The Revivalists have been working hard and crafting great music for over seven years, but it was in 2015, when their smash hit, “Wish I Knew You,” skyrocketed them to well-deserved acclaim.
However, on Sunday afternoon the band members will be humbled to share the same stage as some of their musical heroes at Pilgrimage Music and Culture Festival — among them, Justin Timberlake, Eddie Vedder and Ryan Adams.
“That’s a huge honor,” said saxophonist Rob Ingraham. “Those are three guys that everybody in our band has a great deal of respect and admiration for. So to see where we are on some of these lineups and to be on the same short list as them is amazing.”
The band has come a long way since they were born out of a serendipitous encounter between the band’s vocalist David Shaw and guitarist Zack Feinberg.
“David had moved down to New Orleans and was playing guitar on his porch. Zack just happened to bike by on his way home from class. He stopped and started a conversation with David and they became friends,” Ingraham said. “It’s crazy to think that we literally formed from a meeting on the street.”
After a few early iterations of the band, the current lineup found its groove in 2010.
“A Mardi Gras show around 2010 was the first time the seven of us all did a show together,” said Ingraham. “We really looked at each other and thought ‘wow this is what we’re doing now.’”
Sometimes, Ingraham says he can’t believe how high The Revivalists have climbed since then.
“I remember I used to think that it would be so cool to be a part of this scene. And suddenly I look around and we’re at a festival and we know all these guys — these are our friends. So I guess we are the scene now,” said Ingraham.
Despite The Revivalists’ rapid rise to acclaim, the bonds among the seven band mates have never been stronger.
“We’re a 100 percent family,” said Ingraham. “Sometimes we fight the way brothers fight, but at the end of the day, there very few people in our lives that are more important to us than the people in this van.”
Ingraham said the band is in no hurry to pump out a new album and is just enjoying the time on the road. In November, they will hit the road for their “Deepest Dreams” tour.
But for right now, they are particularly excited for their stop at Pilgrimage.
“Nashville’s always been a good town for us,” said Ingraham.
Festivalgoers can certainly look forward a lively performance from The Revivalists according to Ingraham.
“I think we’re going to come out swinging,” said Ingraham. “When you’re at a festival, it’s a big stage, with some of the names you mentioned earlier, so we will have to bring our A game. We’re just going to be really focused and — in a good way — punch everybody in the teeth.”
Catch The Revivalists on the Pilgrimage main stage, Synchrony Financial Midnight Sun at 3:25 p.m. on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of The Revivalists.