The Revelator
is a rock band based in San Francisco. No one leaves disappointed. All will be revealed.
The Revelator’s secret ingredient has always been that they were all friends before they were bandmates. Musically, this translates into a band that doesn’t just play songs together; they play off each other, and make the audience feel included in the musical journey through their communal expression of kinship. The band is led by songwriter J Skaggs who was raised attending folk festivals and songwriter showcases in his home state of Texas. Before he could walk he had heard the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Robert Earl Keen, and Guy Clarke perform live. The band’s songs combine the story-driven songwriting of folk music with the 2000s indie sounds he heard on the radio growing up. Their energetic live sets have garnered comparisons to the likes of The Decemberists, Wilco, and Father John Misty.
Alongside J, the band includes Bay Area favorites Marissa Cornelius (vocals), Zeke Ketcham (bass), Chandler Jones (guitar), and Lucas Siobal (drums).
The band’s debut LP, Removing a Heart is More Art Than Science, was self-produced and recorded parts at Shirt Pants Studios in Los Angeles and at Unpaved Record Factory in San Francisco. The songs take listeners on a journey of recovery from heartbreak; healing, then reopening the wound, struggling to forgive. Since releasing the record, the band has use their breakup bops for good, getting audiences dancing across the Bay Area at venues including Bottom of the Hill, August Hall, and El Rio.
Other releases include their EPs Strange Times, Drum Machines are People Too, and Year of the Breakup.
Bio
The Revelator is a San Francisco based indie rock band. Fronted by the magnetic duo of vocalists J Skaggs & Marissa Cornelius, The Revelator pairs story-driven songwriting with the contagious passion of bands like The Decemberists.
Since their early exploration of acoustic freak-folk on A Radiation Leak, the band’s first EP, The Revelator has steadily honed their production and songcraft with each release. Their Year of the Breakup EP saw the band add drums to the mixture, and the subsequent Drum Machines are People Too marked their foray into incorporating electronic elements. While their instrumentation has evolved, they’ve never lost sight of their north star; incisive songwriting, that is darkly seductive in its determination to traverse the depths of the soul and reach the recesses many writers shy away from. This distinctive writing style makes them one of the most exciting voices to watch on the indie scene. The band’s 2021 Strange Times single saw them weave these elements into a tantalizing show of things to come. Their forthcoming debut LP delivers on this promise.
Removing a Heart is More Art Than Science is out now on all streaming platforms.
Online
No one leaves disappointed.
All will be revealed.
Press
“You know when you've got rocket fuel on your hands? Yeah, exactly that my friend." -Gideon Resnick, Co-host of Crooked Media’s What a Day Podcast
“Gushing summer heat to soothe the soul.” -AF Chagas, Roadie Music
“The Revelator and the shiny bohemian art folk rock rays of "Sunbeam" turns on it's own universal art rock-esque psychedelia.” -Robb Donker Curtius, American Pancake
“The Revelator is the ‘Clint Capela’ of indie-rock.” -Jeremy Woo, Sports Illustrated & ESPN Contributor
Roadie Music
From the Strait
B-Side Guys
Last Day Deaf
Ear to the Ground Music
Direct Actu
Come Here Floyd
Artist info
Label: Independent
Genre: Indie-rock / Alternative
Hometown: San Francisco
Influences: Oasis, Joni Mitchell, The Kinks, Sharon Van Etten, Bruce Springsteen
Sounds like: The Decemberists, The Killers, Better Oblivion Community Center, Father John Misty, Josh Ritter