Hi everyone,
I'm back after a winter hiatus. I broke my right ankle after I fell on solid ice on my driveway in December and decided to take a break from blogging until I was fully healed. I had surgery right before New Year's and had a pair of splints, a cast, a removable boot, and flexible wrap on the ankle during my recovery. It was a long, cold winter here in Minnesota, but it seems like spring is finally here. Now it's time to resume this series with Revis, a band I saw perform and met at a Mississippi Music Fest in St. Cloud a few years ago. I still have the set list and a signed DVD copy of the song "Caught in the Rain" from that show in my memorabilia collection.
Revis was formed in Carbondale, Illinois in 1999. The group originally went by the name Orco. Drummer Marcus D'Marco, guitarists Nathan Cox and Robert Davis, bassist Dan Scronce and singer Justin Holman rounded out the initial roster. The group relocated to Los Angeles in 2001 and had to find a suitable replacement for Scronce. That spot was soon filled by Bob Thiemann.
The band recorded demo versions of the songs "Straight Jacket Labels," "Seven" and "A Gift" with producers Jeff Pilsen and Tommy Henriksen. Revis also employed John Zagata as their manager. More demos were soon recorded for the tracks "Caught in the Rain" and "Spin" before the group signed a contract with Epic Records in 2002. Revis became the band's new name while they worked on their debut record after finding out that a European group had already been performing under the Orca moniker for longer than theirs. They settled on the name Revis as a way to financially compensate their guitar tech and good friend Jason Revis.
Revis' debut album Places for Breathing debuted in May 2003. It plateaued at #115 on Billboard's Top 200 chart. "Caught in the Rain" was the first single from the album. It was also included in the Daredevil movie soundtrack. The second single "Seven" wasn't quite as popular, but both songs helped the band land spots on the Nintendo Fusion tour and concert stops with Evanescence, Oleander, and other similar rock bands.
The group had intentions of recording a sophomore album in 2004. However, they were dropped by Epic Records before that could happen. Another complication was the fact that their current drummer David Pribauer and Davis had decided to join the group Hensley. Cox and Holman returned to their home state in 2005 to start writing and recording new Revis tunes. The duo had at least a dozen songs completed with Henriksen before the news surfaced before the end of that year that Revis was no more.
The band members participated in different projects following the breakup. Thiemann went on to start the groups Deep Space Radio, Dove Lane, and TJ Brown. Holman participated in the group Aujalyn and Cox and Davis formed a group called Maryandi, which would later be renamed The Yelling. In 2010, stories surfaced regarding a reunited Revis (without Thiemann and Cox). The group reportedly planned on releasing a full-length album entitled Gone So Long after issuing an EP called Fire and Ice. Neither release happened, but the group did create an album entitled Do We Have to Beg? in 2012.
"Are You Taking Me Home" and "A Better Day (Relief) were released in advance of the album. The first single from Do We Have to Beg? was "Save Our Souls." Unfortunately, touring issues prevented Revis from hitting the road to support the album. Legal problems also prevented the new album from being properly advertised and marketed.
The song "Fire and Ice" was the last single released before the group disbanded once more. Contractual concerns with the record label and a need to re-record the sophomore disc complicated matters for the musicians. It remains to be seen whether or not Revis will return in some format, but the group was an energetic onstage presence during their heyday.
Well, that's all for now. The next article in this series will focus on the group Eye Empire. Until then, have a great weekend, everyone!
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