Revelus

Exclusive Interview

Tell us about where you are from and how you got to this position today.
I am from Raleigh, North Carolina. The city is growing so fast and the music scene is really starting to have a big impact. I met the band Revelus for the first time through Craigslist and auditioned for the guitar spot. I ended up getting the spot and working with them ever since.

What do you have coming up? What are some of the new projects we can expect to see?
We are starting to book a lot of shows. On December 15th we will be heading to Poughkeepsie, New York for a show at The Chance Theater. The following few weeks we will be playing a couple shows in Fayetteville and Raleigh, NC. Aside from shows, we have been writing a few new songs and plan to have them recorded very soon. We are very excited about them!

Tell us more about the current song you are promoting to everyone.
The Best. It’s a song that was pretty much written by everyone in the band. It’s a heavy driven song that pretty much touches on the fact that you can have everything, or be greedy, or whatever. But how you handle yourself with be with you forever. It’s one of our favorite songs to play and our fans give a really good response to it as well.

How does your music separate yourself from other artists and bands out there?
We try to make music that anybody can get a hold of and relate to. We don’t try to be very technical musically. We make music that has a really strong rhythm and a catchy melody. Something you can really get a crowd to move to and have them humming in there head the following days. We just like to make good loud rock music that stands out on its own.

Tell us about one of the hardest challenges you had to face in the industry?
I would say one of the biggest challenges is promotion. I have learned that in order to see any kind of success, you have to work very hard in promoting yourself and your band. Especially this age in music, there are so many things to get plugged into and promote on like Facebook, Reverbnation. etc. Sometimes we will print up flyers and walk around wherever we’re playing at and post them up all over town. It can get to be very time consuming.

What was one of the biggest set backs in your career and how did you bounce back?
A few months ago we had to replace our bass player and it set us back quite a bit. We had to take time off and find a new one and get him caught up with everything going on. Luckily it didn’t take very long, but we took a couple of months off and got our bassist caught up and went straight back at it! Now we’re back even stronger than before.

What are some things artists need to be careful of?
Be careful about creating art becoming stressful. Any artist can say they do what they do because they love it. But when it becomes stressful, it can have a damper on things. If you’re a musician, there is nothing more satisfying than playing music you like or makes you feel good. Just stay true to your artistic vision.

What suggestions do you have for other artists like yourself?
Practice, promote, and work hard. If you feel like you have something to share with the world, then throw it out there as much as you can. No one will know it exists unless you show them. Set goals for yourself and do what it takes to get them.

What is one of your favorite ways to promote yourself and your music?
My favorite way of promoting myself and my band Revelus is playing shows. Not only is it fun, but it’s the best way to get our music out there. Put on a good show for our fans, gain new fans, and network through other musicians and get setup with future opportunities. However, the shows themselves need promoting, so we do anything from Facebook events, to Radio spots, to walking around and hanging up flyers.

Where can people visit you?
Find me on Facebook as Dan Dehler or with Revelus. Or you can find me at any of our shows which are listed on our Facebook. And Reverbnation.com/revelus. Be sure to check out our videos at: www.youtube.com/reveluspedlar. - Warped Magazine

Listen Up: Revelus wants to rock to the top
By Jessica De Vault
Staff writer


Building a solid band can be a chore, especially with the high turnover rate of rock acts these days.

Hollywood native Rick Logan admits that building the rock band Revelus was an arduous process. He had big ideas of recording deals and major success, but he discovered that he needed to make his intentions clearer to his former bandmates, he said.

"I told them that we just need to go full throttle, every spare second you get, put it into this band. If we don't, it's never going to happen. That started to work, and things started to progress and get better," he said.

Now Logan works alongside his new team: guitarist Dan Dehler, drummer Joe Paganello and bass guitarist Mark Moseley. Revelus will be featured at the Rock Shop Music Hall on Saturday, along with Dreamkiller, Traverser, and Ghost in the Machine.

Aside from preparing for the upcoming show, Revelus is also gearing up for the group's return to The Rock Shop on July 30 to open for national recording act 10 Years. It was an opportunity that Logan said came from the band's professionalism and willingness to self-promote.

"I didn't expect to get a show like that for another year or two or a couple of months," he replied.

With the band finally seeing some tangible success, Logan continues to set his sights on becoming a full-time artist.

He spoke to the Weekender Street Edition about Revelus and offered some words of advice for aspiring, local acts.

Weekender: Your band went through a number of members before you got into your current lineup. What was that process like for you?

Logan: It was very hard to find people and band members from the area. There are a lot of people in this area who are flaky. But once we got these guys, they learned the material. ... Now we're at the point where we're going strong and everything has progressed to the point where we can all take each other seriously. It's moving so quickly forward beyond what I thought.

I'm hoping to not lose any members in the future. But I don't want the pressure of being a band trying to go pro to be a big pressure on anyone.

Weekender: How would you describe Revelus' sound?

Logan: We try to make it like a sonic sound - loud and heavy guitars, real catchy hooks, sing-along choruses, if you will. And just straight-up vocals that's going to cut right through you. We have easy baselines, very simple chord progressions.

Everything is very loud but tasteful. It's something that everyone can listen to. It's very melodic, definitely the mainstream, commercial hard rock. I won't say we're very different from a lot of bands, but I would say we have our own sound from the start.

Weekender: What can the crowd at The Rock Shop Music Hall expect to see from a Revelus show?

Logan: It's kind of hard when I'm stuck behind the guitar and microphone; I can't do a whole lot. But you can expect to see a 6-foot-7 Sasquatch - his name is Mr. Moseley. He's a Spanish teacher, and he's a cool dude. The bass player, Dan Taylor, he's real tasteful and he'll move around here and there. He reminds me of a long-haired Tom Morello.

It sucks for the people who are immobile, so you rely on your guitar player and bass player to do the show. If I get free of that guitar, you'll see a volcano of passion. I got some weird faces I make.

We put on a good show every time, we're not going to do anything but put on a good show. You'll see the passion and the fun that we have up there. We're not just there to get a paycheck or to look cool. It's actually wanting to be there and entertain people. We want to put on a show and get people what they paid for.

Weekender: Any new projects around the corner?

Logan: We're trying to tour the whole state right now. We do have our first album, and we're working on music now for the second one. Nothing is named as of yet. Our first album is called "Revelus." That's available at all the shows.

Weekender: What advice would you have for other aspiring bands out there?

Logan: A motto for any band starting out is to know what it is you're hunting for, and go for it, especially if it involves music. If people say you can't do something, it is because they can't do it themselves. You don't need those naysayers in your life. You can't do it if you listen to all negative comments.

Keep the focus on Point B from Point A. Look up every once in awhile to make sure you're going in the right direction. You can't expect for it to be spoon fed to you or for it to run in your lap. And treat every show as you would the next. - weekendernow.com