“Not a worry or a care, everywhere you look around there’s magic in the air.” – Dave Brumberg
On a carefree Tuesday night, March 11th, the future of jamgrass was on display to a fervent and faithful crowd at the “playground for adults”, Brooklyn Bowl. The Brummy Brothers parlayed their extensive talents into a jam-laden set that left those in attendance satiated from their delightful musings. The joint was packed with energetic fans and more populated than any recent opening act in memory.
The Brummy Brothers consists of New Jersey natives Dave Brumberg (bass), Eric Brumberg (mandolin), Russ Gottlieb (banjo) and Andrew Morris (guitar) who brought the banging bluegrass that left many breathless after a bout of bouncing to their bombardment of beats. The tone was set early by “Potato” with “whooing” reminiscent of Mumford and Sons and serving as impetus for all to get starting “shaking their Brums.” Versality is a trademark of this outfit as each player is equally equipped to pen songs and take lead vocal duties. Deep-voiced Morris has been known to create forty songs a week on the road. Morris added exquisite guitar-picking to underscore Dave Brumberg on the mic for “Cruisin.” The contagious harmony of “shining lights across the sea” was inspired and harkened mood memories of the conclusion of Wing’s “Uncle Albert.”
The occasion of playing the greatest music venue in The Big Apple was not lost on the band. Andrew Morris stated, “It’s an accomplishment, it means that we are doing the right thing.” As the music exploded on stage and continued to evolve, it was so raucous that many bowlers behind the rail stopped mid-game to frolic in the fiery fray. The next highlight was a song written by the youngest member of the band, 21 year old Russ Gottlieb. A fine banjo player striving to reach the pinnacle of success in the tradition of idols Garcia and Fleck, the often laughing and smiling, but always head-bobbing Gottlieb penned “Cell Phone Blues.” It is a traditional bluegrass ditty complete with four-part harmony, a “cry cry cry” chorus including contemporary lyrics about a relationship gone awry, and expresses the angst of a man avoiding the answering of his cell phone when a specific girl calls. It was a up-tempo, toe-tappin’, hootin’ and hollerin’ fun aided by a monster mandolin solo by Eric Brumberg. Another knee-slapper is “Bat Shit Crazy” which easily resonates with many men as a cautionary tale about an insane woman including a chorus guaranteed to be euphorically trapped in your soul for days. A greater depth of layered sound is attained by the professional play of Morris on the harp providing fills throughout.
As evidenced by many bands like CSN, the populace love male harmonies. Clearly, The Brummy Brothers have worked hard to sharpen their vocal prowess with exemplary results. Improved tone and the current mesh allows for tighter and crisper harmonies. A wonderful example of stellar harmony and showmanship is “600 Miles to Boston” which includes anthemic soaring vocals in a powerful mix. As a doll of Ernie, from “Bert and Ernie”, sat in reach of a water bottle on the amp in case he gets thirsty during the relentless driving and pounding, the bouncy rhythms continued to entertain the blossoming crowd.
More than half of the songs performed are on the upcoming album, “On Our Way” which was produced by Railroad Earth‘s Tim Carbone. If one liked what they heard, they can purchase the new record once it drops on May 13th. Eric Brumberg is confident in the new material, “We are very excited about the new album. The album is a spectrum of songs spanning throughout our two years as a band that we feel best describe us and relate us to listeners old and new. Working with Tim was a great opportunity to learn how to refine our music and show the listeners what it is we are truly best at.”
With veteran jamgrass stalwarts like Yonder Mountain, Cornmeal and Railroad Earth well into their second decade of performing, it is rewarding to witness a fresh batch of sounds from a multi-talented band clearly adept at successfully taking the reins of the genre into the bright future.
– Chadbyrne R. Dickens
(photos courtesy of Scott Harris Photo)
Set List: Potato, Cruisin’, Blue Ridge Blues, Hub City Hoedown, No Good, Cell Phone Blues, 60 Miles to Boston, Weed, Whiskey, Women, Quiet Life, Batshit Crazy, You Don’t Knock
