Bagpipes and Rock 'n' Roll.......

The rock band Brother plays an original brand of music that incorporates many different instruments not normally associated with rock. An amazing combination of bagpipes and drums join traditional electric guitars and percussion that startle and delight the listener and make standing in one spot absolutely impossible! When Hamish, Angus and Fergus join together on bagpipes, with D'Albo beating up a complex and stimulating beat on percussion your feet just start to move and you are carried away on a wave of  emotion that is both primitive and astoundingly modern. Then close your eyes and listen to Hamish, the didgi-man play on his funky, amazing didgeridoo and you are swept off to a place that is still a little wild, where the edge is closer than you think, a land where there is still wonder....... the land of Brother!

Discography:

Cover image from Pipe Dreams

Pipe Dreams: Their first album harkens to their roots. More harmonic and acoustical than their next work, this is the album that introduces us to their soaring harmonies with their acapella rendition of "Amazing Grace".

Cover Image from Exit From Screetchville (back to the top)
Exit from Screetchville: My first introduction to the band was at a concert that they performed in the tiny basement pub of Alverno College. They blew the roof off the place with selections from this album and made me a permanent fan! Stirring bagpipes and vocals and that maddening beat that just makes you dance...... I was a convert from the first skirl!

Cover image from Black Stone Tramp (back to the top)
Black Stone Tramp: My personal favorite. Here they do a lovely acoustic version of 'Take You Back', one of my favorite songs. The rich textures on this disc will reaffirm any Brother fan and make believers of many more.

Cover image from The Digging Bone (back to the top)
Digging Bone: More rock here and more complex harmonies. The band stretches their musical wings, taking flight with intricate rhythms and even tighter integration of the unusual instruments they use. Here they finally record a song that every audience looks forward to hearing: 'One Heart, One Soul'
  

Cover image from Your Backyard (back to the top)
Your Backyard: The first album with Steve Luxenburg on guitars - a true artist! I love the title cut, the song 'Fly Away', 'Purple Haze'... heck I love the whole thing! There is more of Hash on Didgi on this one, and the rythms are more exotic, wilder - even closer to that edge.
  


After last year's concert at Milwaukee's Irish Fest the band members were gracious enough to sit and sign things for anyone wanting it. After a hot, muggy day, starting late and a high energy performance it was very thoughtful of them to sit in the damp air and talk to the throng (and there *was* a throng!). They even signed my copy of Black Stone Tramp(note - this was before their accident in 1999):

Image of Brother's autographs (back to the top.......)

Its been nearly 3 years since I've seen the guys perform live. Up until this summer I've had to content myself with listening over and over again to their CD's. I even had a CD player installed in my car, just so I could blast Bagpipes and Rock all over my new home in upstate New York! But my long drought is finally over. This summer I got to see the guys perform, not once but 3 times! True, Dalbo is gone, and so is Steve, so I'm leaving the original pic that nobody ever forgets how good they are. But I've added 2 new ones - after waiting nearly 6 years I finally got my pic with the guys - Jude and Brother 2001........ Enjoy!


 

Jude and the guys at the Iron Horse: Nothampton, MA

We couldn't find Roel when this picture was taken -he'd disappeared downstairs but, I caught him in Albany and got him to hold still for a moment, but I had to hang on!

Me hanging on to Roel before he runs off again!

Back home!

jude dettmann