The Dan Brother Band, Live At Oasis, New Paltz 8/14/08

On a steady diet of rum-and-Cokes last Thursday, I saw some pretty wild music. The evening started out pretty mellow: I drove to New Paltz out of pure and utter boredom, looked around the town's much-beloved independent music store, made an impulse buy (wait until Thursday for more on that), went to the bar, had a beer, walked around town to see what was happening, went back to the bar, had another beer, and pondered just where I had heard the name "Dan Brother Band." They were the band playing at Oasis that night, and the name sounded dreadfully familiar. So I stuck around to find out who they were. As it turns out, the name was familiar because I had seen a myspace bulletin regarding the theft of Dan Brother's guitars and gear sometime last year. Not one to let that rather infuriating hurdle stop him, Dan has since replaced his lost equipment and continues to fight on.

The evening was bizarre on some notes. In a night-long fog of beer and rum (for a change, this blog lives up to its name), I saw strange men acting strangely in sunglasses and tie-dye t-shirts, had discussions outside with random college acquaintances regarding proper dental care, and discussed Max Rebo with the bassist's wife, a fellow underpaid English major.

Enough digressions; let's get to the music. The Dan Brother Band, as far as local blues rock goes, is exemplary. I've seen numerous local bands in this genre, and these guys are truly cut from better cloth. Dan Brother is a quick and vicious guitar player as well as a melodious singer. Dan Brother: the f#cker can shred. An unfortunate tendency in some of the younger blues rockers is attempting to sound like they're about 50 and smoke three packs a day; Brother doesn't do that. He may be sounding kind of rough, but that's what the genre calls for.

The band is tight. They work really well together and bring the rock. Timing is spot on, solos don't go longer than they need to, everything falls into place beautifully. One particular item of note was a bass solo (courtesy bassist Jason Upchurch) that featured elements of "Smooth Criminal," which was really wild.

Brother also appears to be a heck of a Hendrix fan. The band performed "Purple Haze," "Hey Joe," and "All Along the Watchtower," all in a Hendrix style. I don't mind much because Hendrix was and still is phenomenal, and I'm glad that Brother and company feel the same way. If anything, the number of Hendrix-styled material, be they covers or covers styled like other covers, displays the potency of the band's playing, and also links me neatly to my next point.

While I feel that The Dan Brother Band is the best local blues rock band I've seen, I also feel that they could benefit by expanding their horizons. There's a large number of blues rockers in this area; the arena is overflowing, so perhaps changing gears a bit would be a good thing. Set themselves apart from the crowd. Experimenting never hurts, and they're too damn talented to hang around this stagnant pool. But even if they keep going the way they are now, they still put on a great show. I usually don't go in for this kind of music, and they kept my (somewhat hazy) attention for most of the set. No other blues rock band in my life has retained my attention, drunk or not, for almost three hours.

By 1:40am, the audience seemed to have thinned. The only people by then who appeared to still be enjoying the music were the gay couple who ruled the dance floor. I was beyond tired and left twenty minutes later during the band's second break. I wish I could have stayed until the end of their set, but time and long drives were not conducive to staying an extra hour. Not once in the time I was watching them did they ever falter, screw up a song, or lose their energy. I can only assume they continued with the same fervor they started out with and left the crowd pleased.

I'm glad I stuck around for the music based solely on that vague recollection of stolen gear. The Dan Brother Band is incredibly adept at what they do, so if blues rock is your thing, I'd recommend checking them out.



The Dan Brother Band is:
Jason Upchurch: bass
Rob Curtis: drums
Dan Brother: guitar/vocals

The Dan Brother Band at myspace

photo: Dan Brother on the back porch of The Corner Stage, 368 E. Main Street, Middletown NY
photo by: Michael Bloom

/Remind me to avoid $1 rack drinks in the future.
/Also, remind me to bring a camera next time I check out live music; I wish I had some shots from the show to post here.

