While David Shaw was planning to release his solo debut well before the novel coronavirus placed most of the live-music world on pause, The Revivalists' frontman’s new record couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. A deeply personal, introspective reflection with a pronounced emphasis on self-care, the project captures the struggles so many are facing during the impactful COVID-19 era. In September, Shaw previewed the LP—which is slated for release in early 2021 on Yokoko Records/C3 Records—by dropping two new singles, “Shaken” and “Promised Land.” As he waits for a time when he can tour with his own backing ensemble and regroup The Revivalists (who offered a well-received drive-in show this summer), Shaw caught up with us about his decision to make a solo record, his struggles with addiction and how he’s been able to stay grounded at a time when the entire world feels so uncertain.
You’ve been The Revivalists’ frontman and one of the band’s primary songwriters for going on 15 years. At what point did you decide it was time to step out under your own name?
We recorded the record in March, around Mardi Gras, but I’ve been working on it off and on for some time. And the main thing with this solo project is that I realized that I needed to grow in another way that the band doesn’t really foster. The band is amazing in so many ways—the camaraderie, the teamwork. I have a lot of people I can lean on in these scenarios. But I thought, “If I’m ever gonna get to where I can just really access my full potential, then I gotta be able to see if I can do this other thing while, obviously, still doing the band thing.” And it’s just been a major learning curve because there’s just so many things you don’t think about. It’s also been really beautiful. I’m surprising myself at every turn. It’s scary as hell and fucking amazing all in one!
It’s really cool to be able to start these songs in my bedroom or in the studio and really squeeze it all the way through to the finish, whereas in the band culture we divide things up and work together in the studio. That’s all beautiful, but it’s a very different process for me. It’s been awesome. I’m having a lot of fun doing it. It’s definitely a different sound from the band—my thought was, “We’ve already got the band so I need to come up with something different for my solo record.” It’s a little more personal—that’s something that a solo record has to be. It’s been a beautiful exploration.
Was there a certain song that felt like the start of this new exploration?
When I started to think that I might want to do a solo project, I sat down to write a little something just to see what happened. This was during a tough time in my life. A lot of things were going on in the personal front. I had been on tour and I was not sleeping well. I don’t do so well on a tour bus. It took me a little while to catch up and get used to that lifestyle of being at home. It was just tough, and I said, “I gotta do something for myself.”
I’m just a giver at my core—to where I can sometimes give, almost at the detriment of my own well-being. So I sat down and started writing for me and started building what ended up being the song “Shaken.” What grew out of an exercise in self-care and self-love turned into something completely different. And I realized, “Maybe there’s something more here to explore.” It turned into an [exercise in] believing in yourself, against all odds. I realized that not only are fear and anxiety going to be ever-present, but there is no courage without fear.
My thought was, “Even if you’re standing there shaking, you’re still standing there.” So that song is now a bit of my personal anthem; it’s about confronting things that scare you, which can be tough in any situation. I’ve learned a ton about myself in the process of making this record and really got myself back on the rails. I was going off the rails there for a little bit.
Your solo record has a pronounced focus on self-care. What are some of the methods you’ve used to take care of yourself mentally and spiritually?
One thing that I started during that time that I’ve stuck with is transcendental meditation. That really helped me keep my head in the game—helped me center myself. I go in and out on that. It’s definitely a practice that continues to grow, so I’m very grateful that I started doing a lot of that. I also do a lot of yoga. When I’m connected to my body physically, I feel the most connected to my mind and my heart as well. So I just realized that physical work—whether that be running or working out, yoga or anything atypical—just makes me feel grounded. It makes me feel alive, makes me feel good, honestly. And so, that is a huge part of my life. Especially these days during quarantine, we gotta all do what we can to keep the lights on in the house in our minds. It’s a tough time. Everybody’s going through something; there is so much to deal with. I am glad I’ve had those practices to lean on.
I also started doing these breathing exercises, the Wim Hof method. They call him “The Iceman.” He has these retreats—he climbs freaking Mount Everest in his shorts. He figured out a way to [trick] the nervous system into not responding to these various environments; our bodies are, honestly, equipped to handle these situations, we just live these very comfortable lives. It’s just like lifting weights—you need to train yourself into making it feel natural.
I started taking cold showers in the morning, which kind of sounds terrible, but I’m a full believer in cold theory. It’s the last two minutes of your shower, and it changes pathways in the brain—it reduces anxiety way more than just waking you up for the day. It will change your entire day. I can put a hefty bet on that for anybody.
You struggled with substance abuse issues and addiction early in your career and, as you mentioned earlier, your solo material presents a more open and honest look at your own life. How did that rough period shape your personal journey?
