ifitbeyourwill Podcast
“ifitbeyourwill" Podcasts is on a mission to talk to amazing indie artists from around the world! Join us for cozy, conversational episodes where you'll hear from talented and charismatic singer-songwriters, bands from all walks of life talk about their musical journey. Let's celebrate being music lovers!
Season Four runs from September 2024 to December 2024
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ifitbeyourwill Podcast
ifitbeyourwill S03 E35 • The Brother Brothers
How does the unique bond between identical twins shape their musical journey and creative process? Today's episode features the Brother Brothers, David and Adam, as they walk us through their deeply intertwined musical experiences. From the early days influenced by their parents' eclectic record collection to the significant impact of the Kerrville Folk Festival on their songwriting, you'll hear firsthand how these elements have molded their sound. We'll explore the pivotal moments that nudged them from instrumentalists to celebrated songwriters, and how the songwriting community at Kerrville served as a catalyst for their development.
In the second half of our conversation, we uncover the intricate dynamics that make their collaboration so special. Adam opens up about David's role as the principal songwriter and how their sibling synergy fosters an environment of creative growth. We delve into their meticulous harmonizing techniques and how they balance simplicity with complexity in their melodies. Finally, get a glimpse into their future plans as Adam prepares for a bustling year touring with Levi Turner and David embarks on a series of intimate solo performances. Don't miss this intimate and insightful discussion with the Brother Brothers about music, family, and what lies ahead.
okay, here we are, episode some number, uh, doesn't really matter, but we're in season three here and I'm joined today by the brother brothers Identical twins. Right, you guys are from the same egg. Yeah, originally, yes, originally, yes, cool yeah. And you guys are on tour right now. Where are you guys at? We are tour right now. Where are you guys at?
Speaker 2:We are oh, we're actually not on tour. We're at a festival that we go to every year called the Curvil Folk Festival, so we're just enjoying ourselves, actually, and trading songs with a bunch of our favorite songwriters.
Speaker 1:Amazing. And where is that? Where's that festival? Where are you guys situated right now?
Speaker 2:it's about an hour west of um curvil texas what did I say curvil? I meant san antonio, a town called curvil, about an hour west of san antonio in the hill country.
Speaker 1:Awesome and how many are you guys doing one set during this festival, like have you played yet or are you to play soon?
Speaker 2:we played. We. We played the past couple of years and we're not booked this year, but we just come for fun, so we go, whether we're booked or not and uh, yeah, so we're not playing this year. I'm sitting in with a friend on cello, but that's about it, cool cool.
Speaker 1:Well, guys, I I love to kind of just um start off by like kind of the the origins of of, where music started to be um important in your lives, and I found this pretty interesting um, that your dad has this amazing record collection and that that was a little bit of a nucleus that started you guys getting into music so much. Could you guys elaborate on that story at all?
Speaker 2:I think it's important to correct you and say that he didn't have an amazing record collection. He had about four records but we but we listened to them all the time and we're wear them out, and one was an Everly Brothers record, one was the Kingston Trio, paul Simon and the Beatles and the Beatles it was more than four, but it was basically those four acts and then that just kind of, and then that just kind of gave us what you might call our foundation. And our mother was really she was an old, she was in the original. There's a lot of musicals surrounding our house, so it was a very musical upbringing with a very limited canon.
Speaker 1:Right, but a solid canon nonetheless. I mean that's yeah, some pretty classic records to to be growing up on and how did you? Guys like find music, like how did you guys start to figure out that you know, I'm going to play an instrument, I want to write songs, I want to you know, maybe eventually perform like what were your beginning moments of coming into being musicians?
Speaker 2:when we were, uh, when we were younger, uh, like before we were even speaking, you know, our first words were also our first songs. I think we were just singing along. So I think it was pretty obvious. And then, you know, parents are seeing, want their children to be happy and want to encourage them. So, uh, it just one thing led to another and we were just musical. We were always drawn to it. So it was kind of an obvious thing.
Speaker 2:And I, I know that a lot of parents and a lot of musicians that, um, that are my contemporaries and whatnot, um, you know, parents don't want their children to grow up and be touring musicians, they want them to be lawyers and doctors, although our parents were just, you know, really encouraging about the whole situation.
