Georgia Recording Session Exceeds Expectations!

Back from our trip down to Athens, Georgia, and I have to say, the sessions with David Barbe at Chase Park Transduction exceeded all of our expectations. We had a short window to lay down tracks for the album, and we took full advantage, recording more songs than we had anticipated, and really capturing the Dead Root Revival sound.

16-track 2 inch tape. The parameters put in place by this technology might be seen as a hindrance in today's digital world of limitless tracks and limitless possibilities, but when dealing with a band known for live performance like DRR, there really was no other way to go. Limitations can be a good thing! They can allow you to get right to the heart of the matter.






Dead Root Revival. When deciding upon this band name, we wanted to convey our mandate as a band:

Dead = Lamenting things we feel are being lost: An appreciation for the rock show, that is being swallowed up by karaoke machines, home theatre systems and big screen televisions, and corporate-run streaming behemoths all across this land.

Root = Where we came from: Our influences, our rock and roll heroes, and our search for the magic tone that speaks to us.

Revival = Bringing the jams back to the people: The older generations who may have seen Jimi Hendrix in concert, and also to the younger kids who find themselves listening to the classic rock hits from 40 and 50 years ago because the music of today doesn't speak to them. DRR is here for you.😎🤘🎸


It only made sense for us to record the way artists like Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, and Deep Purple did in the 1970s. There's definitely a change in perspective when "fix it later" is taken out of the equation. You've got to perform! And that, my friends, is exhilarating.

Tracking for the album is complete, but it will be a couple of months until mixing and mastering is finished. Stay tuned!


SINGER-SONGWRITER SHOWS

I'll be putting on my singer-songwriter hat for a bunch of shows in April. Coming up first, I'll be performing alongside umberlune and Brock Zeman at ABC Hall (3166 Bolingbroke Rd, Maberly ON K0H 2B0) on Saturday, April 1st. Three songwriters with distinct styles performing in-the-round in a welcoming country hall setting.
Grab your tickets online at Eventbrite 👉 https://tinyurl.com/57zuazhh or send an etransfer for $20 to tomsavagemusic@gmail.com to reserve your spot. You'd be a "fool" to miss it! 😉😄

Doors at 6 PM/ Show at 7 PM

There will also be coffee, tea, and PIE available!

Fresh-baked pie and live music. How can you say no?!





Brock and I will be out performing some shows later in April as well...

April 20th - Jethro's - Peterborough 7 PM - Get tickets
April 21st - Bracebridge Hall - Bracebridge 8 PM - Get tickets
April 22nd - House Concert - Guelph ( Contact Larock Productions for details)
April 23rd - Havelock - matinee show as part of Stone Hall Sessions (2 PM) - Get tickets


TUNESDAY

Thanks so much to Jon McLurg for filling as host for the Tunesday jam while I was away. By all accounts it went swimmingly and our bass player streak is still in tact. Awesome! 😁👍🏻 I look forward to getting back to this fun-filled Tuesday routine at the RCHA(4-7 PM, live music, drink specials, and pizza!).


See you out there!

Cheers,
Tom

Exciting Announcement: Dead Root Revival set to Record New Album with Producer David Barbe(Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, R.E.M.)

It has been a great musical beginning to 2023! A couple of amazing concert events for Dead Root Revival, first in Sharbot Lake, collaborating with Frenchie's Chip Hut and K&P Brewing to put on the first annual Wintertide Meltdown on January 13th, then performing to a sold out audience at Sans Souci in Belleville on January 28th. Both of these concerts were incredible community gatherings. We as a band are thankful for the support of our fans(old and new), and are feeling the momentum as we shift our focus to performing the majority of our shows as ticketed events. The quality of these shared experiences, and interaction between audience and performers, is definitely spurring us on to continue down this path. 

Tunesday Afternoon Jam

Music is such an important tool in bringing people together, and expression of art on any level should be encouraged and nurtured, for the health of a community. There was a time not long ago in human history, that if you wanted to be entertained by music, you would have to learn to play an instrument, or sing, or (going way back) bang a couple of bones together. A time before radio, before recorded music. With the advent of technology, we as a society have turned more passive than active in how we experience, and how we digest music.  More background music everywhere you go(except Dollar Tree...I'm a big fan of their no background music policy), more mindless streaming, dismissing a song if one is not hooked within 30 seconds(I’ve often listened to an album 10 times through before I truly appreciated what it had to offer), and less engaged listening and learning of instruments/performing, then in the past.

My grandmother was a piano teacher and choir director. My mother was piano teacher and choir director. I've only ever dabbled in teaching, but I have been running various jams/open mic nights for over twenty years now, so I suppose I am a third generation nurturer of musical talents, working to shift the balance between active and passive engagement in music. All of this is a long-winded way of saying that I'm so pleased with the success of the "Tunesday" Afternoon jam at the RCHA in Kingston. I want to thank everyone who has been coming out on Tuesday afternoons (from 4-7 PM, Happy Hour drink specials 😁 ) for their enthusiasm and encouragement of the musicians on stage(I can tell you the players really enjoy the jazz club-style practice of applauding after solos), the dancing, the community spirit, the laughter. These afternoons have shown me the essential need for a relaxed, welcoming, environment for musicians and music lovers to gather, particularly in the afternoon and early evening. As our society ages I feel events in this time slot will become even more essential for our collective mental and spiritual health. Here's to many, many more Tunesdays to come!! 💃🏻🕺

DRR is Georgia Bound!

In other super-exciting news: Dead Root Revival is heading to Athens, Georgia in March to record our debut studio album(!) with none other than legendary producer David Barbe, who has worked with the likes of Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, and R.E.M., among many others. 🤯😎🤘

I personally have been impressed by David's production style since I picked up the DBT album, The Dirty South at a CD store in Calgary while the Tom Savage Trio was on tour, way back in 2008. We wore that record out in the ol' Sienna CD player on that run. What struck me was the tonal warmth and rock and roll power of that recording. After talking with David, I now know that this is a result of the recording process. Completely analog. Reel-to-reel tape!

He says his process is very much like making a record back in the '70s and this couldn't be a better fit for DRR and our music. We are so stoked!

We are having a couple of concerts to raise funds for our travel expenses down to Georgia and back.

Feb. 18th at the Gananoque legion

Dead Root Revival with special guests Weathered Siding and Old Pony

Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 92

55 King Street East Gananoque, ON K7G 1E8

Doors at 7 PM/ Show at 8 PM

$15 advance/$20 at the door

Tickets available online : https://www.eventbrite.com/e/520236911607

Folks living in Gan can purchase in person from the DRR rhythm section (Bonz or Richard), or from Mike Corrigan at the Wooden Boat Shop

and

Feb. 25th at Blu Martini in Kingston

Dead Root Revival with special guest Graven.

BLU Martini 178 Ontario Street Kingston, ON K7L 2Y8

Doors at 8 PM/ Show at 9 PM

$15 advance/$20 at the door

Tickets available online - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/520234424167

or from me in person(drop by the Tunesday jam and pick them up) or via etransfer to tomsavagemusic@gmail.com

We hope you'll buy a ticket for one(or both) of these shows and help us out as we embark on our greatest rock and roll quest!

Cheers, Tom