Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Southern Music Rising is proud to partner with the Monticello Opera House to present Revival, a Tallahassee based musical powerhouse that combines the traditionally energetic sounds of rock 'n' roll with the soulful infusion of captivating jazz vocals.
Revival is a band comprised of six talented artists, and each member brings their unique skills to the table to form an irresistible performance. Band members Dillon Bradley-Brown, Jeff Davis, Paul Harvey, Avis Berry, John Babich and Chris Skene have been playing music together since 2018, but the band has deep roots in the musical community that connected them even years before they created the band.
In fact, Jeff and Dillon performed together in a band called Black Cat Bones, where Avis often sat in during musical sessions to listen and offer vocals. Before that, Dillon and Jeff performed together regularly over the years, and their musical collaboration dates back to early 2006, where they played together in a band called Full Blackout, and later in a band called Catfish Alliance.
Through his work touring with the Sauce Boss and performing as the leader of JB's ZydecoZoo, John often found himself in and out of performance with several of the other members of Revival over the years, here and there, and has since become a permanent member of the group. After forming, it didn't take the band long to add in Paul, who had comfortable footing in the Tallahassee music scene and was eager to add his exceptional skills to Revival.
Despite their musical careers being interwoven over the years, Revival pulled its collective inspiration to form the band from one man: Scott Campbell. Campbell was a local musical icon, performing in countless bands, events and venues over the years. Well-known and admired for his incredible guitar skills, Campbell was also well-loved for his mentorship, good-humor and the inspiration he stoked in many aspiring musicians and people who knew him. Described by friends as a “deeply kind and generous human,” it was a heavy blow to the Tallahassee musical community when he passed away shortly after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 58 years old.
The loss of such a great friend and impactful musician rocked the Tallahassee music scene, and countless people mourned his loss. In the desire to revive the music he loved and keep his memory and legacy alive, Dillon and the others decided to join their many talents and skills and create Revival.
“We have all played music with Scott Campbell,” says Dillon of the band. “A few years ago, when he passed away, Jeff Davis and I, who had both played with Scott in Black Cat Bones, were talking about wanting to revive his music, not only his songs but also the genres he used to play.”
It was then that these prior connections came into play, and the various members of the band began to come together to form one cohesive musical force. Even one of their newest band members, Paul, who has been with Revival for less than a year, is a highly-experienced musician himself, with ties to Scott Campbell.
“It's kind of like a rite of passage,” admits Dillon, who says that the connection to Campbell is a good starting point for anyone interested in reviving his legacy with Revival.
Dillon Bradley-Brown plays drums and vocals, Jeff Davis plays bass guitar, Paul Harvey plays percussion and vocals, Avis Berry is the lead singer, John Babich plays the keyboard and vocals, and Chris Skene plays guitar and vocals.
Avis is a three-time alum of FSU and has a Bachelor of Music in voice performance. When she isn't captivating audiences with her melodic and soulful vocals, she is busy balancing her position as a Leon County school teacher with her job working as a librarian at the FSU College of Music Library.
Chris has been playing guitar for over twenty years. Revival is not the first band he has performed with; he has played with several other groups, including the Blue Begonias and the Acoustic Messengers.
Jeff began his musical career when he was a sophomore in high school. Soon, he was taking guitar classes at school, having private lessons once a week and playing in bands. Following high school, Jeff pursued music in college, earning a BA degree in music from Florida State University. Today, when he isn't playing for a crowd, he teaches guitar and bass to aspiring musicians.
Dillon grew up in the music scene, and found inspiration through his father, Pat Brown, who played bass, and his uncle, Ed Bradley, who was a drummer and guitarist. Once he began pursuing music for himself, he discovered that it came to him easily, and he has enjoyed a multitude of musical collaborations with groups outside of Revival, including Widapotnisa, Red Flag Hitchhikers, Big Chops, Flint Hardware and more.
John (who also goes by JB), has been playing piano and the Hammond organ for decades, delighting audiences as far out as Canada, Europe and all across the U.S. As a bit of a local legend, John has the most experience out of the Revival group, but fits in easily, adding his funky piano and greasy organ sounds to Revival's brew of talent.
Paul grew up in the vibrant music scene of Saint Augustine. He has been playing drums since he was 12 years old, and is a life-long student of Afro-Caribbean drumming. In addition to his work with Revival, Paul also plays percussion with the traditional latin band, Tocamos Mas, as well as a lo-fi indie band, Langtry.
Together, the Revival band performs a myriad of classic rock songs and describe themselves as “rock-based, but soulful.”
“Each of us comes from different backgrounds of music,” says Dillon. “A lot of different music stems from common origins, and while they embody totally unique sounds today, we want to revive those roots. We want to revive the human soul.”
Indeed, the band incorporates classic rock and roll, blues, gospel, Latin, and jazz influences, leaning on the incredible talents of each individual member of the band to provide high-energy performances that instill deep emotions in their audiences. “We want our sound to be dynamic and uplifting. We love what music can do for people. For some people, music is an escape – you can use it to get away from all the madness, use it as a distraction. At the same time, you can motivate people, and provide them with a creative energy that fills them with inspiration.”
This dynamic energy is what audience members of Revival can look forward to at every show.
“People want to feel something,” says Dillon, “and music makes that possible. We create the music, and the audience takes that and gives us that energy right back. It's a very circular, energetic thing. You can feel it – it's incredible.”
On March 11, the Monticello Opera House will partner with Southern Music Rising to present a performance by Revival. Audience members will enjoy not only the original songs written by the band, but also covers of popular hits from Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks and more. There will be close to two hours of music to relish as the band revives the classics and the memory of their good friend, Scott Campbell.
This will be the first time that many of the band members have played at the Monticello Opera House since Scott Campbell's death. Many of them performed at the historical venue beside him, and are eager to keep his legacy alive for those in the community of Monticello who knew him well.
Tickets to the Revival performance start at $25 and are available for purchase at monticellooperahouse.org. The doors will open at 6 p.m. and there will be a cash bar. The show will begin at 7 p.m. For more information, call (850) 997-4242.
You must be logged in to post a comment.