Stellar Revival Comes Home to South Florida for Rockfest

By: Michael Demyan

Stellar Revival with Jon Bon Jovi in Los Angeles. Photo via Stellar Revival Facebook

After reuniting to perform in front of legendary rock band Bon Jovi in California earlier this year, local band Stellar Revival will be coming to Pembroke Pines for Rockfest Saturday, Nov. 4.

The reunion all started when drummer Andrew Koussevitzky received a text from his uncle regarding a contest. Without hesitation, Koussevitzky immediately looked at it and entered Stellar Revival as one of the many bands vying for a chance to perform. Winning was a dream come true.

“It was probably the most meaningful concert I’ll ever play in my entire life,” Koussevitzky said. “That sounds a little ridiculous at this point, but I really can’t imagine something being more meaningful than that. Bon Jovi’s always been just a gigantic influence for us, so having that opportunity – it’s beyond anything we could’ve ever asked for.”

Stellar Revival said that they were treated like true rock stars throughout the entire experience and it is not one that they will soon forget.

Beyond performing, one of the most mesmerizing things about being a part of that concert was simply seeing everything being put together and set up. They recalled the numerous semi-trucks full of equipment and hundreds of guitars.

“It was just unbelievable seeing their crew put together the show and then watching it at night and just thinking about how legendary that band is and the fact that we were on that stage the same night,” Koussevitzky said.

The performance was a huge stepping stone for the band, who booked some more shows while they were still in California. Even after being separated for so long, once they were back together, it felt like almost no time passed at all.

Stellar Revival performing at the Forum in Los Angeles. Photo via Stellar Revival Facebook.

“After the first couple strums of guitar and Andrew playing a little bit, we just kind of jumped right back into it,” lead singer Rino Cerbone said. “It was like we never stopped.”

There was a three year absence of Stellar Revival leading up to the California show, whose members went on to do others things and start families. Instead of looking at the absence as a loss, they are glad they had time to bring some structure into their lives. It is something they are proud of moving forward, as they are now able to control things with the band on their own terms.

“A big focus for us is figuring out how to gear Stellar Revival to fill our lives and not for us to have to make our existence work for Stellar Revival,” Koussevitzky said.

After that stint on the West Coast, it was time to return to their normal lives once again. Cerbone went back to his Boca Raton restaurant, South Florida native Koussevitzky continued to stay in California as an attorney, and the rest of the band went to their normal routine as well.

Being able to build off of their own revival, coming back to perform in South Florida is going to feel extra special for the group. When they were signed with Capitol Records, every tour date in Florida always seemed to be up north.

“This is huge, especially from a comeback,” Cerbone said. “People always used to say that we had to pay our dues and we didn’t have a story. Well now we have the story, we paid our dues, we got kicked to the ground, we got back up and now to play this show, it’s very meaningful for us, not only for our fans, but to actually play in front of our families.”

Now after performing with Bon Jovi, they will be leading off at Rockfest before Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Cheap Trick and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

When Rockfest comes to a close, they plan to take a break for the holidays, however they expect to be very busy in 2018. With the new year will come a new direction, new team members and new music, which will have a more mature and refined sound.

“We’re excited to create new music next year,” Koussevitzky said. “It’s just about creating music at the right time with the right people, in the right setting. That’s the most important thing for us right now and we’re figuring that out and we’re honing in on our targets.”

Stellar Revival’s performance will begin at 1 p.m. Nov. 4. Rockfest tickets start at $79 and can be purchased at rockfest80s.com.