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Oh, BROTHER, Where Art Though? Aussie and Celtic Flair Runs Deep in Bagpipe Band
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Does anyone else out there have the guts to throw two distinctly varied regional instruments such as...Does anyone else out there have the guts to throw two distinctly varied regional instruments such as the didgeridoo and bagpipes together and test the results?
"We get that all the time," Angus Richardson said, "But we also get, 'Wow, I'm so amazed at how well it goes together.' They're two very primal instruments, and they blend together very well."
Hailing from Australia, Richardson's band BROTHER has been throwing the wailing of pipes and the guttural shake of the didge together for the past 15 years. Celtic music fans, by and large, enjoy the results.
"I'm always astounded by how well the band goes down," Richardson said. "The crowds are great. They're the people that really love the pipes; they're there because it's in their blood."
BROTHER will be right at home at Hooliefest, a "Half Way to St. Patrick's Day" celebration set for Saturday in Sonora. The event features food, drink, Viking gatherings, fire dancers and music from the likes of not only BROTHER but also Black Irish Band, Crazy Ivan, Culann's Hounds and Northern California stalwarts Mumbo Gumbo.
Richardson, who was once called "Jimi Hendrix with bagpipes," has been playing pipes since his high school days Down Under with his BROTHER Hamish. After the two moved to the States on a whim after touring with Joe Walsh, people really began to take notice, even when BROTHER was playing on the streets to pay the rent.
"They told us our harmonies would go down really well," Richardson said. "My BROTHERs and I played pipes in school and we also had a rock band, so we did the rock independently.
"When we came over here, we decided they're both a big part of what we are. We just started experimenting with different ways to bring them together and people were really drawn to the sound.
"It's been a long, winding and amazing road," he added. "There's definitely been times where we had to work out just how to pay the rent and they were challenging times, but that's what led us to the sound he have now."
In addition to Richardson, BROTHER features Dave "Dalbo" Allen and Drew Reid.
Richardson recently relocated from Southern California to the Catskill Mountains of New York and is putting the finishing touches on a trance meditation-type album that the group recorded in a remote bush area of Australia. It's all in a day's work when you run an independent label, as BROTHER has from the start.
"Our first inclination was to come over and get a big record deal, but we were always pretty different, the industry never really got us," Richardson said. "(Being independent) gave us a lot more autonomy to control what we do."
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BROTHER
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BROTHER, from Australia, describes their music as a mongrel musical mix — fusing signature vocals an...BROTHER, from Australia, describes their music as a mongrel musical mix — fusing signature vocals and guitar with the deep pulse of the didgeridoo, the soaring highs of the bagpipes and tribal percussion.
BROTHER currently consists of members, Angus, Didgeridrew and Dalbo. Angus and his two BROTHERs formed the band and began touring America in 1991, but they have scaled back the size of the band to Angus the two original (non-related) members.
“I’ve been playing as long as I can remember,” said Angus. “We came here with my two BROTHERs but it’s been different combinations — an evolution of the sound… still tribal, still Celtic, permeated by the didgeridoo of Australia and the bagpipes. So, there’s been common elements all the way through.
“When we first came [to America], we did a lot of street performing to pay the rent. We played school shows, just about anything you can think of where they’d have us play. We’ve been playing for a long time, played all sorts of different situations. We love getting back to the Celtic festival. We do a lot of mainstream festivals, but Celtic festivals certainly have their own magic. I love getting back to the festival because there are really good bands to listen to, as well.
“People are there for their heritage, they are there because the Celtic music has something which really grabs you by the heart. It’s real soulful music.”
BROTHER plays all over the world, offering their unique tribal sound to the masses at numerous concerts and festivals. They last played at the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland festival in 2006.
“We love getting back to the mountains,” said Angus. “What an amazing place it is up there. There are certain places that you play that you feel you’re in a magic place, and that’s one of them. We like to make it a celebration, a tribal gathering.”
Combining the two ancient, tribal instruments — the didgeridoo of Australia and the bagpipes of Scotland — create a sound that is unique to BROTHER.
“They are two very primeval, primal instruments,” said Angus. “The didgeridoo is one of the oldest instruments in the world and the bagpipes are pretty ancient too.”
BROTHER has shared stages with Joe Walsh, John Entwhistle, Linkin Park and Alicia Keys and are the only independent band to have played the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
For more information, visit www.BROTHERmusic.com.
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Whoa...BROTHER! Oz Trival Sound
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It's said there are no mistakes or coincidences and I happen to subscribe to that philosophy which a...It's said there are no mistakes or coincidences and I happen to subscribe to that philosophy which again was proven true last night with the serendipitous performance of Brother. I happened to stumble into them during sound check, learning they were the headlining that night at the Coach House, OC's hot spot of live talent in San Juan Capistrano. So, after a brief chat with the band and checking out their unusual instruments and a little of their sound check, I was in.
For $15 bucks this was a deal hard to beat for one of the most unique, creative and primal trips I've ever experienced in a live performance. Completely off the beaten path, Brother is comprised of three musos, each an integral component to the sound and make up of Brother's vibe. Think Braveheart & majik, with solid vocals that verged on Bono-like with a U-2 sound at times mixed with soulful moans that call up hints of Peter Gabriel or a tribal Shaman and in between a little snip of a lighter Matchbox20-ish sound without the empty lyrics.
