Brown and Blue
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Brown and Blue

Los Angeles, California, United States

Los Angeles, California, United States
Alternative Indie

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"New Brown and Blue EP ‘A Warmer Climate’"

Well it sure is summer somewhere. L.A based band Brown and Blue just released their latest 4-track EP ‘A Warmer Climate’. The perfect little soundtrack for hanging out at the pool, enjoying the weather and drinking some cocktails.

Brown and Blue originally started as singer/songwriter Danny Nogueiras’s solo project, but the band quickly expanded to a five-member group which now includes close friend and guitarist Ricky Cruces, Ray Cruces (bass), Bert White (acoustic guitarist), and Anthony Vezirian (drummer). Brown and Blue’s lyrics tend to be introverted or self referential sung over thoughtful compositions that bleed straight to the heart. - ZAS Magazine


"BROWN AND BLUE – A WARMER CLIMATE EP"

I often find myself listening to “sad music.” The type of songs that are sung by a quiet singer accompanied by just piano or guitar; songs about death or empty relationships. These are the songs that make me feel all intense and emotional and “deep.” But those types of songs don’t always have to take on that atmosphere, as BROWN AND BLUE so cleverly prove in their latest EP A WARMER CLIMATE. The LA band fuze Americana and Rock to make songs that sound upbeat and comforting, but on closer appearance aren’t as pleasant as they sound. The album deals with loss, boredom and isolation tinged with summer bliss. The opener, “Broked,” has an infectious chorus with a lead guitar to match, but the song refers to an emptiness that we often experience. That feeling of having nothing to do and nowhere to go and hoping, praying that that can’t be it, that life is going somewhere. And the album continues in that vain for the next three songs. ”Stay” is classic americana that sounds somewhat like Philly band Dr. Dog. ”City” features a killer slide guitar and singer Danny Nogueiras screaming out “I know, that I wanted more/but I feel useless here” to the beat of a snare drum as if marching to his determined fate. The EP closes with the Futurebirds-esque “All Hail,” a powerful closer about loosing everything you love. As different as the sound and lyrics seems, their is a truth to both that melds in a way rarely heard in music today. Brown and Blue prove you don’t have to sound sad to be sad and that the summer isn’t all fun and games. Check out a sampling below or ON BANDCAMP and be sure to get the full EP which came out a few months ago.

-M. Kauf
- tour de vaap


"REVIEW: Brown and Blue - A Warmer Climate EP"

LA’s Brown & Blue have just released their A Warmer Climate EP and we couldn’t recommend it enough . Opening track, “Broked” is a tale of a poor young soul who can’t afford rent anymore. Luckily the victim has these delicious California riffs to take his mind off things. I get a very Henry Clay People vibe from this, and we love that fact very much. Elsewhere, the band ventures to more tame territory including the alt-folk sound of “Stay” and the definite Americana reaching of closing track, “All Hail”. The ladder sees the band not only at their most questioning, but easily their most confident output as well. Overall, the 4 track EP is the transition one needs as they are leaving home and exploring the great unknown. As thousands of kids all around the country are heading to college for the first time this week, A Warmer Climate offers up some words of wisdom for the worried.
- Handclap Movement


"LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: BROWN AND BLUE"

I remember clearly: it was freshman year and I was a fresh-faced college student who was not so eager to learn. I did, however, want to become involved in Long Beach’s music scene. Back in San Diego, I was well acquainted with all the bands and scenes that were running the town, but here in Long Beach, I had no clue as to what was going on in the musical sphere. Four years later, I still don’t have a fucking clue about the musical going-ons of this place. But one name has stuck around those entire four years I’ve been here. Brown and Blue was that name. I had heard of people in the dorms talking about the band and decided to check out their stuff. What I found was really good and exciting and helped to propel me in Long Beach’s musical direction. Now, as music editor of the Union Weekly, I’ve gotten the chance to interview these fine musicians about their start, their music, and what makes them tick. Hopefully, if you’re new as well, this will help you get acquainted with some of the great things they’re concocting here in Long Beach. Also, their EP A Warmer Climate is out as a free download on Bandcamp, so why don’t you mosey your way on to a computer and get it.

Union Weekly: So to get us acquainted with you guys, when did you all meet and how did the band form?

Danny Nogueiras: Ricky, Ray and I all went to high school together. I started performing as Brown and Blue in 2006, I think Ricky joined soon after Ray, but wasn’t in the band until its current line up. This line up was solidified in 2009, I believe. We met Bert White and Anthony Vezirian while they were attending CSULB. We were all friends and hung out pretty much every night at Ricky and Ray’s place, which was on PCH and 7th at the time. We were looking for new members and our best friends seemed like an obvious choice.

