CU Boulder country band Red Revival joined Ari Lubin on KGNU to discuss their formation, musical influences, and rapid growth from dorm-room jams to packed house shows and venue performances. The band blends country, Southern rock, indie, and classical backgrounds into a distinctive sound. They also shared how early collaborations and campus connections helped them quickly build momentum as a group.
They highlighted their “Balcony Sessions,” a dorm-balcony recording series that brought together dozens of Boulder musicians and helped expand their local following. The band also reflected on viral TikTok house-show videos that reached millions of views and boosted their visibility. Looking ahead, Red Revival plans to continue playing both house shows and venues, and release more original music. (Date 6/18/26).
Listen to the interview here:
Transcript:
Ari Lubin: You’re listening to KGNU Community Radio. I’m your host, Ari Lubin. I recently had a chance to speak with Red Revival, a new country indie rock band formed at CU Boulder. We had a chance to catch up about how they got their start, their infamous Balcony Sessions, and what’s in store for them in the future. Here is my interview with Red Revival.
What are all of your names, and what instruments do you play?
Red Revival: I’m Evan, the singer.
I’m Chase, and I play lead guitar.
I’m Moto. I play fiddle.
Ari Lubin: How did you all meet, and what led to forming Red Revival?
Red Revival: Chase and I played together a little bit in high school. I played guitar for his band for a couple of shows. Peppin, our drummer, lived next to Chase and Jack, our bass player, so he brought everyone together and we started this project. Then I found Moto through a Snapchat story and asked him to play violin for us.
He had never played fiddle before, but he had a classical background. We started jamming together and took off pretty quickly.
Ari Lubin: What kind of music did each of you grow up on, and how do those influences show up in Red Revival?
Red Revival: Personally, I got a lot of my music taste from my dad. He was always showing me the songs he listened to when he was my age. That’s how I got into music, and from there I started discovering other artists and genres. I’m really into rock music, along with a lot of other genres, but mostly rock.
Performance-wise, I grew up playing classical music from the age of four. From a technical standpoint, it made me very good at my instrument. Playing with these guys is a lot of fun because I get to explore a new genre while still using the technical skills I learned. I also enjoy the social aspect much more than what classical music was giving me.
I grew up on a lot of the same music Chase did—mostly what my dad played for me, including ’80s and ’90s rock. When I started playing music myself, I got into pop and eventually realized I enjoyed country music. I played a lot of country covers a few years ago. More recently, I’ve gotten into indie music. We’ve blended those influences together, and that’s what Red Revival is.
Ari Lubin: You guys play country music?
Red Revival: Yeah. Country music.
Ari Lubin: How would you describe your sound to someone hearing it for the first time?
Red Revival: We pull from a lot of different genres and influences. I’d say we’re centered around country and Southern rock. We also occasionally cover songs from other genres, including indie music. It’s really a blend of different styles.
Ari Lubin: This is more geared toward the Balcony Sessions. How did those start, and where did the idea come from?
Red Revival: I was lucky enough to get one of the Farrand Quints, which is really rare. Moto and I started playing songs on the balcony because it was a cool place to jam. We recorded one of them and realized it was also a great place to record.
I had a few people reaching out who wanted to collaborate. We invited a singer named Emma to join us, recorded a cover, and it got a decent number of views for our first video. The original artist reposted it and commented on it. At that point I thought, “We should make this a thing.”
Moto and I started inviting Boulder musicians to the balcony to sing with us or play an instrument. It was great because we met so many people. Now I can say I know around 50 other musicians. We just finished our last Balcony Session, which was actually our most popular one. I think we ended up doing around 80 sessions.
It was really cool meeting all the musicians at CU. Evan and I were both able to learn songs pretty quickly, so the process was smooth. Everyone we invited was incredibly talented. It was a fun experience, and we’re sad it’s over.
Ari Lubin: For context, can you explain what the Farrand Quint is?
Red Revival: There are four Farrand Quints, and two of them face Farrand Field. I lived in one of those. You live with four roommates, and it’s basically a huge room with a private balcony. It’s arguably the best dorm at CU.
We actually started our shows there, which really helped launch Red Revival. If we hadn’t had the Quint, our growth would have been much slower. When you’re a small band, it’s hard to book shows. We basically had our own venue where people could come without paying, and we could guarantee a crowd.
