Non-stop, high-energy sin, sweat and swagger worthy of a whiskey-soaked southern revival tent is what you get from the "Church of Rock N Roll," known as Rio and the Rockabilly Revival. This award-winning band (led by Rio Scafone, niece of original rockabilly pioneer Jack Scott) may be be called "rockabilly," but this group is so much more than the same old twang. Steeped from the predecessors of Rock N Roll (Swing, Jump Blues, Country & Gospel), The Revival brings exciting, authentic and lively music that is both modern and retro with hot arrangements, rich harmonies, vibrant choreography; and of course Rio herself, who has been described as a "evangelical-satanic dervish," on stage.
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Price Range: $1,400 - $15,000 USD
Gig Length: 45 - 90 minutes
Languages: English
Unions: SAG-AFTRA, ASCAP
Front woman Rio Scafone is famous for going on stage bundled up like a pinup queen, and leaving it like a pinup queen drenched in sweat, often with bruised or bleeding knees. When you go to a Rio and the Rockabilly Revival show, you are getting a world-class, a-ticket concert experience, the likes of which you rarely or never get from a live show anymore, regardless of genre. And the audiences at Revival shows understand that at an instinctual level, and respond to it immediately. It is not at all uncommon for audience members to get so caught up in the shows that they fall to their knees, and cry!
Thematically, every aspect of Rio and the Rockabilly Revival's performance is purposeful. The music we play, the whole aesthetic we play off of and so much more is to refernce on the feel and energy you may witness at a southern revival tent church service, with spontaneous miracles, and people so caught up in the spirit that they may rise from a wheel chair or collapse to their knees. In fact, the band name "Rockabilly Revival" does not mean "to revive Rockabilly." Rockabilly didn't go anywhere and never needed to be revived. Rockabilly is a stylistic reference, and Revival is all about that Pentecostal-like experience, sweat and all.
Even Rio's stage wear is part of the show. Yes, she stands before you, feminine and oozing sex appeal, but at the same time, her body language, singing style, even pairing a polka dotted swing dress with combat boots, is all about refusing to be tied down by someone else's expectations. The themes of sin and redemption in the songs are the same way always pushing and pulling, bring the audience on a trip for an entire experience -- not just performing a bunch of songs on stage so they sound as close to an album cut as possible.
“It’s just you, the microphone and the truth”
-Rio Scafone
Like a whiskey-soaked southern revival tent, Rio and the Rockabilly Revival serves up spitfire
Rockabilly where angels fall and sinners are welcome. Make no mistake, this is not your daddy’s Doo-
Wop. It’s pure Rock & Roll with all the sin, sweat and swagger that entails.
The Revival draws heavily from the genres that came together in the early 50’s to form what would be
first known as Rockabilly, and later as Rock and Roll: Jump Blues, Gospel, Hillbilly Swing and Rhythm
and Blues. Then blending these old school sounds with a fresh aesthetic has proven to be a winning
combination for Rio and the Rockabilly Revival, appealing to traditional purists and modern music
lovers alike.
They’re currently nominated for Entertainers of the Year by the coveted Josie Music Awards held in
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Other recent awards include Best Original Band in Hour Detroit
Magazine’s annual readers’ poll three years in a row; 2018 Americana Entertainer of the Year and 2019
Multi-genre Entertainer of the Year at the international Josie Music Awards; and multiple Detroit Music
Awards. They were also recent headlining performers at MetroTimes Magazine’s Best of Detroit
celebration. They’re frequent headliners at music festivals and concert halls in the United States, Canada
and Europe. Other notable performances include being the only “house band” for the ABC’s Woodward
Dream Cruise Televised Broadcast two years in a row; a position created in order to include Rio and
the Rockabilly Revival by the Detroit-area ABC syndicate, Channel 7.
“Then Scafone’s on stage, twisting, gyrating and owning every inch like some sort of
possessed, evangelical-satanic dervish. It’s at once nostalgic performance art, killer show
band and rock ‘n’ roll wonder.”
– Brett Callwood, MetroTimes
Niece of original Rockabilly pioneer, Jack Scott, Rio Scafone is well-deserved Rock and Roll royalty. The
Revival’s bombastic stage show whips audiences into a frenzy with her full-tilt Bettie-Page-on-a-rampage
persona, trademark pinup dress and scrappy boots. Back it up with tight harmonies, top notch
musicianship and high-energy choreography and you’ve got yourself a Revival show. Their concerts
have been dubbed the ‘Church of Rock & Roll’ for playing off themes of sin and redemption, driving fans
to their knees, chanting, "Save My Soul!"
We can provide full sound for any gig, although our preference is for FOH/venue to run sound for the room and we will maintain our monitors with our rig.
We do not travel with lighting typically, but can provide for an extra fee.