Speaker 2:So it was kind of an easy, an easy path, although the songwriting didn't really happen until, honestly, until we came to this place, the Kerrville Folk Festival. Yeah, we were just around so many songwriters, we were playing music, we were instrumentalists. But, yeah, we were just around so many songwriters, we were playing music, we were instrumentalists, but we could talk plenty about the music that inspired us. But when we got here, there were so many songwriters and we got into the, the idea of what the song was, the craft of songwriting, the concept of sharing and the community that's around it, especially in Texas. You know, like you know, stories about Tons Van Zandt and Guy Clark hanging out and people just living in Austin writing songs and doing it, willie Whelan and the boys, that whole thing you know it's really alive here, um, really underground, but it's alive and uh.
Speaker 2:So we just got really really into that and, you know, are very much a part of it now. Yeah, right, so right. That kind of got us into the songwriting thing.
Speaker 1:Cool, and you guys both studied music, though, at university. You both are session musicians. As you were saying before that that was your beginning phases. Were you guys writing songs when you're playing in other bands, like, were you writing crafting songs that were from you during those times when you were just kind of like a part of a band and not a band yourselves?
Speaker 2:I was yeah, yeah, me too, yeah, but not until our mid-20s. Like, like we said, you know, not until after college. And I guess that's when I started. We both started playing guitar and um branching out a little from our, you know, jazz and classical roots right, right, right.
Speaker 1:That's interesting. And like, what were your beginning songs like? Like? If I asked like David, what were Adam songs like when he first started writing them, that he would show to you what. What were they? What were they like? What did you think of them when he first presented them to you?
Speaker 2:Well, he was. He was in a band called Green Mountain Grass, so you can go listen to that band and hear a bunch of his songs and the stuff that he wrote with the band and they were all really like poppy, you know, and they were great, they were entertaining. Adam's a very entertaining writer. He's the one that's like uh got the if it's, if it's catchy, he wrote it. So that's a lot of the songs. It was instant, they were good and they were instant.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we definitely have our own unique songwriting voices. Like on the new album, my main creations were Brown Dog and the Cedar Branch song and Morgantown. Those are a little bit more upbeat country tongue-in-cheek, yeah, you know. And david's more, more in his feelings I think. Yeah, he's more of the cancerian. Yeah, the two of us right and what.
Speaker 1:What began this voyage together? Like what was, what were some of the occasions or the nucleus for saying all right, let's start.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're identical twins, so, right, same egg. That was kind of the the incepting moment, to be honest. Yeah, we there was. There was a few moments we tried to do some stuff with friends, um, and we were like, oh, we got to take some time and I don't know if we're gonna be able to get along to, because it's not just playing, music is so much more and there's so many opportunities to get mad at each other and be brothers. So there was just kind of a moment when we were both we were living in new york city and adam was having a very bleak looking winter decided we wanted to start making money. Yeah, the day that the dollar signs popped into our eyes, we were like, let's cash in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and now look at us now look, we're in a nine-foot trailer thank god, and just just attending an event, right, not even playing in it, just for the pure joy of community and music and fun together. Yes, I mean that's amazing, yeah.
Speaker 2:But, all jokes aside, we were, I think. I came up with a name and called Adam. I was like what about the Brother Brothers? It'll be like a kind of a bluegrass band and blah, blah, blah called Adam. I was like what?
Speaker 2:about the Brother Brothers. It'll be like a kind of a bluegrass band and blah, blah, blah. And he immediately just called in all his favors with all the people he'd been playing with over the years and booked a tour and it just started rolling from there and we didn't necessarily become a bluegrass band, but that was the inception of that.
Speaker 1:But, adam, is that what you're alluding to? Is that's where you started seeing the dollar signs, like when, when you guys first came started performing together, there was a big interest.
Speaker 2:There was a buzz already about the two of you coming together, and I think people are very excited I mean, we were in a musical community in new york city and we were individuals in it, and so the day that we got together, I think you know, the word spread that Adam and David are going to play a show together. And it was a great show. It was like yeah it was very fun excitement, you know.
Speaker 2:So, it was kind of easy to go from there, just because the people that we were around and the people that we knew were like knew both of us, and they were like, yeah, yeah, about freaking time, y'all did this yeah, but we had to make sure that we weren't going to kill each other, you know right?
