The Brummy Brothers
22 July 2015 - Owsley’s Golden Road - Boulder, CO
for The Lot Scene by Parker
Brummys. Boulder. Bring it. Nothing like heading to a show a mere few blocks’ walk from The Lot Scene’s Colorado office. Certainly makes for an easily accessibly night of music…and I was definitely looking forward to more Brummy Brothers in my life. Anchoring down another awesome Dead bar, the fellas took to the outdoor stage (ah, outdoor shows in the summer — is there anything nicer?) just after eight that evening. They opened things up with a little “I Know You Rider” tease during sound check which was a nice little intro to the night. Then the show proper began with a track from their album called “60 Miles to Boston” with Dave Brumberg on lead vocals. My camera was rolling for this one, so please enjoy:
Next up was Andrew Morris on vocals for “Wise and Jaded”, continuing the mellower vibe for the evening. Great song with an easy groove. After that we got a really nice “Blue Ridge Blues” featuring Eric Brumberg singing lyrics for us. He also graced us with a long and lovely mandolin solo before things were through — really gorgeous. Well done. Then it was time for a perfect cover choice for the mild and gorgeous summer evening: The Beatles’ “Day Tripper” which had Dave back up to the mic. Like all their covers I have heard so far, I really enjoyed their version of this classic song. Playing around with tempo and rhythm, The Brummys possess a transformative element in their approach to cover songs that truly change the original into something fresh and new. The mellow “No Good” (another track from their album, On Our Way) followed the Beatles up with Andrew on lead vocals, the song transitioning into a heated breakdown at the end with Russell Gottlieb just destroying the banjo in such a wickedly wonderful way. I really enjoy his playing style all the more I see them perform. Later on in the set I got another incredible musical gift from The Brummys: they played more Pink Floyd. And for me as fate would have it. Their “Money” was, in a word, money. Not an easy song to do justice to, but Dave’s stellar vocals plus the double-time mid section plus the excellent mando solo from Eric really made for a fantastic version of this iconic classic rock song. Just another hallmark of how versatile and broad this New Jersey band really is. One hell of a solid way to end their first set!! Thanks again for the Floyd, boys!!
The second set opened with a couple of Andrew-led songs, featuring some of that really tight harmony singing that I have come to admire in this band as well as a blistering, crazy good guitar solo from Mr. Morris. Afterward we got the rollicking and darkly intense “Jersey Devil”, a song I was very glad to hear again that night. Really growing to dig that song. Then the band channeled their inner Peter Rowan throwing down a superlative “Moonlight Midnight” — what an unexpected treat. Later on down the set it was time for more Colorado love in the form of “Weed, Whiskey, and Women”. Certainly went over well with the University of Colorado crowd at Owsley’s that night. There was a monster, monster jam at the end of this one with magnificent solos from Russell, Eric, and Andrew — really amazing music. A third cover comprised the final song of the evening, this time “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen. Excellent choice. Bravo!! A fast pickin’ string band version of this song is something to be heard, my friends. And the big, bold breakdown at the end? Marvelous. Very well done, indeed!! Another great show from these boys from back East. More to come from them tomorrow down in Denver…can’t wait for another set!!