This sound can't be ignored: Setting Sun, Children of the Wild

This week’s reviews mark several firsts. One of which is that I’m reviewing two CDs long before their release date. I feel a bit more professional now. The other is that this is the first time I’ve reviewed music by friends, which I find to be a difficult position to be in since objectivity gets outright flushed into septic oblivion. However, I feel strongly that reviews are always subjective due to the biases of the individual writing the review, so, without further ado, let’s get this whirly-gig flying.

I’m trying to remember when I first met Erica Quitzow and Gary Levitt. I was most likely introduced to them by Kevin (see Swing The Heartache) somewhere in the wild, late night, open mike, pub scene of New Paltz, NY. In any event, I’m glad that I did indeed meet and become friends with these two fine musicians. They contribute to each other’s music projects in integral roles; I remember noting at certain live shows that the only differences in line-up between Setting Sun (Levitt’s project) and Quitzow (take a guess) was what position each performer was in and who was singing. Both Setting Sun’s and Quitzow’s releases for this year (Children of the Wild and Art College, respectively) are released on Young Love Records, Gary and Erica’s labor of love, and apparently devoted to music that is fun and loving (tagline to the website: “Home of the Love”).

Up first this week is Setting Sun’s Children of the Wild. I’ve been hearing “Overjoyed” and “Happy Joy” since I first saw Setting Sun play several years ago, so it’s nice to see them on this album. I’m sure I’ve heard some of these songs before at various places in and around New Paltz, but those two are the first that come to mind.

To me, Children of the Wild is a sunny afternoon or drive in the country album. The predominantly-acoustic folk/pop with occasional synths doesn’t really lend itself to the dimly lit bars that I typically see Gary and Erica and company performing in; this music is for socializing, dinner parties, good friends and good times. It is, for the most part, a fun and joyful album, upbeat without being annoyingly sweet like so much cookie-cutter indie pop that hits the shelves these days. Comparisons be damned; Setting Sun stands on its own feet.

The instrumentation on this album is what I like the most. It isn’t wildly different or trying too hard to escape definition, but at the same time, it’s a character all it’s own. When the cello and violin start, and those occasional synths kick in, the party really gets started; that’s the experimental aspect to Children of the Wild and what prevents it from being casually pigeonholed as an indie folk/rock album. My favorite tracks are “No Devil Me No More” (probably the darkest song on the album, more foreboding if anything), “How Long,” the delightfully spacey “Not Waste,” and the afore-mentioned “Overjoyed” and “Happy Joy.” “Inside My Love” is a bit of a heartbreaker in its simple beauty. Children of the Wild is a varied album; there’s a little something for everyone.

The album art is beautiful. Billy Keddy’s vaguely Suessian cover painting, with the two people holding hands under a big orange sun walking to a wobbly city, is a fantastic expression of the emotional state conveyed in the songs. Love, uncertainty, an expansive world to get lost in… it’s an accurate representation of everything this album is about.

If there is a single complaint to be made, it’s the run time of 37:03. The music is just so comfortable that you want to stay there all afternoon, and when it ends, you can’t help but start it over again. And again. And again. Expect Children of the Wild to spend a lot of time in your CD player. It’s infectious in it’s fun.

The official release date for both Children of the Wild and Quitzow’s Art College is June 10^th, so mark your calendars. I don’t know what they’re doing for distribution on these two albums, but I know that you can get them direct from the artists and, if they stay true to tradition, most likely at live shows. I cannot recommend the live performances of Setting Sun and Quitzow enough; aside from the fact that they are really talented, they are friendly people that I am glad are part of my life. They have a tour planned for this summer, so look at their sites and see if they are going to be near you. It will be worth stopping in for a show. If you're not ordering it right now, then pick up Children of the Wild when you hit up the concert.



Get thee to Setting Sun’s website and myspace!
Also, Young Love Records website and myspace

On deck for Thursday: Quitzow, Art College