Album Review:

The Brummy Brothers “On Our Way”

by Nick Hobbs

Don’t let yourself be fooled into thinking that a band from New Jersey couldn’t be reached by the spirit of Appalachia. The Brummy Brothers clearly show that music has no boundaries and that the new age of bluegrass is here.

The Brothers bring together soft harmonies over sharply changing tempos and fast pickin’ right off the bat with “Potato”, the first song on their debut full length album “On Our Way” due to release May 13th. It’s right away that you can hear the crispness the band developed in Tim Carbone of Railroad Earths’  “Musical Boot Camp” style recording session.

The second song titled “No Good” transports the listener back to the Old West with a ballad of an outlaw on the run that builds up momentum until you’re whipped into a frenzy shuffling across the dance-floor. This song is one from their first short album but has been polished up in the studio with a nice jazzy trumpet accompaniment by George Maher which keeps adding to the developing evolution of Bluegrass music.

Then “Hub City Hoedown” explores a couple of distinctly different regional styles, not unlike a flight of wine, with sounds that feel as if they were absorbed into the song on a worldwide journey. Did I hear a little Eastern European Gypsy-grass in there somewhere lol? I hope each listener is taken to a different part of the world as the notes conger up visions in their minds.

“Cruisin'” had already pre-booked a spot in my heart and I was really stoked to hear it on this album….and coming from the shower as it is being sung by my wife. This little ditty is an ode to Jam Cruise that brings back memories of sunshine, smiles, and shows on the open seas. Eric can be found waking the sun up with his mandolin every morning at “The Spot”, an improvised jam circle welcome to all aboard the boat that are still awake.

Halfway into the album the guys give us a chance to catch our breath from shuffling across the dance-floor and slow it down a bit with “On My Way” and “Wise And Jaded”. Two songs that seem to reflect on the experiences of growing up and the choices made along that path. These are my “front porch, rocking chair and lemonade” picks of the week 😉

There’s no rest for the wicked when the tempo gets kicked up a notch for “Cell Phone Blues”. This is “New-grass” at it’s best! A playful, upbeat tune that jumps around like a hyperactive teen off his meds, and lyrics that make you chuckle and sing along after hearing it once. This one’s gonna be a crowd favorite for sure.

“60 Miles To Boston” and “Blue Ridge Blues” get back to the sweet harmonizing that started the album off and adds a little slap bass along with the fast pickin’ we’ve gotten used to by now. It also feels as if the climax has been reached and the album is winding down, if the album were a movie this is the part where all the pieces start to fall together.

“On Our Way” really is put together well and the songs play out perfect in the order they are placed, so its apt for “Weed, Whiskey, Woman” to close out the album. The piano Tim Carbone adds gives the song an old west feeling of ordering 2 X’s of bourbon and cheatin your way through a hand of hold ’em all while on the run with the sheriff’s wife and stash.

Use this link to check out a sneak peek of the new album “On Our Way” and catch The Brummy Brothers on tour in a town near you this summer, thebrummybrothers.com

On Our Way” Album Release Tour:
May 10, Susquehanna Breakdown – Scranton, PA
May 15, Turkey Hill Brewing Co. – Bloomsburg, PA
May 16, Lot-10 – Ithaca, NY
May 17, E.B. Rec. Center – East Brunswick, NJ
May 17, Triumph Brewery – New Hope, PA
May 20, Nectar’s – Burlington, VT
May 21, Bee’s Knees – Morrisville, VT
May 23, Pizza Stone – Chester, VT
May 24, True Brew Barista – Concord, NH
May 25, B.R.Y.A.C. – Bridgeport, CT
May 27, Tellus360 – Lancaster,
June 13, Fiddler’s Picnic – Macedon, NY
June 20, Smoked Country Jam – Cross Fork, PA
June 21, Mad Tea Party Jam – Hedgesville, WV
June 23, North Country Brewing Co. – Slippery Rock, PA
June 24, Brewer’s Alley – Frederick, MD
June 25, Purple Fiddle – Thomas, WV
June 26, Stella Blues – New Haven, CT
June 27, Arts & Ideas Festival – New Haven, CT
July 3, Tellus360 – Lancaster, PA
July 5, Nickel’s Pitt BBQ – Watkins Glen, NY
July 25, Pennings Farm Market – Warwick, NY
July 26, Turkey Hill Brewing Co. – Bloomsburg, PA
MANY MORE TO COME!