Speaker 1:yeah, so it took a little bit of uh age wisdom and uh maturity right and adam, what does david bring to the mix, like what I mean, other than being a brother and an identical twin on top of it all, like, like, what does he bring to brother, brothers, that that is uniquely him, that nobody else could bring?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's kind of a tough question, isn't?
Speaker 1:that's just uh, I think it's the good looks, really mostly right so his good looks, and I mean you guys each write your own songs or do you write together collaboratively?
Speaker 2:yeah. So I mean that question, that question is really, honestly, the easiest thing to answer and the most impossible thing, because you could ask that about anybody in any band and obviously they bring themselves. So obviously he brings himself to this band and then you know, we may look alike but we're not the same person. So, um, he brings himself and he's kind of the principal songwriter of the band.
Speaker 2:Although the thing we've been saying mostly about this album, which is the thing that we're most excited about and the thing we're most proud of is this is the first time that we wrote a lot of these songs collaboratively and we worked out a lot of these songs collaboratively. So it's actually the most honest version of the Brother Brothers working together and honestly, I feel like it only benefited the music and the writing the fact that we collaborated. And now we're in a phase where we're like, oh wow, we actually have a band. It's not David and Adam harmonizing and Adam and David harmonizing. We have a thing, and now David can write a song that doesn't need to be a Brother Brothers song. He can go have his own thing, I can go have my own thing, and then we can also come together for the Brother Brothers. Now we have a unique voice as the two of us, and then we can also have our own individual voices. It's pretty exciting.
Speaker 1:That's cool. That's cool. And what does that process look like? Like if you got down to brass tacks about it, like how do you collaborate, still being kind of just you know, like you have your own things, your own lives. Like how do you?
Speaker 2:how does?
Speaker 1:that collaboration work.
Speaker 2:I call my therapist and they make an appointment with David's lawyer, and then, and then they work it out, and then they send things back and forth and eventually they get down to me and you know, we, I it all works out yeah, I think some people they.
Speaker 2:They'll just go and rent a cabin and write an album over the course of a week or two, or but so far every single song that we've written together has been completely different. Like you know, I might send him a voice recording of something I'm working on and he'll send some stuff back or with ideas, and then sometimes we'll just be sitting and let's just play some. I've been working on this banjo part. Let me just play it for you and I'll, you know, sing something and then all of a sudden, off to the races.
Speaker 1:The song's getting written, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then sometimes it's just like that line's stupid, let's do this instead it's, it's. It comes out of a comes with a lot of toil and you know talking about our, our dynamic and working together, and it takes all day, with a lot of therapy sessions too. So it's been different every time. So we don't have a process yet and I kind of hope we never do, because I feel like it's going to keep it fresh. I would say that we thrive in editing each other's songs. We're not really good at finishing each other's musical or musical sentences, but we're really good at at either editing or boosting or just throwing in an idea that lets the voice, let's the principal person move on, you know right. So we're good at ending each other's blocks or fine tuning yeah, yeah, interesting and are your voices.
Speaker 1:Like can you? Like there's I mean the harmonies are outstanding. Like does that take planning? And like all right you gotta go a little higher here and you gotta tweak that here and okay I'm gonna come in here like what, what, how do, how does, how do those conversations take place there? Any other lawyers still involved?
Speaker 3:in in these processes or are you able?
Speaker 2:to kind of get through it together I think that our, I think our rule is basically uh, there's always a simple way, and then there's a way too complex way and finding, setting the needle with uh, you don't want this just to be like a regular harmony in parallel and whatever. Oh, maybe we could, what, if you like, came down here and we could cross there, and oh, what if we? You know, instead of just being on the third, you went down to the seventh and or just held that note flat. All these different things like what is not just uh, sounds good but also is interesting, and when it comes to harmonies, there's so many different options and, you know, making a melody out of the making, attempting to make a melody out of the harmony, and a lot of times, our litmus test is like we'll try the first thing that comes to mind and then we'll try about five different things as well, and whichever one the two of us like the most is the one we'll do.
Speaker 2:It's really simple but yet complex. Yeah, it's definitely planned and definitely takes some work. Yeah, it's definitely planned and definitely takes some work, right, yeah, but you know, we can stand behind basically every musical choice that we've made, for the most part, yeah, and I mean I imagine being brothers facilitates that, because you got like most bands that I talk to.
