The Backyard Revival Takes Their Game to the Next Level

The Backyard Revival (TBR) has had a bit of a turbulent time these past few years—with its lineup in flux combined with the pandemic bullshit all performing bands have had to deal with. Despite these challenges, things seemed to have turned around for the Folk/American ensemble—with not only the return of key members, but the announcement of a 2022 The Backyard Revival tour that includes 17 shows in 16 days across 8 states. Follow this link for more tour dates.

The first time I saw TBR was maybe four years ago in Park City. Since then, then every single member—with the exception of Brian Bingham—has wondered off for other projects. I saw TBR again at an IMA sponsored show in 2020, where Bingham had collected a few standout local musicians—including Kya Karine on Bass and Katia (Pixie) Racine, of Pixie and the Partygrass Boys, on vocals and Ukulele—to help put on the show.

Fast forward to several months ago when I learned that Sarah Little Drum had come back to TBR. We recently reviewed an Uma Fuzz show—one of Sarah’s other projects. Anyhow, it’s always great to hear stories about getting the band back together, especially when so much talent is involved. It happens in music often…sometimes not often enough.

The Tour

I caught up with Bingham and Little Drum last week to learn more.

First of all, I asked about the tour lineup. Bingham told me that the band is back to four members once again—with Zsa Zsa Vandyke back on standup bass and Julie Beistline on Violin. That being said, Bingham says he and Little Drum will be doing this tour as a duet. Turns out Vandyke was committed to performances in the Salt Lake Acting Company’s rendition of the Tony Award-winning play Passing Strange.

What started out as one wedding gig in Pennsylvania turned out to be a 17-gig tour. Bingham says the shows in Colorado—where the two of them had played before—were relatively easy to book. TBR had an established reputation with venues and kept in touch with other artists there. This made booking a few gigs in Colorado was fairly straight forward. The rest of the gigs were booked the old-fashioned way—basically rolling up their sleeves, making cold calls, messaging folks on social and sending music links.

This tour marks a big step for TBR. Aside from playing locals gigs and a brief tour of Colorado, this will test Bingham and Little Drum, who expects to come out of the tour with a stronger bond with Bingham. It’s a hectic schedule, with the two performing every single day of the tour, but Bingham and Little Drum say they are ready to go.

The Backyard Revival tour kicks off at Tailgate Tavern this Friday, May 13th, and wraps up on their return to Utah with a show in Ogden on May 29. I’ll be at the Tailgate Tavern show…come say hello say hello.

To learn more about The Backyard Revival, visit thebackyardrevival.com or find them on Facebook and Instagram. If you’re looking for a list of curated live shows in Utah, check out The Bard Recommends calendar.