Brothers Past
Encyclopedia
Brothers Past are an indie-electronic band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
that has been called "one of the most talked about independent acts in the nation." Since forming in 2000, the band has released three records and one EP, including the critically acclaimed This Feeling's Called Goodbye (SCI Fidelity Records) in 2005. The band has performed across the United States and Canada including appearances at Bonnaroo, SxSW, Wakarusa and Langerado. Brothers Past has been featured in Relix
and their self-released albums have been reviewed in Urb Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer
, Philadelphia Daily News
and The Village Voice
.
(vocals, guitar
), Tom McKee (keyboard
s, vocals), Clay Parnell (aka "Parnstar,"bass
, vocals), and Rick Lowenberg (drum
s). Hamilton and McKee have worked together since May 1998. After moving into a house together outside of West Chester, PA, the four musicians began writing material influenced by various elements of electronica (drum and bass, jungle, dub and house music.) The band began a Thursday night residency at Rex's in West Chester, PA, where it performed weekly for almost two years, building a small but dedicated following of fans. Not long after, the band began touring the East Coast and performing at regional festivals.
Since then, Brothers Past has toured nationally across the United States, playing more than 800 shows since their 2000 formation, including appearances at Wakarusa
, Bonnaroo and SXSW. In the middle of 2006, it was announced that Lowenberg would be leaving the band to pursue environmental law
and that Ilya Stemkovsky, formerly of OM Trio would take over for him. Stemkovsky performed with the band until Dec. 31, 2007, when the band announced a hiatus to focus on other interests. Hamilton and Parnell both turned their focus to side projects—Hamilton embraced his love of songwriting with the Americana-tinged stylings of American Babies and Parnell began working with world-renowned drummer Johnny Rabb
as part of the drum and bass duo Biodiesel. McKee began teaching piano at the School of Rock in Downingtown, PA where he currently works as the school's Music Director.
After a one-year hiatus, the band returned to the stage (with original drummer Rick Lowenberg) at a New Year's Eve performance on December 31, 2008 at The Note in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The show sold out in less than 30 minutes. Since then, the band has resumed touring, while recording the followup to This Feeling's Called Goodbye. No release date for the new record has been set.
In October 2010, Brothers Past celebrated its 10 year anniversary and marked the occasion with the announcement of a digital box set release entitled Everything Must Go. On the 10th of every month, a new studio track and a previously unreleased soundboard recording of a special show from the band's ten-year history is released via the band's website.
For their first record for a music label, This Feeling's Called Goodbye, the band was produced
by Jon Altschiller (Dave Matthews Band
, Phish
).
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
that has been called "one of the most talked about independent acts in the nation." Since forming in 2000, the band has released three records and one EP, including the critically acclaimed This Feeling's Called Goodbye (SCI Fidelity Records) in 2005. The band has performed across the United States and Canada including appearances at Bonnaroo, SxSW, Wakarusa and Langerado. Brothers Past has been featured in Relix
Relix
Relix magazine was launched in 1974 as newsletter devoted to connecting people who recorded Grateful Dead concerts. It rapidly expanded into a music magazine covering a wide amount of artists...
and their self-released albums have been reviewed in Urb Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
, Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News
The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The newspaper is owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Daily News began publishing on March 31, 1925, under...
and The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
.
History
The band was formed in 2000 by Tom HamiltonTom Hamilton Jr. (musician)
Thomas Richard Hamilton Jr. is an American songwriter, musician, and producer best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the bands Brothers Past and American Babies-Brothers Past:...
(vocals, guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
), Tom McKee (keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s, vocals), Clay Parnell (aka "Parnstar,"bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals), and Rick Lowenberg (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s). Hamilton and McKee have worked together since May 1998. After moving into a house together outside of West Chester, PA, the four musicians began writing material influenced by various elements of electronica (drum and bass, jungle, dub and house music.) The band began a Thursday night residency at Rex's in West Chester, PA, where it performed weekly for almost two years, building a small but dedicated following of fans. Not long after, the band began touring the East Coast and performing at regional festivals.
Since then, Brothers Past has toured nationally across the United States, playing more than 800 shows since their 2000 formation, including appearances at Wakarusa
Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival
Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival is a four-day music festival held in early June at Mulberry Mountain near Ozark, Arkansas. The festival has been held annually since 2004....
, Bonnaroo and SXSW. In the middle of 2006, it was announced that Lowenberg would be leaving the band to pursue environmental law
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
and that Ilya Stemkovsky, formerly of OM Trio would take over for him. Stemkovsky performed with the band until Dec. 31, 2007, when the band announced a hiatus to focus on other interests. Hamilton and Parnell both turned their focus to side projects—Hamilton embraced his love of songwriting with the Americana-tinged stylings of American Babies and Parnell began working with world-renowned drummer Johnny Rabb
Johnny Rabb
Johnny Rabb is a professional live/studio drummer, author, inventor, and instructor. As a Product Specialist for , Rabb performs around 70 international clinic dates per year...
as part of the drum and bass duo Biodiesel. McKee began teaching piano at the School of Rock in Downingtown, PA where he currently works as the school's Music Director.
After a one-year hiatus, the band returned to the stage (with original drummer Rick Lowenberg) at a New Year's Eve performance on December 31, 2008 at The Note in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The show sold out in less than 30 minutes. Since then, the band has resumed touring, while recording the followup to This Feeling's Called Goodbye. No release date for the new record has been set.
In October 2010, Brothers Past celebrated its 10 year anniversary and marked the occasion with the announcement of a digital box set release entitled Everything Must Go. On the 10th of every month, a new studio track and a previously unreleased soundboard recording of a special show from the band's ten-year history is released via the band's website.
For their first record for a music label, This Feeling's Called Goodbye, the band was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Jon Altschiller (Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
, Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
).
Discography
- 2001 Elements self-released
- 2003 A Wonderful Day self-released
- 2004 statEPolice self-release EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
- 2005 This Feeling's Called Goodbye SCI FidelitySCI FidelityFormed in 1998, SCI Fidelity Records is an independent record label based in Boulder, Colorado. It is owned and managed by the jam band The String Cheese Incident....
External links
- Official site
- Brothers Past at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...