Why wait? Must be the Gibson's and Rounder Records' thoughts too! And to that end they've given us all a great teaser of what's to come with a special audio premiere of "Bye Bye Love" available for previewing now online (see link at bottom of this post).
On the forthcoming album, BROTHERHOOD, Eric and Leigh Gibson take on the challenge of covering some of the greatest songs by some of the biggest legends in music.
| On February 25, 2015, The Gibson Brothers will release Brotherhood, a loving homage to the brother duos that have inspired them since childhood. “Making an album like this is something we’ve always talked about,” explains Leigh Gibson. “At some point you have to stop talking and start doing. Older brother Eric elaborates: “We love that tradition of brothers singing together, and to pay tribute to that shows people where our hearts are.” For Brotherhood, Eric and Leigh chose fifteen songs from country, bluegrass, and early rock ‘n’ roll brother acts, including some that will be familiar to most listeners, such as Phil and Don Everly; Charlie and Ira Louvin; Jim and Jesse McReynolds; and Carter and Ralph Stanley. The album also features covers of songs recorded by some lesser-known acts, including the Blue Sky Boys, the Church Brothers, and the York Brothers. Leigh Gibson reflects, “These are the acts that pointed us in our direction musically. After we got going, we went our own way for a while.” He adds, “But the process of making this record brought us back to the music we were listening to when we were just getting started. So many of these songs, when we sing them, I feel like I did when I was 15 years old, sitting in our living room in the farmhouse and learning how to play. This music is a part of our soul.” | Brotherhood track listing: |
The material is familiar, yet in some ways Brotherhood is an album of firsts. It’s the Gibson Brothers’ first album on Rounder Records, their first covers project, and it’s also the first release that includes the newest member of the band, award-winning mandolin player and vocalist Jesse Brock, who joined the group in late 2012.
The band, which is led by guitarist Leigh and banjo player Eric, also includes longtime band members Mike Barber (bass) and Clayton Campbell (fiddle). For Brotherhood, which was largely recorded live in the studio, they were joined by a stellar group of guests, including Ronnie and Rob McCoury, who contribute mandolin, banjo, and vocals; former Osborne Brothers sideman Ronnie Reno;, pedal steel guitarist Russ Pahl, and percussionist Sam Zucchini.
Brotherhood is the Gibsons’ twelfth album since their 1993 debut, Underneath a Harvest Moon. 20 years on, Eric and Leigh have matured considerably as musicians, writers and performers, causing an ever-growing legion of bluegrass fans to take notice and garnering impressive amounts of critical acclaim: not only did the band win IBMA’s Entertainer of the Year Award in 2012 and 2013, but the organization presented Eric with the prestigious Songwriter of the Year Award last year as well.
The Gibson Brothers have truly come into their own, combining their wide-ranging influences into a unique style that honors tradition while still sounding refreshingly new.
According to Eric, the Everly Brothers' tune has always been a favorite of theirs but they hesitated to include it on the album - fearing the inability to do enough justice to the iconic song. However, fans convinced them otherwise after they'd snuck the tune into several of their live shows and judged the crowd reaction.
Fans can preview the song now on POP MATERS.
The new album is scheduled for release to the public in late February, 2015
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