This was an enthusiastic crowd, many of which were obviously long time fans as we were called upon by Angus, the lead singer/guitarist/bagpiper to join in while the 'didg' was wielded one handedly by Drew as he also worked the keys. Angus fiercely wailed on the pipes striking an impressive stance with the pipes and their strange tentacles over his shoulder, guitar slung to his side as he cued us when to repeat a verse or chant. Very multi-tasking they are. The ever present and incredibly hard hitting yet intricate and exuberant tribal drum work of Dalbo was impossible not to respond to. It got you in the gut at a primal level and took over. Seldom does a drummer stand out like this and with stiff competition from all of these historic instruments, skillfully played, it was still impossible to miss Dalbo's masterful ability with the percussion and drums which many times took the forefront rather than supply the backbone of the songs.
Brother is: Angus Richardson : Vocals, Bagpipes, Didgeridoo Dave "Dalbo" Allen: Drums and Percussion DidgeriDrew Reid: Didgeridoo and Keys as well as the Telecaster played by Angus as he'd flip from one instrument to the other. There were such a variety of song types all played with heart, soul and skill which made this performance such a fascinating and visceral experience that it must be seen and heard to fully get the whole picture. There wasn't a single fluff tune in the entire performance, even the upbeat tunes because there's meaning in each of them. There was nothing fluffy about Brother, unless you count the furry pieces hanging off the bagpipes.
In fact the band attired in kilts of leather and heavy boots put out an earthy, hearty vibe that gave me the impression of warriors, yet the message was one of a simple, spirit/soul connection to life, love and meaningful existence. The message was peaceful yet ferociously protective of that which is sacred to them in life. Very soulful, full of depth, intelligence and other intangibles that words fail to define as one would have to know their history for that. One song in particular about a lost friend called "Someday I will Return", had a line which struck me, 'When all the lines are drawn, your prayers will lead me home'.
The entire energy from the stage was primitive, yet hip, dark yet light, spacey yet lucid, heavy yet joyous, and took me on a trip back in time. Their musical influences were apparent and their instrumentals from another time and place, that past time and place being a mix of Aborigine, Celtic and Native Tribal with an eclecticism that works marvelously. Could this have something to do with the name Brother?
At one point hearing a line from Pink Floyd..'We don't need no thought control…' combined with Midnight Oil's …'The time is now, to say fair's fair, to pay the rent, to pay our share', mixed with the sounds and energy of the individuals on that stage left me with the overall feeling that there is more to this band than some funky tribal groove, though it's certainly there. They have their heart and soul in their music and I took away from this night that Brother is not just a name but a lifestyle and statement.
Brother's website is brothermusic. com and from there you'll find their myspace page to check out their tour itinerary. They are a band to keep on your radar and if you have the opportunity do not miss this band. They are an extraordinary experience.
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BROTHER: A Celtic Tribal Trio
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The Celtic tribal trio BROTHER melds the singular sounds of Scottish bagpipes and Australian didgeri...The Celtic tribal trio BROTHER melds the singular sounds of Scottish bagpipes and Australian didgeridoo to create a peerless melody.
The powerhouse group originated in Bathurst, Australia, where brothers Angus, Hamish and Fergus Richardson grew up playing bagpipes at school. The boys frequently practiced in the fields surrounding their family's farm so as not to disturb their parents with the obnoxious noise often associated with this instrument.
The brothers moved to the United States in the early 1990s in pursuit of a record deal.
"We were fresh-faced farm boys in search of the elusive record deal and got here and realized what we did was different, and the industry couldn't put us into any of their boxes," says Angus Richardson.
Soon after moving, Hamish Richardson learned to play the didgeridoo, which the band incorporated into its music. With their intriguing novelty act, the brothers toured the U.S., Canada, Japan, France, Egypt and Australia.
"The combination of the bagpipes and didgeridoo is very primal ... and gives it a certain timelessness," says Angus Richardson.
"When we first came to America, no one had really heard the didgeridoo, but then that show "Survivor" came out, and now people recognize it."
Hamish and Fergus Richardson retired from the band, leaving Angus Richardson and fellow Australian and drummer Dave "Dalbo" Allen and didgeridoo player Drew "Didgeridrew" Reid to carry on BROTHER's legacy.
Richardson moved to Ashland this year, and Reid plans to follow at the end of the year. The trio will make its debut Southern Oregon concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, at the Unitarian Center, 87 Fourth St., Ashland.
With 14 albums to its credit, BROTHER released its most recent, "Out From Under," in June. The trio's music was featured on the NBC television drama "ER," the soundtrack for the 1992 film "Baraka" and UPN's anthology series "Twilight Zone."
Also on its resume, BROTHER has shared the stage with former Eagles guitarist and '70s solo rocker Joe Walsh, former The Who bassist John Entwhistle and contemporary hit-makers Linkin Park and Alicia Keys. BROTHER also is the only independent band to have played in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Besides didgeridoo, Reid also plays keyboard, Celtic whistles, melodica and practices Tibetan-style throat singing, a style that produces two different tones. Richardson also sings and plays electric guitar.
He describes their music as tribal-trance, Celtic and sometimes rock 'n' roll, marrying modern and ancient traditions.
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