The Revivalists, with Hamilton native David Shaw, release new album

HAMILTON —David Shaw and The Revivalists have been keeping busy with a new album dropping Friday and the Big River Get Down returning to RiversEdge in Hamilton in September — an event they will headline.

The Journal-News recently spoke with Shaw in a Q&A to find out more about the new studio LP, “Pour It Out Into the Night” from Concord Records and what’s in store for BRGD.

David Shaw’s Big River Get Down Presented by Miller Lite will return to RiversEdge in 2023 as a two-day event Sept. 22-23. The music fest has continued to grow as the result of a strong partnership between RiversEdge, The City of Hamilton and Shaw.

In 2015, Shaw worked with city officials to establish David Shaw’s Big River Get Down as an annual event as a means for him to give back to his hometown of Hamilton. Proceeds from the event have been donated to Hamilton’s Fourth of July fireworks and RiversEdge.

Shaw graduated from Hamilton High School in 2001. He currently resides in New Orleans.

“Pour It Out Into the Night” is the fifth studio album from The Revivalists. The new 12-song effort is the follow-up to 2018′s “Take Good Care.”

In April, The Revivalists reached No. 1 on Billboard’s “Adult Alternative Airplay” chart for the third time with the song “Kid,” from the band’s new album. The song “All My Friends” also reached No. 1 in 2018. Previously, the band led the charts with “Wish I Knew You” for two weeks in 2016.

Last week, The Revivalists performed “Kid” live on “The Today Show.” The band debuted on the “Today” program seven years ago with “Wish I Knew You” off the album “Men Amongst Mountains” in April of 2016.

Q: Coming to Hamilton every year for Big River Get Down is a homecoming for you. What are you most excited about?

David Shaw: I’m just really excited to get back out there and come home. I haven’t been back in a while and it’s going to be awesome to see some familiar faces, and also, I’m super excited about the line-up that Adam (Helms, producer, promotor and founder of the RiversEdge concert series) and I put together. I think it’s our strongest one to date, and I’m super stoked that all these artists are coming to Hamilton…This has really turned into such a special thing for the City of Hamilton and it’s nice to realize that people from all over the United States are excited to travel to Hamilton as well. It just feels really cool and really special.

Q: We talk about this all the time but why did you feel it was important to bring Big River Get Down to Hamilton?

A: Man, Hamilton holds such a special place in my heart, and in a lot of ways, it’s still who I am. I’m still a Hamiltonian at heart. Most of my family still lives there. At the time when we started this, I was touring all over the U.S., and I still am, obviously, but we’d come through there and I saw the landscape. Coming from touring a place like Asheville, or going to Fredericton, Canada, it was like these places grew up and thrived around the music, and from living in New Orleans now, I see what the music can do for a city. It just really felt like Hamilton was ripe for that kind of revival. Since we started BRGD, I feel like it’s grown alongside the city.

Q: When you’re looking out into the crowd from the stage, what is that like for you?

A: It’s really a trip, and this might be a function of the fact that I’m severely ADD, but I’ll be playing a song, and I’ll see one of my friends from high school, or someone that I grew up with that I went all the way through elementary school and junior high school with, and maybe we got into trouble at some point as boys will do, but I’m just flooded with all of these positive memories of my youth and growing up here.

Q: David, can you tell us about your new album, “Pour It Out Into the Night.”

A: Yeah. We have a new album, “Pour It Out Into the Night,” coming out on June 2. We’ve released a few songs. One of which (“Kid”) has been No. 1 on Triple-A radio for about six weeks now. So, that’s really special and we are really grateful for that. That song is connecting with people. We can’t wait to get this album out and start playing it live for y’all. We’ll definitely be playing some of the news songs at the festival.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

A: I just want to say thank you to the city, and Adam, and to you as well, Ginny. It takes a village, and I’m very grateful. I am really happy to continue doing this with people that are incredibly passionate about making this thing go. So, thank you.

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