Brothers & Sisters
There’s a song for every season, an intonation for every falling leaf. A riff for every angry thunderstorm. Austin’s Brothers & Sisters recline in the burnt and sunny pastures of Texas summers and vacation on the breezy beaches of California. They make simple music, choruses slipping easily into the groove of a verse, but it’s their feel-good attitude that’s taken them from ideas floating around in Will Courtney’s head to packed houses in Austin’s notoriously fickle music scene.
“Things and ideas are classic for a reason,” bassist David Morgan relates of Brothers & Sisters’ familiar melodies. “There’s the timeless, odd thing in music, and if you tap into that, which I think we do sometimes, people latch onto it.”
The six brothers and two sisters that make up the core of the band are more kindred than even the name implies. Will and Lily Courtney were reared by music; mother Cynthia Clawson is a revered contemporary gospel singer, who – with father, preacher, and songwriter Ragan Courtney – released last year’s Brothers & Sisters’ eponymous debut on their Calla Lily Records. Will came home to Texas from L.A. two years ago and started making music with his sister. The rest of the unit – Morgan, guitarists James Olsen and Daniel Wilcox, pedal steelist Ray Jackson, tambourine player Courtney Chavanell, and drummer Greg McArthur – quickly clicked, and with the help of tours with Trail of Dead, Brothers & Sisters have become a hit with their Beach Boys harmonies and Byrds calls.
“Pop music is what brought everybody together,” explains McArthur. “Simple songs, not hard to play.”
Brothers & Sisters’ smile and sway is a welcome respite from the often-contrived indie rock of the last decade. Instead of forced, complicated structure, B&S are accessible, sometimes even obvious. The songs on Brothers & Sisters (Texas Platters, February 3, 2006) find Will and Lily fluctuating between key and feeling, each strum accentuated by the euphoria in songs like the jubilant “Sunday Living” and innocent “One Night.” When the serene reverberation of “Without You” crosses into pop perfection, crystalline tambourine echoes timelessly. It might be vintage, but it’s not weathered.
“What’s really fun about playing in this type of band is that the songs are pretty easy,” Morgan chuckles. “It’s easy to play a show with one of your friends’ bands and say, ‘Hey, just come onstage and sing. You’ve heard it once; you can probably get by.’
“It’s comfort food as music.”
SXSW showcase: Wednesday, March 14, 1am @ Room 710
This article appears in March 2 • 2007.