Endless circumstances can lead to the making of a superb
rock album, but two of the best-case scenarios just happen
to be the main geneses for The Revisionists.
1. A Glorious Accident: Friends but not yet bandmates,
the members of the freshly-formed Los Angeles trio found
themselves in a studio together, and one thing lead to
another. It helped that these particular musicians were no
newcomers. Dan Lavery and Kevin Shepard were
members of the mid-90s post-grunge band Tonic. Lavery, a
professional touring bassist also has his own studio, which
became ground zero for the formation of The Revisionists.
Sam Jones is the director of the Wilco documentary I Am
Trying To Break Your Heart and producer of some of the
best records on Loveless’ roster (Tom Brosseau, The
Shackeltons).
2. The Record They Always Wanted To Make: Having
played in several bands, toured the world several times,
and collectively sold several millions of records, the trio
discovered mutual influences in The Clash, The Jam, David
Foster Wallace and others that shaped them as musicians.
“We were immediately a band, and we had a purpose,” says
Jones. Once wheels were set in motion, The Revisionists
got together weekly, playing at high volume until songs
started taking shape. Decisions were made quickly and
instinctively, preserving the first take whenever possible.
The result is songs that are at once wary and hopeful and a
sound that’s live, audacious and pure. Reflecting the
members’ heightened awareness of the music industry and
the media that surrounds it, The Revisionists’ music
displays a hearty resilience coupled with strong pop
sensibilities - an unadulterated, uninhibited musical
experimentation that recalls punk-rock bravado with social
commentary to spare.
“Our music is influenced by our disgust with what our
media has become and how so many of us lap it up without
forming our own opinions…the feeling of throwing down
your hat and saying, ‘can’t we do any better than that?’”,
says Jones. His rustic, rebellious vocals and lyrics put ironic
icing on the cake. “Our name conjures the contradictions
and duplicity of any famous or infamous entity,” he says.
“The Revisionists is a name that acknowledges you can
rewrite history however it suits you best in the moment.”
Unfiltered and unrestrained, this self-titled debut is the
pinnacle of “less is more.” The Revisionists packed the
album with all the punk-gusto you can muster with only the
appropriately bare essentials. Living up to their name, The
Revisionists will change how you hear music.
NEWS & REVIEWS
Unfiltered and unrestrained, this self-titled debut is the pinnacle of "less is more". The Revisionists pack the album with all the punk gusto you can muster using only the bare essentials. If you like to rock I would put this on your play list. 4/5 Stars.
- Paula Ryland, Aced Magazine
It's all big guitars, big distortion and big hooks on The Revisionists. They strike a delicate balance between '70s guitar-rock worship, fond memories of the alt-rock era and modern indie rock. This is the sort of record that's good today. It'll be good tomorrow and good in a decade.
- Matt Schild, Aversion Magazine
