Bretheren Sol

Local man’s new album: 'Devil's Rope'
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September 25, 2008 - 12:37PM
By Danee Garone
Special to the Ahwatukee Foothills News
Tour manager turned musician, Eric Malmstrom, is back in the saddle again with his new album Devil's Rope.

Eric Malmstrom, or E of Bretheren Sol as he is now known in the music world, is an Ahwatukee Foothills resident and father of two.

After 15 years on the road as a tour manager with such bands as The Gin Blossoms and Los Angeles-based alt-rockers Fishbone, Malmstrom suddenly found himself with plenty of free time while recovering from two herniated discs pressing up against his spinal chord.

It was while recovering that Malmstrom began work on his new album. He wrote about 30 songs while recovering and narrowed it down to 12 for Devil's Rope.

"It's growing legs beyond my wildest dreams because I just thought I was making demos," Malmstrom said. "Look man, this is cool."

Bretheren Sol's first demo was a blend of acoustic Americana, outlaw country and indie pop. The new album combines these elements into a Southwest Americana sound that induces images of riding down a lonely, two-lane desert highway.

Despite the specific area the genre seems to cater to, Bretheren Sol has been picked up by three Internet radio stations via Myspace: one in Belgium, one in Scotland, and one in Texas.

The band has the opening slot at Edgefest Sept. 27 and Malmstrom hopes to nail some playing time at other big events in the future.

"The idea is to do a couple of festivals and go back to my promoter buddies and hopefully get me some more big gigs and slingshot into South by Southwest next year, which kind of bona fides you," he said.

Devil's Rope is now available for purchase on iTunes and at BretherenSol.com.

The local band consists of three primary members: Gary Smith on drums, Scott Andrews on bass guitar and E himself on lead guitars and vocals.

From his home studio, Malmstrom recorded the entire album himself.

"I think outside the box," he said. "I don't like to be put in a box. I had a lot of fun being outside the box touring. Being in the box for a nine-to-five job for me is not really kind of the equation."

Although the album hits on some political nerves such as in the track "Rescue Me," with regard to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the album really embodies the old American dream of picking up and heading out West.

"Devil's Rope is a term for a barb-wire fence," he said. "A hundred years ago there were no fences, just go West. Now it's parceled and sold and developed and that idea, that dream, that Americana dream is kind of slipping away."



- Ahwatukee Foothill News

They end up from the warm Arizona, Awhatukee in the Sonora Desert for exact to be. Or better " he komt" because Bretheren toss about no real link but only Eric Malmstrom, is wrote multi-instrumentalist those all numbers, producete and carried out. Only drummer helped Gary Smith and Neil Malmstrom (on jet ear in one song) just as on this cd, but live they form its link. The title " Devil' s Rope" pivot wire refers which the border lockings form to the roles. The music of Bretheren tosses about characterises itself by songs with strong hooks which incites songs to rythmic hoofdschudden, mainly Americana and alto country music. The cd opens appropriately with " Across The Desert" , quiet Americana song strewn as a soundtrack for the hot sultry desert, with cactuses, red rocks and substance. Dreams of cooling Mexican strand, cantinas with bruinogige latinas, tequila' s and beer. In the reggaegetinte " Stuck in The Middle" denounces. Eric the American policy which has gone off the rails to warmongering and mixes this textual with the folklore of the woestijnleven, Sonora Outlaw. Erik Malmstrom were 15 years successful roadmanager of among others gin Blossoms and Fishbone, until double an hernia made to this an end. He touched also confessed as blender of some cd' s link, this way mixte well-known of he among others No Doubt' s " Tragic Kingdom" and gin Blossoms' " New Miserable Experience". Eric could quiet for its own prerecordings work, because moreover he has its own studio. Its music calls beelden of a long ride concerning desolate highways in dry the heat of the Southwest. The most talked-about song on this cd is a direct attack on nefaste Bush political " Rescue Me" (Dear Mr. President) who already a lot caused a sensation. (To see clip). " I Can' t Wait" pleases me a lot, because this is a song which can Cale seat oneself between the best work of J.J, which lazy relaxte soundje, which Tulsa-stijl jet ear. A number of other nice songs on these Southwest Americana disk is: " Grab A Hold" , " Heroes and Villians" and the clincher " Already Gone". They form a couple of my favoriete spectacular figures on these captivating, intriguing production. Or how a man who could the plate world discover from all angles, is eventual place to the source, if creative artist has found. Successfully, this way to hear. (RON) www. rootstime. be - Rootstime.be

Despite being in the musical world for over two decades, it was a year of convalescence and getting used to a titanium plate in his spine that set Ahwatukee Foothills resident Eric Malmstrom on his current path.

“I spent 15 years on the road as tour manager for other groups,” he said. “As time went on I started feeling older and weaker; turns out I had 2 herniated discs pressing up against my spinal chord.”

