Relative newcomers The Brothers and The Sisters launch their debut album (a self-titled affair) this Saturday with a free show at Northside’s Mayday. The Guitars (who share drummer Matt Ayers with the headliners), 20th Century Tokyo Princess and Frontier Folk Nebraska also perform.
The seven-piece band features singer/songwriter Jeremy Pinnell, whose work with The Light Wires and The Great Depression proved him to be one of the most soulful writers in the Folk/Roots arena. The songs are similar but presented in a different setting — instead of electric instruments or a stark acoustic-duo format, The Brothers and The Sisters feature banjo, acoustic guitars and dobro (and drums and bass). Pinnell’s words mine a lyrical vein as old as the genre (think Leadbelly), with songs about love, pain, regret, death and drugs/booze, but his aching rasp gives them an old-soul authenticity that can’t be faked.
Haunting and haunted, The Brothers and The Sisters’ debut is darkly stirring and, musically, the band creates a fitting backdrop, replicating the vocalized anguish with slow, sorrowful sonics and pacing. If you’re in need of a musical mood pick-me-up, look elsewhere. If you appreciate music that bleeds true emotion and cuts to the bone, look no further. Hear their music: www.myspace.com/thebrothersandthesisters.
Get show details and Sound Advice here.