High-energy Dustbowl Revival to light up Monroe’s

Bluegrass. Swing. Hot jazz. Pre-war blues. Southern soul and New Orleans funk.  Expect to hear all of these when The Dustbowl Revival comes to Monroe’s Live on Thursday, August 18.

Describing themselves as ‘an American roots orchestra with eight full-time members’, this is a band capable of delivering a red-hot live show.

Based in Venice California, the band can remind you of Bob Dylan one minute, and Louis Armstrong the next. Theirs is the kind of show that will appeal to fans of roots stalwarts Old Crow Music Show, but the brass element of The Dustbowl Revival gives the music another hue. There’s a New Orleans feel to their sound, a James Brown swagger. Essentially, this is folk music to dance to.

Founder Z. Lupetin came west to California from Chicago and placed a humble Craigslist ad to get the circus started. Since then, the group has grown steadily from a small string band playing up and down the West coast, into a travelling mini orchestra featuring instrumentation that often includes fiddle, mandolin, trombone, clarinet, trumpet, ukulele, drums, tuba, organ, a bass made from a canoe oar, harmonica and plenty of washboard and kazoo for good luck.

The Arts Festival and Race Week might well be done when they come to town, but The Dustbowl Revival are a band to light up any festival. Don’t miss this!

■ Doors for their Monroe’s show are at 9pm, tickets €12/€10.