Photo by: Sandy Carson

The team behind Savannah Stopover will debut their newest event, REVIVAL FEST, this Saturday, September 14th at the Paint Shop and adjoining grove of the Georgia State Railroad Museum. The festival features a choice lineup of the best up-and-coming bluegrass, Americana, and folk rock. Co-headlined by Truth & Salvage Co. and Wild Child, the lineup also includes longtime TBI alums Matrimony, the haunting tunes of Field Report, the folk-punk of our Featured Artist, Whiskey Shivers, and eight other acts.

Tickets for the festival are just $35.00 to the public. Ticket holders will be allowed to bring their own food into the event, however alcoholic beverages must be purchased on site. For more info…

Whiskey Shivers is fast-paced folk-punk from Austin, Texas. The band recently appeared on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, earning them some serious national attention and propelling their video for “Gimme All Your Lovin'” to over 460,000 views online. The group plays on the Paint Shop Stage from 1:30pm-2:00pm.  

AV = Andrew VanVoorhees (bass)

JD = Joe Deuce (washboard)

Weigh in on the revival (no pun intended – we’ll get to that) of folk/bluegrass that we’ve seen in contemporary music over the past few years.. i.e. Mumford & Sons winning Grammys, the ridiculous success of The Lumineers.. and so on.. I think in ways, it’s a good thing because people are generally going to look past those bands at some point and find out what inspired them to play what they’re playing and discover these true legends…

AV: Okay, soapbox time: we think that, for whatever reason, roots music speaks to this current generation. Arguably, the main focus of most new country, bluegrass and folk music is in freeing yourself from your own bullshit for awhile. Everybody’s broke, jobs are scarce, we’re in a dozen different “military conflicts”…sometimes you have to be able to lay the damn shovel down and dance.  People really like to bad mouth Mumford and the Lumineers, but there’s so much more good roots stuff coming out now and really ever since the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack came out, that folks have realized how much can be done with it. Sure, there’s plenty of hey-ing and ho-ing, but we’ve also got folks like Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings, Old Crow Medicine Show, the Punch Brothers, Danny Barnes’ various incarnations, Split Lip Rayfield…the current genre-defiance that is folk music is really something to be proud of. Sure you’ve got Hootie covering “Wagon Wheel,” but it’s a bad drop in a pretty sweet bucket.

Rampa Head  (released July 2012) was your last full-length. The band has since released an EP, 5000 Me Gustas. For a band that constantly seems to be working, there must be something in the making where we can expect a follow up later this year or early 2014?

JD: Well, we have just finished shooting and recording audio for a live album/DVD, which is still in the editing phases that should be released this fall. We also have recently met with and confirmed a December recording session for our next full-length album with singer/songwriter/producer and super nice guy, Robert Ellis at the helm. We’re hoping for a spring release and a relentless support tour for the record in 2014.

AV: ‘5,000 Me Gustas’ is actually just a thank you for our 5,000th like on Facebook, it’s not an album.

You’ll be playing the inaugural Revival Fest in Savannah, Georgia on September 14th alongside Wild Child, another Austin band, and ten other great acts. I’m assuming this won’t be your first time in Savannah? Do you remember your first time there?

JD: We are so very linked with our good friends Wild Child, it will be family business as usual, as we’ve beaten up the road with them this summer, and can’t stay away from each other when we’re at home. But we are honored to be included in the inaugural lineup for the fest. Personally, I’m excited to see Cedric Burnside…big fan of RL, and their dynamic, and always looked forward to meeting him. I’ve personally been to Savannah once in a professional capacity, touring with Wayne “the train” Hancock a few years back. Always love swingin’ through GA.

What’s your finest example of someone working hard to “Keep Austin Weird”?

JD: If anybody is actually TRYING to keep Austin weird, they then become weird. Every state has an Austin. A place where an upbeat and generally positive, creative group of folks get left to their atypical devices, and they share them willy-nilly with other weirdos, and the surrounding state leaves them alone long enough for that spirit to blossom. California has San Francisco, Oregon has Portland, New York has New York…all the same.  Now, if you see some wiener on a fixie with a carney moustache, one pant leg rolled up, and headphones pulled through his big dumb earholes, then yes, that person is TRYing to “keep Austin weird.”

AV: Oh god…Rick Perry kinda takes the cake there.

The band kicks off the “main” stage of the festival at 1:30pm on the 14th. Give the Savannahians a few good reasons why they need to shake off their hangovers and get out early to party with you.

AV: Is that considered early in Savannah? Well, if they’ve played their cards right, they’re still drunk from the night before and that pretty much sums up our live show. Confused and happy with an anxiety of what’s to come later.

Another safe assumption here, but I imagine you guys drink a lot of whiskey… When the money is good, what’s your brand?

JD: We DO drink whiskey. However, we do not enjoy it…it’s more for branding purposes, and to make us more “believable” to our fan base. You think that weed stoner Michael Phelps ever ate a bowl of Wheaties? Shit no! He was probably balls deep in ding dongs! Naw, all jokes aside, if money were no object, I’d still drink cheap ass Old Crow…not because of the price, either. It’s a fine drink. Unless some whiskey sponsor wants to chat, and then we can insert your company’s name into this and future interviews…see y’all soon, Georgianites!

AV: We’re divided on that. On the Irish side we’re big fans of Tullamore Dew and Jameson, on the bourbon side Bulleit and Four Roses. But we’re always down with Evan Wlliams green label and Old Crow.

Whiskey Shivers – “Give Me All Your Lovin'”

[youtube id=wC6DuckeJUM]