come out of there is incredible. We’re into that kind of thing, the classic soul records and the idea that Duane Allman was a session player there before he started the Allman Brothers Band.

Do you get a sense of awe at a time like that, when you think about who was there before you?

It is something that I used to think about a lot. You never want the stage to be bigger than you. But there is that sense of history at Fame and you can feel it.

You’ve got an appearance on Austin City Limits on the horizon as well.

We taped it in early April. It’s a big deal. You don’t have to only do whatever single that you’re working. We’ve had some nice moments on the TV talk shows but it’s not like you get to do a whole set. It’s really important to us that we got to play a full set there.

This has been a sad week for New Orleans with the passing of Art Neville. Were you a Meters guy?

Any musician in New Orleans owes a huge debt of gratitude to Art Neville. I hope to be home for the second line for him. We were out of town for the Dr. John one. It’s nice to go out there and honor these great New Orleans musicians with that great tradition.

TOUR DATES

August 3 Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre +
August 4 Grant Park, IL @ Lollapalooza
August 8 Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest
August 10 Redmond, WA @ 107.7 Summer Camp
August 11 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom &
August 17 Columbus, OH @ CAS (WonderBus Music & Arts Festival)
August 20 Nantucket, MA @ The Chicken Box
August 21 Nantucket, MA @ The Chicken Box
August 23 Arrington, VA @ Infinity Downs & Oak Ridge Farm – LOCKN’ Festival
August 24 Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre ^
August 28 Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater ^
August 29 Birmingham, AL @ Avondale Brewing Company ~
August 31 New Braunfels, TX @ Whitewater Amphitheatre ##
September 7 Hamilton, OH @ David Shaw’s Big River Get Down
September 13 Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley ^
September 15 Del Mar, CA @ KAABOO DEL MAR
September 21 Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre ^
September 26 Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre ^
September 27 Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre ^
October 20 Memphis, TN @ Mempho Music Festival

% with Lee Fields & The Expressions
+ with Ruston Kelly
& with Dirty Revival
^ with Anderson East
~ with Great Peacock
## with White Denim