Ragan the revivalist

The title of the Revival tour suggests your trying to bring something back into the public conscience that may have been lost for a time, is this true?

In some ways, yes. We aren't trying to do anything other than be apart of an eclectic group of songwriters and players from all over the globe, to not only learn what we can from people whom we respect but to challenge ourselves in the process. This type of tour and way of sharing music and collaborating has certainly revivived my spirit in music in quite a number of ways. As far as reviving this concept to the public conscience, I believe it certainly does for some people who have never seen a concert presented in this format. This way of sharing music has always been here and around but we're learning that a lot of the folks who come see and experience an ensemble like this have never seen anything like it before.

Do I detect an air of personal disatisfaction about some of the live performers out there today? You call it a sea of live music, suggesting there's a lot of it, but perhaps much of it lacks direction or distinctiveness?

It's actually the opposite to be honest! I've never been more excited about finding and experiencing music in my life as I've felt in the five years of working for this tour. I've learned more and come into contact with so many people that I would not have found otherwise and for that, I've felt completely re-charged and eternally grateful. Everyone has their own taste and idea of a show they would like to see. For me, after touring and performing most of my life, I've seen both people who play and sing with conviction as well as people who are simply punching a clock and going through the motions. If I'm going to spend my time, energy and hard earned money to go out for an evening, bring my wife or go with friends, I want to get my money's worth and have a wonderful time. Who wouldn't? The last place I want to find myself is in front of a stage listening to someone who'd rather not be there or releases an air of ego or hierarchy. If that's the case, I'd rather stay home or be in the woods! I want to feel connected with the artist and find a moment where I can leave all of my troubles at the door.

You are touring with a pretty electic bunch of people. How much do they inspire you and what's it like performing with them?

Touring with such an eclectic group has been a massive rush of inspiration and constant awakenings to say the least. The majority of the people on this tour literally met for the first time a few weeks ago. To get to know people out here on the tour aside from being a fan of their music beforehand has been a remarkable experience. To witness the genuine camaraderie and mutual respect and open minds within a group of strangers becoming friends is a truly special experience and to me reflects and radiates throughout the music and performance we bring together onto the stage. Everyday, something is added or taken away within the set, so we have a constant evolving group of songs that continues to stay fresh and real to us. That said, it challenges us to learn quickly on the spot and sometimes literally moments before taking the stage. That's a massive inspiration not to even mention the beautiful, raw talent that I have the opportunity of witnessing on a day to day basis.

Apart from a larger number of artists for the same ticket price, what do you think the crowd gets from this ensemble approach?

The Revival Tour offers a truly unique experience each and every night of the tour and each tour at that. We have five songwriters out with us on this run and some nights special guests appear unannounced. With five sets constantly changing and a wild card thrown in at times as well as each tour having a completely different line-up, the possibilities are endless and always unpredictable. What does stay consistent is a non stop flowing showcase that has no dead air from start to finish and that immediately bonds each artist with everyone in the crowd. In other words, we begin the evening all together. Everyone who is on the bill is introduced straight away to the show goer and welcomed by all of us together. We do not have any changeovers and fill that time with music. So when this showcase begins, it rolls on steady for around three hours straight and always stays interesting, eclectic and ever changing. One of the most special elements of this tour is the fact that you will see artists that you may know as well as underground folk artists that may be your new favorite, performing together and sometimes for the first and only time. The group of artists will see on these tours most likely will never be seen all together on stage again. Especially not in this way.

I get the impression that no two nights are the same. Have you had any experiences on tour where you have said afterwards, 'Wow, that was something special."?

Each and every night. We are working, we run hard and get worn out but the moments and energy we reserve for the 3 hours we're presenting this showcase is what keeps us going and I believe the main reason is that there's always that element of mystery or element of surprise that keeps us all on an edge and on our toes. In the five years and close to 200 evenings of the Revival Tour that I've been apart of, there hasn't be a night that's gone by without a truly unique collaboration that has unfolded.

You say you need to write as opposed to something your supposed to do. Do you fear waking up one day, lacking inspiration or is your mind constantly generating ideas?

I believe all of us are filled with inspiration at times and just as well get blocked up. To me, as long as I'm willing to let my thoughts dissolve enough to tap into what's really going on or what I'm really needing to release, something will always come out. That said, who knows if it'll ever make it into a song. A lot of the writing that I do isn't ever meant to be heard or seen but those bits are just as important to me as the ones that do make it out. I've always turned to music as a therapy and it's always worked. I can't ever imagine my life without music in it - whether people are listening or n ot.

You like to get things off your chest, so are you writing for yourself as a cathartic exercise first and as a performer second?

It is something that I feel very compelled to do overcome my own hang ups and obstacles. A lot of writings never see the light of day and that's fine. Some pages I believe are meant to be thrown into the fire pit.

Your biography highlights your transient lifestyle, has this come about by accident or design?

A bit of both I'd say. I grew up in a moving family. Either on the road traveling or literally uprooting and moving from town to town. Then I joined bands as young man and continued to live and work on the road. So in a lot of ways it's very much ingrained in me. Years ago when it became tougher and tougher to hold down jobs and still tour, I had to make a decision to do one or the other. I chose the road at an early age. Nowadays, most of us who have made that decision in our lives are finding it harder and harder to make a living without continuing driving ourselves into the ground out here. Most of that is attributed to the shift in the music industry, market flooding, people stealing music, over saturation, not as many people supporting record stores, labels, etc. In the end, it's changed everything for the artist quite a bit. So part accident, part design. All in all it does come down to making a choice to stick with it or not. Tough or not, that's why we're here.