The Earl Brothers
If one’s knowledge of bluegrass and old-time music is derived solely from concerts and studio recordings, one is missing the true “gold” of these genres. Unlike other forms of music, which are, from their inception, intended for formal performance, bluegrass and old-time music are first and foremost about the dynamics of spontaneous interaction between musicians while sitting around a campfire or pickin’ on the back porch. The end product that we see on stage is really just an after-thought. This being the case, the work that the SPPS is doing is invaluable to anyone who is looking to go beneath the surface to discover what this music is really all about. The Earl Brothers are honored and excited to be affiliated with such a noble cause.
The Earl Brothers, based out of San Francisco, CA, perform original hillbilly mountain music. The band’s “less is more” approach to songwriting, singing, and musicianship will make you stop whatever you’re doing and take notice. For those who remember the first time they heard the high-lonesome sound of Bill Monroe or the otherworldly harmonies of the Stanley Brothers, that same thrill of discovery is being created again by the Earl Brothers. Unlike other traditional bluegrass bands that seek to re-create the music of the original bluegrass masters, the Earl Brothers are blazing their own trail, extending the genre, while staying within the gritty tradition that started in the 1940s and 50s. Listeners are left with a mix of exhilaration and bewilderment upon their first exposure to this new-yet-old form of music. In the short time since the release of their third album, Moonshine (the eagerly anticipated follow-up to 2006’s Troubles to Blame and 2004’s Whiskey, Women & Death), The Earl Brothers have received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from music-lovers, festival promoters, radio DJs, and music journalists across the country and abroad. CD orders and radio requests have been tumbling in from such far-flung locales as Australia, Belgium, France, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and even New York City!