We did four or five shows there and packed around 80 people into one room. We were incredibly lucky to have that space.
Ari Lubin: One of your house show TikToks recently blew up. How did that impact the band?
Red Revival: I remember that day. It was a monumental moment for Red Revival.
The show was supposed to take place in about 15-degree weather. Moto and I were worried about our instruments because guitars and violins are made of wood, and extreme cold can be hard on them. We decided to do it anyway, and it ended up being our biggest show.
We made a TikTok about it, posted it, and it blew up overnight. None of us expected it. That moment brought us a lot of attention and led to many of the opportunities we’ve had since.
We actually posted two TikToks of the same song on the same day, and both went viral. I posted one the night before and woke up to around 200,000 views. Then our drummer posted another the next morning. After a week, it was sitting at around 2.2 million views. Combined, the videos got almost three million views from one song.
What’s funny is that it was an indie rock song, and we’re a country band. That really helped put us on the map.
Ari Lubin: Do each of you have a most memorable show you’ve played?
Red Revival: For me, it would be when we went back to that same house and played another party there. Words of Mouth performed with us, and it ended up being our biggest house show ever. It was incredible seeing so many people there specifically to watch us and our friends play.
For context, it was at my friend’s house, which has one of the biggest backyards I’ve ever seen. While we were performing, it was dark and the spotlight was on us, so we couldn’t really see the crowd. Looking back at the videos, people were swinging from trees and the entire yard was packed. I’d estimate there were around 500 people there.
My most memorable show was our first performance at the Fox Theatre during Battle of the Bands. I grew up watching artists I love perform there, so being on that stage was special. Bands like The Backseat Lovers played there. Now we’re actually going to headline there on September 17.
That house party is probably still my favorite, but I also loved our most recent Fox show with Tough Knuckle Teddy and Bucket Brigade. We got to perform our song “Revival” with several guest musicians onstage, including banjo, mandolin, and another fiddle player. It was a great way to end the year.
Ari Lubin: Tough Knuckle Teddy has actually done some stuff here too.
Red Revival: Really? That’s awesome. They’re everywhere.
Ari Lubin: How do you balance school and being in a band that’s gaining traction?
Red Revival: I’m studying mechanical engineering at CU. My first year wasn’t too bad, but the upcoming years will be much more challenging. At the same time, the band is probably going to get busier, so I’m a little nervous about balancing everything.
I’m a Strategic Communications major, so I have a bit more flexibility. School, work, and fun are all connected for me. This past semester was our breakout semester. Before then, we’d never even played a real venue. I definitely overbooked us. We played far more shows than we probably should have.
It helped us grow because we played three times as much as many other bands, but April was especially hectic. Some weeks we were playing three or four shows, and I think we played five during our final week. Going forward, I’d like to have a more consistent schedule—maybe two shows a week—so we can focus on the opportunities that make the most sense and have more time for school.
Ari Lubin: Do you think you’ll do more house shows or more venue shows going forward?
Red Revival: We’ll probably focus more on venues this year because we’re at that stage as a band. That said, we love house shows. They’re probably all of our favorite type of performance.
If there’s a great house party opportunity, especially with some of our friends’ bands, we’ll absolutely do it. That’s part of what we’re known for, and we want to keep that going.
Ari Lubin: Are you working on any new music right now?
Red Revival: Definitely. Evan and I just recorded a demo in my bedroom a few days ago. Surprisingly, it sounded pretty decent, even with minimal equipment.
We’re working on a lot of new material, so people should keep an eye out. We gained attention through covers, but we want to release more original music. We actually have two new songs we’re about to work on right after leaving here.
Ari Lubin: Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to mention?
Red Revival: Our next show is on my birthday, July 28. We’ll be opening for Uncle Lucius.
If you’re listening, come say happy birthday. It will be a stripped-down acoustic set—no electric instruments and no drums. Just Red Revival at its core.
Ari Lubin: Where can people get tickets?
Red Revival: Through the link in our bio or on AXS. Just look up Uncle Lucius at the Fox.
Ari Lubin: And where can people find you online?
Red Revival: You can find us on TikTok at Red Revival the Band and on Instagram at redrevivalband.
Ari Lubin: That’s about it. Thank you, guys, for coming in.
Red Revival: Thank you so much. Thanks for having us. This was a blast.