UW: What music do you guys take inspiration from?

DN: Its hard to say. When we’re all in the car together it’s safe to put on The Band, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and all that sort of classic rock n’ roll Americana stuff, and you can expect us to sign along. As for newer music, I’ve been a big Bright Eyes fan since I was in high school. That band continues to inspire me. We got really into all the Saddle Creek stuff happening a couple years back and it never really went away for us. Bands like Two Gallants, Cursive, Neva Dinova, Rilo Kiley, and all the other wonderful indie music that leads you to that was going on around the same time. Lately, Ricky and I have been listening to a lot of Grandaddy together. I suppose our taste is all over the place.

UW: You guys recently released an EP, A Warmer Climate. Can you describe the recording process for that? How did you come up with song ideas and how was recording in general for that EP?

DN: We recorded this new EP in three different places: my apartment, my studio down the street from my apartment that I share with our buddies in FIDLAR, and our producer David J’s house. We’ve never worked with a producer before, but David J has been in some of our favorite bands (Kind of Like Spitting, Novi Split) and we had just recently become friends with him. It seemed like a good opportunity to get to work with someone whose music we’ve loved for so long and could learn from. It was. He worked us really hard in the studio and instilled a new work ethic in the band. We were used to trying to record fast and live and he helped us really concentrate on the details of the songs and create something more focused than anything we’d ever done. The songs just sort of happened, I suppose. They’re all inspired by one thing or another that was happening in my life and I wrote them as they came. They weren’t written specifically for this EP or to be released together.

UW: Do you have any favorite venues to play at?

DN: Pehrspace has been really friendly to us and we’ve had some really fun shows there.

UW: Do you have any particular piece of gear that was essential during the recording of the EP?

DN: I’m not really sure. Maybe my recording console? Its an old British console from the ‘80s I picked up a while back. It changed a lot about the way we sounded and I really like what we could do with it.

UW: You also have your own record company, Mountain Man Records. Are there any benefits to running your own label while doing the band?

DN: I am not currently running Mountain Man Records. It is being run by my good friend and the guy that founded the label with me, Mike Smith.

UW: Any last advice for the kids out there?

DN: Yes. When seeking advice on anything important, don’t ask me. - The Union Weekly


"Brown and Blue Second Chances Album Review"

"So often when I hear a band, its influences date back only four or five years, referencing the bands that listened to the bands the copied the original band. This dilution of the original spark usually means we're left with an inferior product. Fortunately, This is not the case with Long Beach five-piece Brown and Blue. Second Chances takes us on a tour of Brown and Blue's record collection, heading straight to original source materials with sounds that echo the late 60's Rolling Stones, a little CCR, some Big Star and a dash of the vocal stylings of Paul WesterBerg.
It's a thoughtful and passionate record-and what's more, singer Danny Nogueiras actually sounds like he's having fun. Standout tracks such as "wasting life" and "History" contain an undeniable urgency; these are boot-stomping anthems that you will be humming for days to come. And while the record drags in places, it is still a complete work from front to back......" - The District Weekly


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

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Bio

Filled with catchy guitar riffs and constructed melodies, Brown and Blue manages to fuse elements of Americana, Folk and early Rock and Roll, drawing influences from artists like The Band and Big Star with a proper injection of modern muscle.

Located in Los Angeles, Brown and Blue originally started as singer/songwriter Danny Nogueiras's solo project, but the band quickly expanded to a five-member group which now includes close friend and guitarist Ricky Cruces, Ray Cruces (bass), Bert White (acoustic guitarist), and Anthony Vezirian (drummer). Brown and Blue's lyrics tend to be introverted or self referential sung over thoughtful compositions that bleed straight to the heart. "I'm a firm believer in writing about what you know and trying to know yourself." Nogueiras states.

Brown and Blue's latest EP titled "A Warmer Climate" is a wonderful and utterly unique record. The musicianship on "A Warmer Climate is outstanding but never over the top, full of subtle nuances that add texture to the stories told, something the band says is due in large part to the advice, guidance, and coaching they received from producer David J(of Novi Split). On "All Hail", the band showcases a resentful and bitter song. Nogueiras states, "I think All Hail is about letting go of a lot negative feelings I was struggling with and trapping them in a song, something controllable but expressive." From the emotional “All Hail” to the americana-folk vibe of “Stay”, Brown and Blue's latest EP is an infectious groove that embodies multiple genres.