The Revelers, ‘You’re Not to Blame’ [Exclusive Premiere]

Genre-bending Louisiana band the Revelers are premiering their new song "You're Not to Blame" exclusively for readers of The Boot. Press play below to listen.

Seamlessly blending a classic country vibe with Cajun accordion, a plodding melody and syrupy steel guitar, "You're Not to Blame" blames just about everything else — the moon, the stars, the wine — instead of the protagonist's estranged love. "If I sing a weary song, folks like me could get along / You're not to blame," the band sings before a stellar sax solo. "Blame the music, blame the wine, they'll do it every time / Or blame the moon and stars above for making me drink / But you're not to blame."

The Revelers' Chas Justus wrote "You're Not to Blame" during a visit to Galway, Ireland, "thinking about a girl back in the States," he tells The Boot. When the band got their hands on the track, it started out higher and faster -- "kind of a Ray Price shuffle," Justus recalls -- before they turned it into a weeper.

"The tracking is influenced by Flaco Jimenez, who we've played with," Justus adds. "Blake [Miller] was going for sort of a Flaco thing on the accordion, and we had some nods to the Texas Tornadoes and some of Dwight Yoakam's recordings with Flaco."

Hailing from Lafayette, the Revelers are comprised of guitarist Justus, accordion player Miller, drummer Glenn Fields, bassist Trey Boudreaux, fiddler Daniel Coolik and saxophonist and arranger The Chris Miller. The band's sound is steeped in the diverse influences of Louisiana music, including zydeco, Louisiana dancehall and honky-tonk.

On Nov. 8, the Revelers will release a brand-new album, The End of the River (Au bout de la rivière), on which "You're Not to Blame" appears. Visit RevelersBand.com for more information.

Listen to the Revelers' "You're Not to Blame"

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