Speaker 1:They say you got to have a friendship there or the things are going to implode eventually because it's personalities and emotion and you know you might not give a shit about that person, but because you have this blood bond. Um, how do you guys deal with the highs and lows of having to deal with each other so much while you're touring or writing?
Speaker 2:You know, I think we do a lot of work to protect our, our sibling relationship, and so we have. We have our musical relationship and we have our relationship as identical twin brothers and we don't ever want the sibling relation, the musical relationship, no matter how that goes. We don't want it to infect, affect or destroy any sort of familial relationship. So I think we both have a big awareness of when those two start to overlap and then we kind of pull back. You know, a lot of times, mostly it's I was joking about money before, but, like you know, there is money involved in the music that we make and when we start, when that, that's usually the part that we have to be like, okay, let's, let's pay attention, let's make sure that this money doesn't get in the way of our relationship. So we split everything pretty evenly and like have a lot of conversations to make sure that we're not overstepping or understepping, or you know, yeah.
Speaker 1:Right, no, no, it's fascinating. Well, what, what does success mean to you guys? Like with this, with you know, brothers, brothers, like what? What would success mean to you, like what? What is that defined as for you guys?
Speaker 2:oh well, I can answer. Okay, go for it. I think that the concept of success is a little dragon that we're all chasing because it's just a concept, and it's a concept that isn't in the present, it's in the future, um, and I feel like anybody who, anybody who has an established success, I feel like the definition of that is constantly changing depending on where you are and how you're feeling, um, so it's kind of an unattainable thing. So the thing that we're trying to do right now actively is trying not to define or answer that question, but trying to continue to feel identified and I feel like this music that we're making is aligns with who we are and who we want to be at that moment, and the more that we can get that to align at every moment of our lives, which is quite difficult, but we're just, yeah, we're trying to get it to align with every aspect of our lives so that we can be comfortable, still have a sibling relationship, still make music, step away if we need to come back into it when we're ready. You know that's we're starting to do that.
Speaker 2:So we don't even think about success. Yeah, success is such a weird word because, yeah, happiness and success are so often tied in, and some of the most successful people I've ever what I would call successful, they're miserable. So I don't know. I don't know what success is being rich, maybe, but we're not miserable, so I don't know. I don't know what success is being rich, maybe, but we're not rich, so Right.
Speaker 1:I don't know. Well, I heard another podcast that you guys were on where you were talking about feeling valued, that what you're doing has a value to it, and that really, struck with me like that, that if that's happening, it gives you that momentum to want to, you know, carry on rather than feeling like you're. You know your music's falling on dead ears but when it becomes valued, you feed off of that and it helps you to kind of carry on. I thought that was really smart observation that you guys have had.
Speaker 1:I mean, you guys have been yeah, I mean, you guys have been doing this your whole lives really right that? Um, yeah, and what would you, if you were to look at your catalog? How do you think your music has changed over time? Um, from you know, your first release I think it was your ep your your first one, yeah, tugboat's EP, yeah 2017, guys. So this is you know, we're putting some time between it. Your latest one just came out, april 2024. Yeah, what's changed the most? Do you think through your catalog over those times?
Speaker 2:I think that the process of recording and falling in love with that process is important. But you know, technology has developed and a lot of people have studios and that sort of thing. But when we first recorded our double EP, we didn't have any money and we were just like we've got to get this album out, we're going to go open for Sarah Troz, we've got to have something to sell and promote, you know. So we, um, we actually got a really, uh, amazingly notable producer. Now he was just, he was just getting started, but his name's Andrew Sarlo and he put, um, these just microphones on our instruments and we did it really raw but we did it in a day and I listened back to it. I was like it's, it sounds great. He did such a good job.
Speaker 2:But we, the stress that we were feeling in the uh, the naivete that we had in the studio compared to what the January album is. We spent a month in this beautiful studio with an incredible engineer and an incredible producer and we were just fully realized our musical potential in a studio, setting the difference between those two things and the comfort and the amount of intention that we put into what we were actually making and the planning and the um is so different and I really value that experience, the experience of understanding what goes into a studio recording and the possibilities being endless. And you know, knowing that, if you, if you do it in a day, if you only have a day to record and you only have a limited set of microphones and a limited set of compressors and that sort of thing, it's going to sound a lot different and it's going to be a much different experience. So, doing it right and doing it, doing it in a way that, like you just live in, you know that's so special and that's that's the, that's how it's developed through time, would you agree? Yeah, I also think.
