Vibrant colors, lush sounds, and psychedelic spirits take center stage in The Revelator’s latest music video for their song, “Sunbeam.” The San Francisco-based indie rock band once again proves they know how to stir both the soul and the senses, this time with a track that feels like a sonic love letter to the Bay Area.
From the moment “Sunbeam” begins, retro almost-hip-hop-style drums lay a hypnotic foundation. A chilling voice cuts through the haze, spinning a tale that’s equal parts memory and mirage. Just as quickly as the listener settles into the groove, the genre shifts as vocals, bass, and guitar come in. Live drums give way to swirling, psychedelic rock textures.
The Revelator’s signature sound shines through: haunting vocal harmonies, reverb-soaked guitar solos, and story-driven lyrics that beg for a second listen. The chorus bursts open like sunlight breaking through fog:
“I’ve been staring at the sun so long, I can’t see the dawn”
“I’m turning into a sunbeam, dissolving just like a daydream”
It’s uplifting, eerie, and deeply San Francisco. This is the band at their most free-spirited and emotionally potent.
Fronted by the magnetic duo of J Skaggs and Marissa Cornelius, The Revelator fuses the narrative lyricism of acts like The Decemberists and Father John Misty with the energy of The Killers and the moody grit of Better Oblivion Community Center. You’ll hear echoes of their influences, Oasis, Joni Mitchell, The Kinks, and Sharon Van Etten, but the final product is distinctly their own.
Still riding high off the momentum of their 2023 album Removing a Heart is More Art Than Science, The Revelator continues to carve their own path as an independent force in the indie rock/alternative scene.
“Sunbeam” feels like both a modern anthem and a revival of an older spirit, one that still haunts the streets of San Francisco.
An exclusive interview with the band is posted below.
Watch the “Sunbeam” music video now and step into the light. From the heart of San Francisco. Independent and unapologetically original, The Revelator:
RTP: Who wrote the song? Did you write it together as a band? Who writes the lyrics, and what inspired them?
J. Skaggs- I wrote the song but the version you’ll hear us play live is a slightly altered arrangement we worked up as a band. The song was inspired by late-night walks around the Richmond District in San Francisco that J was taking during covid. I have a hard time saying anything about lyrics that makes them seem more interesting but my bandmates might have something…
Marissa – I didn’t write the song, but I’ve sung it/listened to it hundreds of times now. For me, beyond it being a song about San Francisco, it’s a song about reinvention.
RTP: Are you all from SF?
J- I think Lucas is the only person who’s a lifelong SF native, but Chandler’s also a Bay Area lifer. My family moved to the Bay from Houston in when I was in elementary school.
Lucas- I’ve lived in SF most of my life, except for 5 years where I was in Monterey CA for college.
Zeke- I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. I had dreamed of living here since the first time I visited my aunt in 2009. I’ve lived in the Bay since 2016 mostly in SF.
Chandler – I’m from Livermore originally so I grew up going to shows in the city my whole life. Since then I’ve lived in the Sunset, on the panhandle, and now in the Lower Haight. I also spend a bunch of time in the Richmond. I love it here.
M – I grew up in Los Angeles, but I’ve lived in San Francisco for the past five years. Bay Area supremacy!!! I’m never leaving!!!
RTP: What do you think about the shift in culture in SF because of the tech boom? How is San Francisco now?
L- I think one thing that has come out of the tech boom is that younger people didn’t have places they can go to see shows. That sucks because you need places where kids can go see, and play, in bands. This is getting a little bit better since a lot more venues are doing all ages (or at least 18+) shows. And also we need more house shows!
J- It’s been a bummer to see a lot of the great SF bands not be able to stay in the city. We’ve lost some great bands to LA and New York in the last 15 years because the cost of living has gone up so much. But rock music does best when it has to fight to exist, and I think the SF music community gets how hard every band out here is working to stick around and put on great shows for the city. SF is still the greatest city on the planet, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be making music.
Z – I feel the same way Lu does. Where I’m from, as early as middle school, kids would put on hardcore shows or do DJ sets in empty storefronts and abandoned buildings and get their sea legs playing in bands, getting in front of audiences, and doing the thing from an early age. My impression is that sort of thing just can’t happen in the Bay nowadays. Nimby’s complaining about the noise from their neighbor’s house shows. security guards at empty buildings, etc. Because of that it feels like the scene around here skews a bit older than you might expect. I feel like most of the people I play with weren’t able to get started in earnest until they were already in their 20s when they could start going to bars.
That said, since the end of lockdown there has been a real explosion of live music, and new bands. Lots of friends of ours doing cool stuff. The biggest effect I feel from the ‘tech boom’ if you wanna call it that, is that SF can be really sleepy, people will come to shows but they won’t stay until the end because they have a Zoom call at 8am.
M- One thing I always try to emphasize is that the city is so much more than tech. I don’t work in tech and very few people I know do, either, and I don’t live in a techie neighborhood. So, in my little bubble, San Francisco is full of teachers and musicians and nurses, and I almost never have to talk to anyone about startups or coding. The city can be that for you, too!
C – I’ve only been in the city the past 5 years or so, so I can’t really speak to a change. What I do know is that there are still great places to make and enjoy art if you know where to look. It’s definitely a lot harder than it once was for artists to be able to exist here, but there is absolutely still great art all around you.
RTP: What was your favorite part of making the video?
L- The beautiful scenery. Hanging with friends. The G R O O V Y outfits.
Z- It was just a blast, we had so many pals, so many other musicians in the video. The best part was waiting around off camera and getting to hang with people I don’t get to see as much as I’d like. J had a real vision for what he wanted the video to feel like, and it was great just being a part of it.
M – Being jammed into a kiddie pool with seven of my closest friends and then getting asked to leave the area of the park we were shooting in because it was a weird vibe for the children’s birthday party happening nearby.
J- So many people came together to support us throughout making this video. It was really heartwarming to have support from so many people to help this vision come to life. Also, yeah, hilarious to hear that woman literally say “I’ve been planning my son’s fourth birthday for months and this is not the vibe!” In her defense, the vibes did clash.
C – Getting to watch everything come together behind the scenes. J is a great director and had a really cool vision for the video, and it was a lot of fun to see a whole crew of people come together and make that vision into a reality.
RTP: What’s next for The Revelator?
J- We’re in the early stages of demo’ing and arranging songs for an album called “10 More Songs by The Revelator”. A lot of our fan favorites that we love playing live but haven’t made it onto a record yet are gonna be on there. Also looking to keep playing around the Bay Area and beyond, so holler at us if you need some music.
RTP: What are your favorite venues to play in SF?
L- Bottom of the Hill. Neck of the Woods. The Great American Music Hall
J- Bazaar cafe because it brought us all together
Z- Bazaar Cafe is such a gem. To Lu’s point about places where kids can put on and go to shows, it’s where nearly everyone I know in music got started. If anyone reading wants to put themselves out there and start playing, check out their Thursday night open mic.
M- I third Bazaar! My life wouldn’t be the same without it. Also, Bottom of the Hill feels super cool because of all the history and all the amazing bands that have played there – it feels cool to be part of that lineage.
C – Bottom of the Hill and Bazaar Cafe
Written by Ryan Cassata
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The post The Revelator Channels Psychedelic San Francisco in Dazzling New Music Video “Sunbeam” + Exclusive Interview appeared first on ROCK THE PIGEON.
