BRTHR

In the organizer's words:

A front porch somewhere in the American South, golden late summer light on a Sunday afternoon. At the end of the weekend, the musicians get together for a relaxed session. They drink beer and make music together. This is the kind of feel-good scenario you like to imagine when you listen to the new BRTHR album.

After all, the music is full of unagitated depth and calm serenity. The protagonists are by no means sprightly Americana veterans, but comparatively young lads with deep roots in (primarily American) music history.

The roots of the two Stuttgart-based soul brothers Philipp Eißler (guitar, vocals) and Joscha Brettschneider (guitar) lie in folk and country, soft rock and AOR - but now mainly in soul. BRTHR combine southern soul with blue-eyed pop in their very own way. They do this with a relaxed matter-of-factness that makes their seemingly unspectacular songs sound surprisingly mature, airy and sunny.

BRTHR have no need for superficiality on their fourth album either. Philipp Eißler's pleasantly sweet soul vocals are vaguely reminiscent of Terry Callier, while the pointed guitar and organ sounds breathe the Memphis sound of Stax and Muscle Shoals. The classic songs are given slender, elegant arrangements, often embellished with subtle brass and strings. Cosmically dubbed electronics remain on the edge of perceptibility, Richard Koch's guest trumpet tastes of Calexico and the backing vocals are reminiscent of the unforgotten Fellow Travelers. Joscha Brettschneider's exquisite guitar has learned its lessons from Richard Thompson, Steve Cropper and Mark Knopfler, but as always never plays a note too much.

The album was produced in Berlin and Stuttgart by Max Braun, and the sound is sometimes even reminiscent of the production art of Willie Mitchell (Hi Records) in the 70s. There are echoes of Shuggie Otis, Bill Withers and Dan Penn, Booker T. & The MGs, JJ Cale and the classic "Country Got Soul" series.

BRTHR lend new freshness to the historical music of old hands, precisely because they stage their songs with such a steady hand and knowing ease. This new album also develops an effortless deepness and the most casual groove - at best lowdown funky and mostly remaining in the lower mid-tempo. The result is the perfect soundtrack for a peaceful, groovy end to the weekend on the veranda - whether in Stuttgart, Berlin or Memphis.

Organizer: Capitol Betriebs GmbH

Price information:

Standing room 22,00€Sitting room 25,00€