Speaker 2:I also think that you know there's a lot of similarities between the music that we're creating from then and from now, and I don't know that there's any sort of intentional thing that we've changed or grown. All we're trying to do is just learn how to express ourselves better and better and as we're doing this together, we're also learning how to do it together better. That's really, to me, the only thing that's changed. But I mean, you know, when I listen back to the Tugboats EP or some people I know album, I feel very identified still with that music and I think I kind of wish we hadn't recorded those albums so we could do it now, because I think we do it better, but I don't know. But also, like you know, I'm stoked.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, it's a cool observation, though, um, thinking about doing an album, an old album again too, like just seeing that, how that would transform and stuff. But it sounds like, too, you guys are really becoming into your own as as a band together, which I I really feel that maturity on this record of the oh thanks that you have grown together, and kind of like what you were saying, adam, that that you know each other. Well, that sounds stupid, but you know you, you're, you're learning each other's strengths and feeding off of one another and it really comes across well.
Speaker 2:We're growing together.
Speaker 1:That's really cool, Really cool. Well, just to kind of wrap this up, guys, again thanks so much for joining in. I've really enjoyed your stories and talking with you guys. What's 2024 looking like for you guys? So you're at this show now where you're just enjoying and seeing your people. What does the rest of the year look like? Where are you guys? You're at this show now where you're just enjoying and seeing your people. What does the rest of the year look like? Where are you guys going to be at? Can people come see some shows? You got some new music on the go. What's going down?
Speaker 2:We're about to fly to Boulder to do an E-Town performance. Other than that, the only thing that we really have on the books is a European tour in September, and then we have a couple shows in October, but just a couple and then we have some stuff on the books for 2025. But I personally, adam, I'm playing fiddle for this kid, levi Turner, and he's opening up for this guy named Zach Bryan, so I'm pretty committed this whole year playing arenas and all kinds of crazy. I got this crazy.
Speaker 1:It's a crazy gig, it's wild, right, but um yeah, so are you that guy learning like levi's a kid, right he's? He's a very young musician yeah, yeah but a hell of a musician, right like he can play like the wind yeah cool, that must be fun uh, I think he's more to me.
Speaker 2:He's more of like a really deep, deep soul old. I don't know where this old soul writing comes from, but he's really got it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's great, yeah, awesome I'm really enjoying that process but yeah, yeah, that's kind of taken precedence and we'll see what 2025 has in store. I'm going to on my own, I'm going to do a lot of traveling this summer, hopefully, do a lot of writing and that sort of thing too. So I'm going to play. I've got these little small solo shows I'm doing all up in in the north, northern midwest and into the mountains, because that's where I'll be traveling. So I put put together some house shows and things like that, just to make a little extra money and pay for the gas and travel and all that.
Speaker 1:So keep your chops too, for for the next record um, that's right.
Speaker 3:Well, that's great cool, cool.
Speaker 1:Well, it's been a lot of fun guys. Um, enjoy your show today, your shows today and your, your meeting up with old friends. That's right. Well, that's great. Cool, cool. Well, it's been a lot of fun. Guys, enjoy your show today, your shows today and your meeting up with old friends. And David, enjoy your summer. Sounds like it's going to be a great one. And, adam, all the best with your touring schedule, thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:It's been a real pleasure talking with you, and all the best.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Great to talk to you too. Thank you, it's been a real pleasure talking with you and all the best, yeah, yeah, thanks for having us All right so long.
Speaker 3:Who plowed the trees that line the banks of the riverside. The roots would keep the river low in my old home dry. But the money always finds a good thing going and it takes it for a ride. Those men, they took all the good wood from my old hometown. They paid fair wage until the trees had all been floated down and just like the trees, the river carried all the money down to Morgantown. Thank you, what breaks the banks of a river and what flows downstream? What takes the bones and what picks them clean? But what was taken in the name of a good thing going, it will soon redeem. Thank you, you.