Virtually any other aspect is negotiable and can be discussed.
| March 16, 2018 • 1:00pm - 11:00pm | Date on hold for private function |
| February 17, 2018 • 8:00pm - 11:30pm | Rio and the Rockabilly Revival/Bill Grogan’s Goat |
| December 05, 2017 • 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Live Stream Christmas Concert w/ The Jive Aces |
| October 21, 2017 • 8:00pm - 11:55pm | Rio and the Rockabilly Revival/Nobody's Business |
| April 15, 2017 • 8:00pm - 11:00pm | Bookies (Chicago, IL) |
Although Rio and the Rockabilly Revival is primarily an original act, we do enjoy peppering our performances with homages to other artists, and giving our own interpretations to the music of others; including "Rockabilly/Roots" arrangements of songs by more modern performers like INXS, Billy Idol, Tracy Chapman, Chris Isaak, etc. Therefore, all of our standards or "covers" are original arrangements of our own design.
We'll break our set down here to three categories: Roots/Rockabilly Standards, Original Arrangements of Cover Songs, and our own Originals. We also have a list of seasonal/holiday music at the end.
<<Standards>>
Ain't No Grave - Brother Claude Ely/Johnny Cash
Alright, Baby - Janis Martin
Bang Bang - Janis Martin
Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
Go Wild, Little Sadie, Go Wild - Jack Scott
Good-Bye, Baby - Jack Scott
Hard Headed Woman - Wanda Jackson
Hop Skip & Jump - Collins Kids
Hound Dog - Big Mama Thornton/Elvis Presley
I'm Shakin' - Little Willie John/The Blasters/Jack White
I Never Felt Like This - Jack Scott
I Put A Spell On You - Screamin Jay Hawkins
Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
Jump Jive An' Wail - Louis Prima and the Witnesses/Brian Setzer Orchestra
Leroy - Jack Scott
Love Potion #9 - The Clovers/The Searchers
Mercy - Collins Kids
Midgie - Jack Scott
Raunchy - Duane Eddy
Rebel Rouser - Duane Eddy
Rip It Up - Little Richard
Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley and his Comets
Rumble - Link Wray
Save My Soul - Jack Scott
Sleepwalk - Santo and Johnny
The Way I Walk - Jack Scott
Train Kept A-Rolling - Johnny Burnett Trio
Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano - Renato Carosone
Walk Don't Run - The Ventures
When The Saints Go Marching In - Traditional
<<Cover Songs>>
All About That Bass - Megan Trainer (as a medley with other songs)
Bad Things (True Blood theme song) - Jace Everett
Big Bad Handsome Man - Imelda May
Constant Craving - kd Lang
Devil Inside - INXS
Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat - Brian Setzer (from the movie "The Aristocats")
Give Me One Reason - Tracy Chapman
Go Go Godzilla - Brian Setzer
Jam Up - Tommy Ridgley
L'Italiano - Toto Cutugno
Long Way To The Top - AC/DC
Man With The Hex - The Atomic Fireballs
My Lovin' - En Vogue
Mystery Train Kept A-Rolling - Stray Cats
Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
Wicked Game - Chris Isaak
Wild Love - Chris Isaak
<<RRR Original Songs>>
Backseat Betty
Be My Baby
Feel The Beat
Good Man
How'd You Get So Sweet
(I’m In Love With A) Monster
On My Knees
Once Upon A Time
Rockabilly Gal
Rumble & Roar
Runaway Train
Tell It To The Moon
Thank You
That Man's So ...
When The Sun Goes Down
<<Seasonal Songs>>
All The Gifts I Need - JD McPherson
Big Bad Santa Boss - Rio and the Rockabilly Revival
Jingle Bell Rock - Various
Jingle Bells - Traditional/Big Band Style
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Various
Santa Skipped My House - Rio and the Rockabilly Revival
There's Trouble Brewin' - Jack Scott
| Rio Scafone | Lead singer/Tour de force |
| Junebug | Doghouse (Bass)/MD |
| Julie Hugunin | Backing Vocalist |
| Grace Rosen | Backing Vocalist |
| Paige Grider | Saxophones |
| Haley Fisher | Drums |
| Mike Boyd | Guitarist |
We pull primarily from the forces that were play in popular music of the late 1940's through mid-1950's that led to the creation of the genres we now know as Rockabilly and Rock 'N Roll; so Jump Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Swing, Country Swing, 1950's Southern Gospel, etc. At the same time, we don't ignore that 60+ years of musical evolution has happened to Rock 'N Roll since then!
So musically, some of our biggest inspirations come from early rockabilly and rock/soul artists like Little Richard, Jack Scott (of course!), Wanda Jackson, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Burnette, Louis Prima, Louis Jordan, Johnny Cash, The Collins Kids, and many more. But we are also influenced by later performers like James Brown, Janis Joplin, Little Willie John, and even more modern "roots" music contemporaries like Brian Setzer, The Atomic Fireballs, Big Sandy, Dragon Jive, Imelda May, etc.
We also draw inspiration from performers who we may not take a lot of cues from musically, but their energy, or stage presence, commitment, etc. This list includes sensational stage performers like Madonna, Pink, Queen, Metallica; artists who give every ounce of their being to the audience every time they step onto a stage.
Rio and the Rockabilly Revival isn't about pyrotechnics or over-production. We want to connect to the audience and bring them a raw, honest, world-class concert every time. The audience owes us nothing, but we owe give them everything we have. The price of their ticket is a contract of trust to us, and we leave our blood, sweat, tears and soul on that stage for them every night. That magically connection and contract of trust is by far our biggest influence over any writer, performer or song!
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