Revivalists continue Mardi Gras celebration in Beaver Creek

Perhaps best known for their hit “Wish I Knew You,” New Orleans-based Revivalists perform two nights at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek this weekend. What formed in 2007 as a rock, soul and rhythm-and-blues band with four members has now grown into a powerful eight-piece band that sells out venues like Red Rocks Amphitheater— and tickets are currently limited at the Vilar Center.

The band embodies the spirit of New Orleans, from celebrating with friends to taking in all of life — the joyful times and sorrowful moments.

“Part of living in New Orleans is really being in the moment and having a joy and a zest for life,” said bassist George Gekas. “And when you’re around that enough, you kind of get lucky in that you can take a little bit of that energy with you and take it to other places. So when we go to places like Beaver Creek or any places around carnival season as they call it, it’s easy for us to transform into the feeling of what it would be like to be in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. We’re definitely proud torch bearers of the traditions of carnival, and we’re super happy and excited for everybody having a good time.”

Drummer Andrew Campanelli notes that music, art and creativity “are a rallying point” for the band.

“That’s what our band name and songs try to speak to. Being in communion with other people is what this is all about. That we can share this experience with others through music is something that we are so grateful for,” he said.

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The band recorded its latest, 2023 release, “Pour It Out Into the Night,” in Vermont with Grammy Award-winning producer Rich Costey.

“The one thing that really stood out is that we were able to get a fantastic, cohesive idea down, partially because we were able to have this great time collectively with ourselves in this fantastic studio in Vermont,” Gekas said. “We’re very proud of the work. And we’ll definitely be playing a bunch of songs off that record.”

Songs like the opener, “Kid,” captures the essence of life: the ups and downs and self-doubts, as well as hope and believing in yourself.

“As you get into new phases of life, you’re always learning, growing, having new experiences, trying to achieve something. Everyone has an inner child, or like many of us in the band, we have our own children now, and this song is just saying ‘hey, you got this’ to anyone in any generation who may need to hear that,” he said.

Other tunes, like “Good Old Days,” with its shuffling rhythms and soulful harmonies, reminds listeners to appreciate what they have now, while “Don’t Look Back” encourages people to get up every day and move forward.

“The title ‘Pour It Out Into The Night,’ like a lot of the songs, is about an unburdening. Whatever it is, get it off your chest, and don’t worry about the mess. Whatever is going on, let it go, share it. You have to keep moving forward,” said guitarist Zack Feinberg.

The band members don’t write albums to fit into a specific genre; they just aim for a record that sounds “full” and captures where they’re at in life as they play together and listen to each other, Gekas said.

“It’s interesting, because if you talked to me 15 years ago, I would probably say, ‘I want something super esoteric,’ meaning … I need to read in deeper about the true meaning of what this person is trying to convey. And now, it’s not just (a result of) having young kids, but I just like a really catchy melody. And if you can have something said in that context that makes you feel, because that’s what music’s job is — it’s how we feel — (that’s great). People are not going to remember what we play. They are going to remember how we made them feel. That’s what’s been striking a chord with me recently is just a really catchy melody, and sometimes the lyrics can be thought provoking, but other times it just tells a great story.” 

Like most musicians, the Revivalists also thrive on collaboration and community.

“Collaboration and togetherness — I think that’s really what music is for a lot of people. It’s a communal thing. It’s a way for people to express emotions, whether good or bad, you know, happy or sad. It’s an opportunity for people to come together. And for us, we want to take people on an emotional journey during a set, and you do that through song. You try and convey emotions that people can find relatable, whether they’re the good or the bad ones,” Gekas said. “We’re almost like a conduit. We’re playing the music, but it’s not necessarily about us. It’s about the music itself.”

Acknowledging and experiencing the full spectrum of emotions is important to members of the band as a part of being human.

“From my personal perspective, any kind of emotions — a human emotion — is a fantastic emotion to have because that means you’re alive. That means you should be grateful for the air that’s in your lungs, you should be grateful that you have the opportunity to feel sad as opposed to feeling nothing and not existing,” he said. “It’s really easy to … compare yourself  … And for me, what’s really helped is trying to be grateful for things. And part of the human existence is: Sometimes it’s not going to be all sunshine and rainbows, sometimes you’re going to be very distraught, and you’re going to have these complex emotions that are hard to articulate. But at the end of the day, it’s a blessing to feel these emotions.”

Fans can look forward to new music by the Revivalists that will be coming out soon. And at the Vilar, audiences can expect “a fantastic show of eight individuals who put their blood, sweat and tears into this thing and have been fortunate enough to do this together for almost 20 years,” he said “We’re just incredibly excited to be in Colorado, an area which has been so kind to us over the years, and we’re just ready to have a good time. The weather is nice out there. The slopes look very inviting, and if we can just make people a little bit happier going into the show than when they came, it’ll be amazing. We’re just ready to rock them and have a good day.” 

Olivia Barnes opens for the Revivalists. The Atlanta-born singer-songwriter fuses Americana with country and storytelling.

“Her songs capture the ache, humor and growth of life in your 20s with a familiar Southern glow,” according to the Vilar’s description.