The Earl Brothers, there is one thing on which everyone seems to agree... There is something about this band's 'less is more' approach to songwriting, singing and musicianship that makes you stop whatever you're doing and take notice.
The Buzz...
"THE EARL BROTHERS HAVE GOT THE SOUL AND THE SONGS AND THE ATTITUDE THAT BROUGHT US ALL INTO BLUEGRASS MUSIC IN THE FIRST PLACE.THEIR SONGS CRY OF THE MOUNTAINS, OF THE PEOPLE AND OF THE TRADITIONS DOWN THROUGH THE AGES.
BLUEGRASS IS ALIVE AND WELL."
Chris Hillman
Pioneer of the genre known as “Country Rock”.
Worked with such notable bands as The Byrds,
The Flying Burrito Brothers and the Desert Rose Band.
As a promoter of Traditional Bluegrass, I have grown to respect "The Earl Bros" very much. Great songwriting,excellent picking,& a sound all they're own. This is true "Gravel & Grit" Bluegrass. I want them back soon!!
Brad Klabunde
B.K.Prod's Bluegrass Shows
Two Rivers,WI
www.bluegrassbrad.org
Quote from Wikipedia, online encyclopedia, for the definition of Bluegrass Music;
“Fourth generation
It could be argued that a fourth generation of bluegrass musicians is beginning to appear, marked by a high level of technical skill demonstrated. Although it is too soon to see definite trends, the most notable fourth generation musician to emerge so far is probably Chris Thile, who released solo bluegrass albums at age 13 and 16 (Leading Off and Stealing Second), respectively), before reaching wider fame as a member of the bluegrass-influenced acoustic band Nickel Creek. Recently, however, Thile's claim to the throne of bluegrass "prince" has been challenged by Josh Pinkham, a Florida teenager who performed at "Merlefest" only 18 months after picking up a mandolin.
Other notable recent bluegrass bands are The Earl Brothers, who fuse a traditional sound with innovative songwriting and lyrics atypical for bluegrass, and Colorado's Open Road, a traditional-sounding band with strong original material”.
"The only thing to say about traditional bluegrass at it's best is.... THE EARL BROTHERS. Their modern writing style is combined with their traditional vocals and music. They have captured, in my opinion, the best sound bluegrass can offer. As soon as we started playing their music on WDVX, they went straight to #1 on our playlist. With bands like the Earl Brothers in the Bluegrass Circuit, the music that Bill Monroe created years ago will stay in good hands! In my opinion, the Earl Brothers will continue to create traditional bluegrass all over again."
- Alex Leach, WDVX Radio, Knoxville TN.
"...Call it deep-Stanley if you will, or Blue Sky Boys meet Hank Williams, or music dropped out of a time machine built in 1945 and heading pastward, yet inexplicably ending up in 2004. Whatever. This is some of the most gut-wrenching, unapologetically backward-looking, barely bluegrass (albeit purely bluegrass), music you will ever hear."
~Jerome Clark
Staff Writer - Bluegrass Works Magazine
" A GREAT NEW SOUNDING BAND WITH HIGH-LONESOME QUALITIES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN HEARD SINCE
THE RECORDINGS OF THE RURAL MOUNTAIN BANDS OF THE 40'S. MY AUDIENCE LIT UP ALL FOUR PHONE
LINES IN THE STUDIO UPON HEARING THEIR MUSIC. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
ROSS HARVEY
CKUT 90.3 FM
RADIO MCGILL
MONTREAL, CANADA.
"...The Earl Brothers meld the mountain music of the 40's & 50's to the sounds of bluegrass today without sounding like every other new band to come down the pike. In a word, I would simply call their style 'refreshing'... less really is 'more'..."
~Chuck Holloway
Former President of Oregon Bluegrass Association
KRVM / 91.9 FM
Eugene, OR
"...Man, every time I hear them I want to grab the closest beer bottle and hurl it into the far wall... They've got the sound, the drive, the feeling we've been missing out here all these years! My HIGHEST recommendation!"
~Ray Edlund
"Pig in a Pen" KPFA-FM / 94.1 FM
Berkeley, CA
"A rickety old steam engine rhythm, rough ole hollerin' pitiful, sad singing,
three layers of what sounds like a bunch of acoustic bluegrass whammy bars,
throw an occasional old metal hubcap down the track, that's the sound of the
Earl Brother's collection of songs called "Whiskey, Women and Death". No
Nashville, slicked-up, cookie cutter Bluegrass here, it's real, and it
hurts!"
Amy Campbell, 89.9 fm WDVX Radio, Knoxville, Tennessee.
"...Both in composition and delivery, these guys somehow manage to capture the hauntingly soulful yet somehow uplifting sound of a far away time, which ensures they'll be around for a long time to come. We northern Californians have lots to be proud of in the Earl Brothers..."
~Rick Cornish
Chairman of the Board - California Bluegrass Association
Sonora, CA
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