Riding high as “Band to Watch in 2014” as designated by the San Diego Reader, the trio from the aforementioned locale, Brothers Weiss deliver a kick in the ass with their new track “Conversations” which we’re delighted to debut today. Some say My Morning Jacket, while we say Led Zeppelin are solid touchstones. And indeed they happen to be big fans of our fetish item of choice…
“The first vinyl record I ever listened to was my dad’s 1967 copy of John Mayall’s The Blues Alone.“
“He gave it to me as a gift when I was nearing graduation from high school. It was one of the last albums to survive from his record collection from his young days, and I still love listening to it. The fact that Mayall played and recorded every instrument and vocal part besides the drums is amazing.
I love the high register, haunting nature of his voice along with the reverb-drenched blues backing it. There was just something special with the way this album resonated through these tiny speakers hooked up to my dad’s turntable. Before I knew it, I had bought my own and was digging through every $1 bin at the local swap meet every Saturday afternoon to find the next album I needed for my collection.”
—Ryan Weiss
“The bands that have helped shape Brothers Weiss and my influence on the writing are vast.”
“I would say that my dad’s early influence with surf music definitely had an impact as far as the moving bass lines that were surrounded by different, yet cohesive drum and guitar parts. The Hellicasters are one of those bands.
John Bonham from Led Zeppelin has always been my favorite drummer. He hits them just right. Lately, I’ve listened to a lot of Local Natives and Delta Spirit, and those drummers really made me rethink how I look at the drum kit. They rarely play a straightforward beat, and it seems as though everything they do play is very thought out and intentional for that part of the song. It keeps things interesting but doesn’t take away from the song as a whole. It’s not an easy thing to do, because you don’t want to play something weird just to be weird. It’s all about the song.
Be creative but make it count. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
—Kevin Weiss
“My first and main instrument is the violin, so as a kid I was raised on a steady diet of mainly classical music.”
“I was frustrated with the rule at the time but am grateful now, since I wouldn’t have the love and understanding of classical music that I have now if it wasn’t for being, to a degree, ‘forced-fed’ with it.
Anyway, time went on, and as an early teenager I had found my older sister’s cassette tape of a live Cure set called Show and fell in love with it. Though, if we’re speaking of albums proper, I’d have to say their album Disintegration is what feels most like a ‘non-classical music home base’ to me. As musical tastes develop and become refined, some early favorites’ perceived luster can tend to dull. Not so with this album, to me it sounds as fresh today as it ever has.
From the opening wind chimes’ gentle prescience to the simple and content farewell of the harmonium, it is a familiar journey that will be well revisited.”
—Miguel Ramierez