Yeah man, I was struggling. I was 24 when I moved to New Orleans and that was a trip, man. It’s a beautiful city plus it’s a late-night city and the party got the best of me. I wound up in a situation that no one would want to be in, for sure. I wound up in the emergency room—took an ambulance ride—and spent the whole night there. A lot of people don’t get that wake-up call. You know what I’m saying?
If anything, I’m grateful that it scared the living hell out of me, and I’m grateful that I’m still here and able to talk about it to this day and share my story. And now, 12 years later, I haven’t had a sip of alcohol or cocaine or heroin, or anything like that. I’m doing pretty well I gotta say, and I’m very grateful for that—for my sobriety.
Though your new album is a solo effort, you worked with a number of familiar faces on the project. How did you go about putting together a new ensemble to bring these personal stories to life?
I enlisted a group of guys that I’ve done a lot of stuff with in the past, but it’s also a very unique thing to get these particular players together, in the same room—particularly my friend, Neal Francis, who just had a big record—Changes—come out on Colemine records. He’s always kind of played with me when I’ve done solo things and whatnot, so I called him up. He’s just an amazing player and an amazing energy to have in the room, with his musical knowledge. The guy just breathes soul in and he’s such a versatile player.
And then we got the rhythm section of this great funky band called The Heard—bassist Mike Starr and drummer P.J. Howard, who also played with The Revivalists. [Francis was also a member of The Heard before leaving, battling his own substance abuse issues and finding success as a solo artist.]
These guys have been playing together for a long time. There’s something that happens when you get a bass player and a drummer together who have been playing together for that long; they don’t have to think about a damn thing. They can just walk in and know what to do. They know how to make a song feel a certain way. They can ride that groove and put a song in the right spot. In February, we had various sessions and they just knew what I liked.
And last but certainly not least, we got my buddy Chris Gelbuda, who did a lot of guitar work and who I also wrote four or five of the songs on the album with. The guy is just a great friend and such a massive musician. I feel so lucky and grateful to play with this guy because he’s just a beast.
How much preparation did the group do for the sessions?
It was a unique setting and a unique group of people that kind of came together to capture the right vibe, and that vibe was joy. That was my whole thing for this entire project—if it didn’t make you feel good and if you weren’t kind of smiling and having fun through it all, even the hardship, the worst of it, then you shouldn’t do it.
It doesn’t always come together in the studio the way you thought it would or the way you’re hearing it, but the main difference with this thing in the studio was that there was never a second where we had a sour moment. It was just all fun and games and that vibe got injected into the songs. You can seriously hear it and feel it on every single one. And that doesn’t happen very often. I know it sounds damn-near cheesy to say this and it sounds like a bunch of bullshit because it’s hard work, but it was just joyous.
Jeff Flesh, my co-producer on the album, was just a dream to work with. He worked through the songs; we spoke the same language. A lot of times a producer will try to take your music and in a different direction for various reasons. Chris Gelbuda also produced one of the songs and is just a major part of the project. He’s just a character, man. I love him to death.
Obviously, the current global pandemic has put a wrench in everyone’s touring plans and the next year is full of unknowns for music. Did you plan to bring this band on the road or let it exist as more of a studio project?
We are still going to do a tour at some point, for sure. I just don't really know when that’s going to be. But I really look forward to getting out there and putting these songs to the test on the road. These songs have never been played live.
A lot of the time[with The Revivalists], I’m testing songs out before they drop by playing them live. So this is gonna be the opposite situation—I’ve never been in a situation where the fans hear one version of the song and then, in real time, they are able to see it develop live. Usually, fans get attached to a version of the song live before we put it on a record. But this band is super musical and I’m excited to see where it grows—and there is room to grow.
The Revivalists played a drive-in concert in New Orleans this summer and you are gearing up to release your new record. What other ways have you been able to stay active and engaged at home?
That drive-in show—man, we needed it. The people needed it, too—you could just feel the palpable energy in the air. Even though everybody is spread apart, you could still just tell that it was just so needed. Once music festivals and shows get back to being a thing again, it’s gonna be a glorious day. And I cannot wait for that day. That show was just amazing.
Besides that show, I’ve definitely been writing—I am always writing. I consider myself a songwriter before a performer. That’s what I do every single day. I’m the guy at the party that’ll go into the corner of the room and record a little voice note because I heard somebody say something and it sparked an idea in my head.
Me and my girl also did a cross-country trip in an RV for a few weeks in June. We stayed pretty self-contained there—we did the National Park thing. And I got out of New Orleans for August. It just gets a little suppressive with the heat around here. But since I’ve been back, it’s been cooling down. The weather is pretty nice as long as we can keep dodging these hurricanes.
And the band is always writing so I think a lot of music is going to come out of this quarantine. And it has been nice to have some time off the road and it will be great when we are all able to be together again.
