New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Country music harkens to a certain level of independence, grit, and lawlessness of the open land. Arizona outfit The Rev bring together a cast of seasoned musicians, led by singer-songwriter Eric Meyers. Their debut single "
El Diablo" comes as a seriously deep first cut, blending southern rock, classic and alt-country, as well as "outlaw swamp stomp", for an irresistible boot-stomping tune and savory taste of what's to come. An accompanying lyric video, premiered on Stageright Secrets, further emphasize's the songs message, bringing it to life.
"We thought we should introduce ourselves to listeners with "
El Diablo" because everything we do is rooted in country music," shared Meyers. "We get right down in the swamp and conjure images of the archetype outlaw and the soundtrack to accompany it. Country and southern rock are in our DNA, so "
El Diablo" came naturally. Those genres are the platform upon which The Rev builds out our sound. We were raised on it."
In writing "
El Diablo", Meyers shared his inspiration to summon up a heavy, nostalgic-inducing piece. "I had this feeling in my gut calling me to a bygone era and its mystique, but I knew I wanted to set it in a modern context. I had to shut out a lot of noise to get to that place and basically wall off today, to get to yesterday. As a writer, you not only get to suspend reality, but you have to. It allows the imagination to run wild." "
El Diablo" evokes a vision of dirt roads, rowdy bars, and the unspoken rules of a lawless land. Even on first listen, it brings a sense of familiarity, drawing you in with a mesmerizing manner.
The track was brought to life as Meyers presented his foundation and lyrics to the rest of the band - composed of Frank Monaco (lead guitar), Josh Rozenboom (second lead guitar), John June (bass), Chris
Chambers (drums), and Mitchell Leonard (piano/keys). Ciera Kamp would later join on backing vocals, transforming the track to an entirely new level with her contrasting vocals playing off of Meyers. "Our process lends itself to surprises because everyone brings his or her own sensibility to each song, independent of the rest," said Meyers. "I showed up with "
El Diablo" as a skeleton—the tune, the chords, the lyrics and my imagination. As we always do, everyone created their own part from the ground up, no direction or heavy-handed leaning one way or another." They recorded with Josh Rozenboom, of SER Soundworks in Chandler, AZ.
With plenty more music in the works, The Rev is planning to release additional tracks in January. Meyers shared with a grin, "In terms of both the writing of these songs and the songs as a collection, expect the unexpected." "
El Diablo" is out digitally everywhere today, including Spotify, Apple
Music and Bandcamp.
ABOUT THE REV:
The Rev has been described as what would happen if country and southern rock hitched a ride to the west coast and went surfing. Yeah, we'll take that.
Based in Scottsdale, AZ, The Rev is an ensemble of seasoned musicians with a sound all their own. Though rooted in country, the songwriting comprises elements of outlaw swamp stomp,
Brian Wilson inspired harmonies, Brit pop structures, and southern rock guitar styling, all within an indie vibe.
It took a series of not-so-happy accidents to get here. Founding member and singer/songwriter, Eric Meyers nearly died before he wrote a single note. An avid surfer and all around waterman, one of his favorite hobbies is the ancient art of free diving (that's no scuba tanks, just a big breath hold). Meyers went diving for lobsters off of San
Diego late one night in October of 2017 and almost didn't return. He was swept into an undersea cave and barely made it out before he blacked out and drowned. That night changed everything. Meyers turned his focus to songwriting and by the time the new year came around, he had written the first four in what would become a long roster of songs.
Meyers knew he needed musicians with an uncommon level of skill and unique sensibilities to bring the sound to life. His first call was to his music mentor and master guitar player, Frank Monaco. They call Monaco the "Swiss Army Knife" of guitar players because he an play in nearly any style and adapt to all sorts of genres.
To round things out, Meyers and Monaco enlisted the help of drummer Chris Chambers, a multi-instrumentalist who has played and written with numerous top notch acts. Completing the rhythm section is bassist, John June. Known for his ultra-melodic style of play, June has played with several modern legends, including the Southern Rock All-stars.
The name The Rev really says it all . . . it's short for "The Revival". Anyone who listens to The Rev will immediately hear a certain kind of songwriting and playing being brought back to life in an new context. Sometimes the stars align just enough for things to come together that are too rare to manufacture otherwise. The result is a sound that could have only happened through the confluence of the right songs played by the right musicians at just the right time.
As of this date, The Rev are putting the final touches on their upcoming winter 2019 EP and have begun recording songs for their full length LP, due to be released in fall of 2019.
