What do you get when you combine good friends, hard-driving bluegrass, and fine Kentucky whiskey?
That may be something of a loaded question, as a visit to most any bluegrass festival in the Commonwealth could attest, but one answer is the Bourbon Revival Band, a Kentucky quartet that specializes in setting rock, pop, and country hits to a bluegrass beat. They have turned heads wherever they go, sharing their motto, “Plugged-in vibes. Unplugged sound. 100 proof.”
The band consists of Matt Phelps on guitar and lead vocals, Nathan Livers on mandolin, Cody Pearman on banjo, and Jeff Baxter on bass.
Now the boys have won the Battle of the String Bands competition, sponsored by the massive Bourbon & Beyond music festival, held in Louisville in September. The festival brings together major artists from many different genres – including bluegrass! – into the largest of its kind in the state. Last year’s event saw more than 200,000 people attend, and as winners of the band contest, the Bourbon Revival Band is on the bill in 2025.
They’ll appear alongside other top bluegrass acts like Michael Cleveland & Jason Carter, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, A.J. Lee & Blue Summit, Trampled By Turtles, Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass, Wyatt Ellis, and an astounding lineup of popular singers and bands in the rock, alternative, and country music worlds.
Here’s a look of what Bourbon Revival brings to the table in this expertly-crafted arrangement of Everybody Wants To Rule The World, a smash hit for Tears For Fears in 1985…
…and in this grassified cover of Cheap Trick’s I Want You To Want Me from 1977.
These two songs, and the full catalog of Bourbon Revival’s bluegrass covers, can be found at popular download and streaming services online, and on their YouTube channel. Several are also available to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
We are hoping to cover the four day Bourbon & Beyond festival, September 11-14, if we ever hear back from the organizers. It sounds like a whale of a good time for music lovers of every stripe.
