Album Notes

This is American music in its purest form. Combining a wide range of roots styles including Rockabilly, Honky Tonk, Surf, and Blues, Russ Nasset and the Revelators have a strong following of fans throughout Montana and the Pacific Northwest. A true working band, the four members combine over 90 years of experience to be one of the tightest and most musically adaptable bands around. Led by the father and son duo of Russ and Sam Nasset on electric guitars and rounded out by the incredible rhythm section of Duke Kirschenmann on bass and Kenny Field on drums, the Revelators were recently voted Missoula's Best Band in the Missoula Independent's local reader's poll.

Formed in 1998, the Revelators have been playing over 100 shows per year, in venues ranging from large clubs to small roadside honky-tonks and keeping crowds begging for more at the end of the night. "If you want country," says Sam Nasset, "we'll keep it country. If you want rockabilly, we can do that too. If you want Bob Segar or Freebird, get the hell out, cause we don't play that shit." Russ Nasset has been playing for over 35 years, and his experience and professionalism show on every gig. He has been on overseas tours of Slovenia, Japan, and Italy, and has played with such legends as Cash McCall, Vassar Clements, Rose Maddox, and Hank Thompson. "Every night," says Sam, "he'll play something that nobody knows or has ever even heard before. And we have to learn it right there. It just kind of shows you how long this guy has been doing this. And he still loves it."

Their 2003 release, Russ Nasset and the Revelators, combines Rockabilly (Let's Get Started), Cowboy Surf (Headin' for the Hills), Honky Tonk (I'll Be There), Doo-Wop (Why Should I Cry?), and straight up Rock n' Roll (Workin' for the Man). The album features the super tight playing of Ronnie Mason on bass, who died of a heroin overdose in 2001. It also features Russ's two other sons, John and Jimi, along with Sam, on three-part harmony on two tracks. The musical blood definitely flows strong in the Nasset family. Russ belts out soulful vocals and draws spectacular tone from his 1961 Fender Stratocaster (all three guitarists play Fender gear exclusively). A younger Sam adds clean backing vocals and even cleaner guitar leads to the driving rhythm of Ronnie and Kenny. Several guests are also featured, including Frank Ruffalo on Accordion, Cash McCall on vocals and guitar, Ellie Nuno on fiddle, and Steve Elder on harmonica.

The band thrives on live shows and hopes to tour more and more. "It's all I want to do," says Sam. "The only reason I work is to buy more guitars. To be a live musician for the rest of my life is my ultimate goal. This band, it's the real deal. We do this for a living. Lots of bands come and go. Lots of musicians claim to be pros but are really just hobbyists. But after all these guys have settled down and put their guitars under their beds, we'll still be playing shows all the time, trying to keep true to real American roots music."