In March Albuquerque lost one of its most respected musicians when 41-year-old drummer Ragon Espinoza unexpectedly passed away. The members of Reviva – arguably Burque’s most popular and prolific reggae-rock band – were hit particularly hard by the tragedy, especially since Espinoza and frontman Chris Brennan were the only two bandmates who stuck together the entire time Reviva existed. Today, the band continues to perform relentlessly with drummers Kevin Sanchez and Johnny Sanchez who have stepped up in Espinoza’s place. Because of their busy performance schedule, Reviva rotates between bassists Danny The Harp and Adam Moffett. The same goes for lead guitarists Jessie Martinez and Charles Montoya. Keyboardist Petey Gabaldon, trumpet player and Billboard Top Ten artist Ryan Montano, saxophonist Colin Darby and flautist Ari Chavez from Cuba complete Reviva’s unstoppable ensemble cast of local reggae legends. Brennan says despite the changes and loss, the musicians in Reviva are closer than ever. And they continue to honor Espinoza’s memory by pairing their unrelenting instrumental energy with uplifting, bilingual love letters to the city that has given them countless memories during their journey. In a world filled with social and political turmoil, Reviva believes “The Answer” to our problems can only be found through positive “Change.”
Will you describe your sound for us?
Reviva’s sound is very unique as each song has a different type of sound. As our singer Chris is bilingual, some songs are in English and others in Spanish. He spent time in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua on the Caribbean Coast, which had a big influence on our songs being reggae with a Latin beat. Most of our songs are dedicated to highlighting causes that we think are important right now in the world. The song “Take Me Away” was written in 2016 during the first Trump Administration about how important immigrants are to the fabric of our country and community. Similarly, “The Answer” is a call to action about addressing climate change for future generations, while “Change” is a prayer song for less war in the world.
What are your favorite venues to play and why?
We have had a longstanding great relationship with Joe Anderson who owns Launchpad, Sunshine Theatre, Inside Out and El Rey. We also are very close with Marble Brewery and have had some amazing shows there due to our dedicated fanbase. Meow Wolf in Santa Fe and KTAO and Taos Mesa Brewery have also given us some great memories.
What are your lyrics about?
The lyrics and our ability to be friends for almost two decades is what has truly kept Reviva together. When we play songs like “Promised Land” or “Grandpa’s Song,” our fans know all of the words and sing along with us. “La Verdad” is all about being truthful with ourselves and one another. The name of our band and the lyrics we sing are entirely dedicated to helping uplift others.
What bands or genres inspire your music?
We come from the tree of New Mexico reggae, which includes Mystic Vision, Joseph General, Dre Z Melodi, Element 37 and many others. We have also tried our best to inspire and work with the next generation of New Mexico reggae bands like The Riddims, Vibestrong, Burque Sol and Mondo VIbrations. Reviva essentially grew up with Red Light Cameras as Chris and their lead singer, Amanda Machon, have dealt with turnover in their respective bands over the years and dedicate time to rehearsing with new bandmates. The three biggest inspirations for our music are Lucky Dube, Sublime and Bob Marley.
What is the best show you have ever played and why?
The best show we ever played was in Bluefields, Nicaragua. We received a Fulbright Grant from the U.S. Embassy to play there, and there were over 3,000 people there. The grant was a cultural exchange of reggae and maypole music, which is their native music. It was played on a stage located on a basketball court, and the whole city came out to watch us. We made great friends, and one of the musicians named Papa Bantam is currently the most known musician in all of Nicaragua.
In second place would be our album Equanimity release, when Marble Downtown closed down the entire block as it was recorded by Bob Marley’s best friend, Errol Brown, and produced by the bassist Pablo Stennett, who is the bassist for Ziggy Marley. Some of the best musicians in Albuquerque are recorded on the album, including Tony Orant, Artha Meadows and Brian Shonerd.
It is important to mention that Glenn Buddha Benavidez and Jerel Garcia kept the band alive while Chris was in Nicaragua for three years. As a group, we have a lot to look forward to, including a show with Pepper at Sunshine Theatre soon and a performance at Marblefest this October. We have three new singles coming out this fall and hope to continue the magic together!
After seeing the video for “Take Me Away,” you’ll see how spot-on Reviva was with their subject matter in 2016.
Enjoy a live Reviva performance filmed at The Launchpad about five years ago during the COVID lockdown here.
You can also check out the video for “The Answer” from Equanimity here.
If you’d like to stroll down memory lane with Reviva, reminisce by watching the official video for the older track “Change” here.
Check out this awesome footage from their trip to Nicaragua in the video for “Sweet Lagoon” here.
Hit up Reviva on bandcamp to purchase and jam their albums. You can also follow them on Instagram and Facebook to keep tabs on the band.