Artist: The Last Revel
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Latest Album: Gone For Good (out July 18, 2025)
Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?
I grew up fly fishing, hunting, and camping in my home state of Wisconsin. Those experiences have turned into passions of mine in my adult life and are about the only other thing in my life that I feel a hyper-focused mental clarity like I do when I’m performing onstage. I cherish them both equally and I wholeheartedly feel that one informs the other. I began writing “Go On,” a song on our forthcoming record, while on a solo mule deer hunt near my current home of Livingston, Montana. The verses seemed to pop up fully formed. I still have a voice memo on my phone of me humming lines from the song while hiking down a mountain in the dark. For me, there is a clear path between being deeply immersed in an outdoor experience and being able to hear ideas and inspiration from my subconscious mind. I feel lucky to now live in a state like Montana where the opportunities for great outdoor experiences are endless. – Ryan Acker
What has been the best advice you’ve received in your career so far?
The best advice I ever received was kind of in passing on a long drive between a few tough shows on tour in the early days. We were all talking about how hard some shows can be, especially when there’s very few people there. It can be difficult to put your whole heart into it and when you do, it can feel exhausting. So we were all talking about it. Vinnie’s family owned a restaurant when he was young and his mom used to say, “You win people over one plate of pasta at a time.” I have thought about this phrase on a regular basis for years to stay inspired about the shows and the songs regardless of turnout or enthusiasm from the crowd. It helps to remember that at least one person there is enjoying our version of pasta. And it helps me stay passionate about what we are sharing rather than worrying about how it will be received. – Lee Henke
If you didn’t work in music, what would you do instead?
If I didn’t work in music, I think I would be an excavator. I think in order to move dirt, dig holes, and grade slopes all day everyday you would almost have to achieve a Buddha-level zen to sustain your well being. It would also give me time to focus on something simple and seemingly endless, which can be soothing for my brain. There is also something mystical about making something beautiful out of dirt. We always talk about the magic of making something out of nothing in the band so I guess that’s maybe why I think I would be a good excavator in another life. Or maybe retirement. – Lee Henke
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
Italian tavern food with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in the corner.
There is a little tiny village called Compello Monti at the end of the road, way up in the mountains on the border of Italy and Switzerland. It is just at the edge of the tree line and built around a waterfall that drops through the middle of several blocks of stacked buildings, because of that everything is covered in dew. It is a place that is shrouded in moss and held together by benevolent ghosts. In the center of the town there is a little tavern that will serve you a five-course dinner in striking Italian fashion – that is to say, simple, robust, and perfect – with libations to match for an extraordinarily modest price. I recall having the most incredible antipasti, followed by a simple plate of linguine al pomodoro, and porchetta, the last time I was there. I would love to enjoy that meal with a great heaping portion of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds playing in the corner mostly for themselves, serving up deep, dark, lovely sorrow for us all to enjoy. – Vinnie Donatelle
What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?
There is often a lot of time to kill backstage and at a certain point I started randomly making up nonsensical and sometimes libidinous songs to kill the time, have fun, and try to get my guys laughing. Ryan pointed out recently that when I do that I get all the yips out and tend to play better sets. Since then I’ve tried doing that before anything important, like interviews or studio time, and it actually does seem to make a world of difference. – Vinnie Donatelle
Photo Credit: Christopher Murphy
