Chuck Ragan The Revival Tour // The Waterfront, 17.10.12
The idea behind 'The Revival Tour' is to bring back the old school, a small town show where the line-up is fluid and the feeling is almost communal...
As people age they mellow, opting to settle down instead of go out and perhaps live a quieter, more sedate lifestyle. In his mid-forties and ten years after fronting punk rock band Hot Water Music, Chuck Ragan's music may have taken a more acoustic tack but his ideals and raw attitude haven't changed a bit.
The idea behind 'The Revival Tour', now in it's fifth year, is to bring back a sense of the old school, of a small town show where the line-up is fluid and the feeling is almost communal. There is no strict headliner (although Ragan's name is the highest billed) and audience participation is encouraged. It may sound corny or contrived but from the moment the gig starts the informal atmosphere and passion from each musician is a genuine one.
Seven musicians take to the stage, entering from the audience rather than their dressing rooms at the back, and all play together. Guitars, double bass, fiddle, keys and vocals create a warm, wall of sound as the first few songs are played together. After that each musician gets his or her own time on stage where any of the others billed might come and join in for a song or two, again from the crowd (or the bar) where they are watching each other's set.
Cory Branan makes the crowd laugh and jump with his energetic and slightly schizophrenic acoustic punk where the audience is so attentive he often ignores the microphone. Emily Barker, who only met the rest of the Revival boys a few days ago, serenades with folk-tinged melodies. Jay Malinowski initially has trouble with his keyboards but laughs through it in his more emo-pop set. Rocky Votolato sings songs from the heart when not accompanying himself on harmonica. Chuck, with his gravellier-than-gravel voice, finishes the set, which has been uninterrupted by any kind of intervals, and then everyone is on stage once again. Strings break, guitars are swapped, the guys and gal on stage make fun of each other, the audience sing along. Although many of the people there will have come purely to see Ragan, at no time does it feel like his show.
The final song is quite literally a 'good bye and thank you' from everyone on stage, there is no need for ego-massaging encore claps from the crowd, after which the 'Tour members grab a drink and talk to anyone who wants to hang around. No pretense, no superstar attitudes, just decent music sung by people who genuinely want to be there, watched by an audience who loved every minute.
