There was a family reunion on Saturday night at Nectar’s in Burlington, VT for the debut of the Brownstein Family Band. The group featured bassist Marc Brownstein (The Disco Biscuits), his son Zach Brownstein on drums, guitarist Jake Brownstein (Eggy), and honorary Brownstein Dani Battat (Eggy) on keys.
Though Marc and Jake are not actually related, their onstage chemistry last night suggested a familial closeness. Marc served as the father of the group, guiding his children—both literal and metaphorical—throughout the evening. The two-set performance leaned heavily on covers, including many Jerry Garcia Band favorites like Chuck Berry‘s “Let It Rock”, “That’s What Love Will Make You Do”, and “Cats Under The Stars”.
The Brownstein Family Band also nodded to the members’ respective solo projects, including Eggy’s “All Wheels Turnin'” and the second set-closing “Golden Gate Dancer”. A highlight of the second frame saw the Family enter a “Portal To An Empty Head” from the Biscuits’ catalog and wind it through “Home Again” before emerging on the other side of the portal.
From a personal standpoint, the evening checked off many boxes for Brownie (Marc, that is). There can be few greater joys as a musician parent than performing with your own child, as Marc remarked on Twitter, “I’m so genuinely excited to be playing a professional rock show with a human being that my wife and I made from scratch.” Beyond his own flesh and blood, this was also an evening where Marc was revered as a paternal figure for his role in helping foster the modern jam scene. Just as a good father is supportive of his children, Marc’s participation in this show was positive reinforcement for the Eggy guys who can add playing with a member of The Disco Biscuits to their already impressive resumes.
At Family Band rehearsal the other day, we finished running through some biscuits songs and Jake looked at up me and said “we fucked up, we should have added more biscuits songs, that was really fun to play.”
I answered “funny I thought we should have added more eggy songs.”
— DJ Brownie 🔜 TOUR (@Marc_Brownstein) January 16, 2024
Check out some videos from the debut of the Brownstein Family Band courtesy of Jam Band News. Here’s hoping this family sticks together.
Brownstein Family Band – “Let It Rock” (Chuck Berry) – 1/20/24
Brownstein Family Band – “Portal To An Empty Head” – 1/20/24
Brownstein Family Band – Nectar’s – Burlington, VT – 1/20/24 – Full Audio
[Audio: MVBTapes]
Setlist: Brownstein Family Band | Nectar’s | Burlington, VT | 1/20/24
Set One: Let It Rock (Chuck Berry), Feeling Alright (Traffic), That’s What Love Will Make You Do (Thigpen, Banks, Marion) > Wind Up (Keith Jarrett) [1], Cats Under the Stars (Jerry Garcia)
Set Two: Chest Fever (The Band), All Wheels Turnin’ [2], Portal To An Empty Head > Home Again > Portal To An Empty Head, Golden Gate Dancer [3]
Encore: Lay Down Sally (Eric Clapton) [4]
[1] Julian Lage arrangement
[2] w/”Portal To An Empty Head” teases
[3] w/ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” jam
[4] w/ “Home Again” reprise