Six wooden screws later, Malmstrom - who records under the moniker “Bretheren Sol” - found himself with a guitar and time to kill.

“It all came about during a period where I was hurt and laid out for a year,” he said. “Then I got better and it all came together.”

Indeed it did: the Bretheren Sol demo, called Devil’s Rope, is a fantastic blend of acoustic Americana, outlaw country and indie pop. The record, named after a slang term for barbed wire, is starting to generate buzz in alt-country circles.

“Danny Goldberg from Gold Village Entertainment in New York is shopping my CD around,” Malmstrom said.

Goldberg is no small fry: he founded and ran Artemis Records until 2004, turning it into the No. 1 U.S. label of independent music along the way. From 1994 to 1998, he ran Mercury Records, which was the No. 1 U.S. label group in terms of market share in 1998.

A drink and a church

Malmstrom, before becoming Bretheren Sol, was motivated to get into the music business by a simple desire: free beer.

“I was a musician that loved to go and see bands, and I hated spending money I didn’t have,” Malmstrom laughed. “I figured the best way to get myself free drinks was either to be a bartender or by being the production guy.”

It worked well, and got Malmstrom much more than gratis suds. His talent had him tinkering with the likes of Glen Campbell's band and Waylon Jennings remixes at the beginning of his career.

“The week I started engineering was the week after Waylon had recorded, and the place still smelled like his cologne,” Malmstrom said of his start in 1988. “People were freaking out, but I didn’t know much about him. But that was my introduction to the Arizona country kind of sound.”

Malmstrom would go on to manage the tours and stage shows of groups including Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, the Sneaker Pimps and the Gin Blossoms. He formed a lasting friendship with the members of Los Angeles-based alt-rockers Fishbone.

It was Fishbone’s bassist, in fact, that insisted Malmstrom get Devil’s Rope into the hands of record company execs.

“He said, 'Get that out! Get that out now! I’m a black man listening to country music; you have to get that out there!’” Malmstrom laughed.

The record is one firmly rooted in the American Southwest, telling tales of Sonoran intrigue and desert dwelling.

“I’ve always been involved in this Native American, Southwest style,” he explained. “I love it. Sonoran living is different from other places. It’s a place where you forget winter and are afraid of summer.”

It’s been a long, strange musical journey for Bretheren Sol, touching on multiple genres for a variety of big-name acts. But the part of Malmstrom that initially just wanted complimentary beer will always be around.

“I’m just an old punk rocker gone south of the border, looking for a drink and a church,” he said.

Jason Ludwig can be reached at (480) 898-7916 or jludwig@ahwatukee.com
- Ahwatukee Foothill News

Corazine.com CD review of Devil's Rope
December 8,2008
Sure, much singer-songwriter boils down to little more than guitar and dude singing - though that can be an awarding experience in the hands of the right artist. But Bretheren Sol captures eclecticism through folksy flavors, southwestern/south-of-the-border aesthetics, classic rock vibes, subtle alt-rock, heartfelt white boy soul-country and more. Some songs are more plugged-in than others, but the songwriting is always at the center. Stoned without being stoner rock, instrospective, tinged by melancholy, thoughtful and touching, Bretheren Sol hits the bulls-eye with "Devil's Rope."


- Corazine.com

PHOENIX LOCAL MUSIC MAGAZINE http://www.phoenixlocalmusic.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2196623:BlogPost:2963
Edgefest '08
Posted by Boner on October 2, 2008 at 4:43pm
View Boner's blog
This year the concert was being held in BFE, otherwise known as Queen Creek I assume to give it a new feel. The last few Edgefest's really were not that good, same acts as the years before but this year they completely outdid themselves! The lineup included classic acts like Pennywise, NOFX, Rise Against, Atmosphere among many others. It also brought new bands like the Kooks, Flobots, Mickey Avalon (who stumbled all over the stage with his pants falling down half the time). Regardless, my biggest surprise was that the Local Stage was packed for all of the day, which was awesome with great sets by Captain Squegee, Friday Night Fights, Bretheren Sol to name a few. I went there to promote Phoenix Local music itself and people all seemed to be excited for the opportunity to come to one place to find an outlet for great Local Music. It was a scorcher but it did not seem to matter because everyone was enjoying the great scene Phoenix (Queen Creek) put out there and hopefully can be a good kick off for good edgefest's to come. And by the way, the implemented the bring back 10 empty bottles of water and get one free it was genius. As apposed to bottles everywhere, they had a tent just for the empty's.
But they also had a "artwalk" this year, well they said they were going to. They had maybe a 30' X 10' area set aside for the artists that came out to show off their painting and grafetti skills. It's really not enough, but at least they are implementing the art into it this year. Regardless to see some of the pics from the show check out the Edge's pic's! Enjoy!

www.edgefestaz.com/LIVE/gallery - Phoenix Local Music Magazine