Allow me to introduce BROTHERS RAGE, the improvised jam band that is making noise all over the great state of Illinois. Lead guitarist Jeff Rainey is a third year Arts Technology major at ISU in Normal, Illinois. You can catch these guys playing live shows to hoards of fans nearly every weekend. (See their tour schedule at brothersrage.com) These guys are generous enough to have their music available for free down load at reverbnation.com/brothersrage. They were also generous enough to find time to answer a few questions for us.
-Jeff: guitar/vocals
-Dave: bass/vocals
-Howard: keys/vocals
-Jarett "Deeds": drums/vocals
How long have you been making music?
Jeff: BR actually started with no intentions of really "being in a band", but more as a duo project involving myself and the drummer (Deeds). I would come up with riffs and we would spend hours improvising and making music without really knowing what we were doing. Being that there were just two of us, (myself being the only instrument playing notes) we came up with a lot of crazy stuff. Before we knew it, we had a good handful of tunes written and wanted to play them for people. After previous speculation of playing a show as a duo (guitar/drums) we eventually said "fuck it" and booked a gig opening for a couple bands at Otto's. Before the day of the gig Dave (who I played guitar with in a previous band, Project: Threeville) got a hold of me and asked if I wanted him to join in on bass. We rehearsed for two weeks before the show and played our first show as a trio Feb 26, 2010. Since then we've done our best to maintain a weekly practice schedule and keep on keeping on. In 2011 Howard joined us on keyboards opening up many new capabilities and allowing us to cover Toto songs (hahahaha).
Deeds: I have had an ongoing passionate relationship with music for as long as I can remember. Rhythms and groove patterns have always really sparked my interest and are ultimately what led me to playing drums age of 10. But I never really started to “make” music until I picked up the guitar, about a year later.
Dave: Personally, I’ve been playing guitar since about 1995 jamming along to songs I recorded from 95.1 ZRock that my parents didn’t want me to hear. But I never actually played bass in a serious band until I joined Brothers Rage in Jan. 2010. We had our first show that month (I think), and there were definitely some mistakes on my part haha.
When did you (Jeff) first start playing the guitar?
Jeff: I started playing guitar when I was about 13.
When did you (Howie) first start playing the Piano?
Howard: 1st Grade!
How long has BR been together?
Jeff: As a trio since Feb 2010. As a quartet since Jan 2011.
Dave: Jeff and Deeds have been playing since before they were potty-trained, so a few years now. (They can tell you about their old band Tribute To Whigg if they want). From 2008-2009, Jeff joined a band I was in called Project: Threeville – he actually recorded an album with us that’s finished and will hopefully be released soon. Around the time Threeville went on a sort of hiatus from shows, Jeff called me and told me that he and Deeds had written some songs and they were booked at Otto’s in like a month. I was drunk when I received the phone call, so I brazenly asked if their guitar-and-drums duo needed me to add some bass to pump the band into a power trio. I didn’t even own a bass at the time. I soon jammed with them for the first time, and a couple weeks later Brothers Rage played our first show. Howie, who was my roommate, joined up on keys to make it a quartet in Jan. 2011. We originally asked him to sit in with us so we could play “Rosanna” by Toto at a show, and he ended up just jamming on most of our songs that night. He rejoined us for a show the next day and has played most shows with us since.
Do you think the digital revolution is helping or hurting the music industry?
Jeff: I think it may be putting a dent in sales for the big shots who already have lots of money, but I think it's a definite advantage to upcoming bands to get there music to a widespread audience. Then again there is the downside of competing with the plethora of music floating around in cyber space.
Howard: I think it’s changing the industry and making it harder to sell your work. It’s easier to get your music out there and for others to enjoy it, but harder to make money from it. Performing is the way to make money on your tunes.
Dave: I believe it is causing specifically the recording industry to lose profits, but I believe it is helping the music industry in general to broaden its horizons, push more boundaries, and often to weed out the untalented. Let me explain: Some people will never think of buying another album as long as they can download a copy of it for free, which is currently the case (with the right tools and knowledge). Assuming (not necessarily accurately) that without this opportunity they would have bought the album, these people have likely hindered the sales of these types of products that can be digitally reproduced at or near the same quality as the “original” (which is itself, in essence, a copy anyway). The downward trend in record sales forces artists to focus more on improving other important facets of their music like their live shows: experiences that still cannot be accurately counterfeited by any modern media. Innovative artists that continually use fresh multi-media aspects in their live shows to augment their talent rather than to mask their lack of it will continue to succeed whether people steal their records or not. As for the ethical implications of pirating intellectual property, that’s a horse of a different color…
(for this question Deeds thought you were talking about digital music rather than downloading music, so his answer may fit better to a reworded question)
Deeds: I have always been a firm believer that the more tools we are given to further an art form, the better, however people have been known to exploit certain aspects of digital music, ultimately raping it of its integrity. I think it is cool when you are able to perfectly mesh digital and non-digital music together. Ultimately, I would say it comes down to the good judgment and artistic taste of the performer.
How would you describe your musical style?
Jeff: The musical style of BR ranges from a lot of different influences. We have a heavier sounds overall, playing mostly in drop-D tuning with a lot of intense drumming, but we don't try to frighten our listeners with brutal screaming and speedy metal riffs. Instead, we try to balance the heavy aspect of the band with a solid groove element most notably found in smooth jazz and dance music. We have been called jam-metal before, if that paints a better pictures. But, most of all I would say we are a progressive. A lot of the songs are made up of numerous parts sometimes in different time-signatures and genre styles. Lastly, improvisation plays a key factor in our sound and especially live performance. We attempt to create musical compositions on the fly in both a structured and free-form manner. Meaning that a lot of times when we flow into a jam or improvised section of a live show, we start of with one simple idea and attempt to mold and shape it into a full band orchestration. Sometimes we also guide the ideas through use of hand signals and gestures much in the same way Umphrey's McGee does during an improvised section of a live performance.
Howard: I play in an eclectic piano-rock style, with hints of gospel and classical thrown in. When the Brothers Rage tunes get goin’ and the band gets rockin’, I bang on that piano -- the percussion aspect of the instrument ends up being a focus of many of the piano parts of our originals.
What is the inspiration behind your music?
Jeff: I just want to make music that I enjoy, or would want to hear from of a band, and that stands out amongst the rest. There is a lot of recycled musical styles, especially in the jam-band realm, but those bands who stand out are the ones doing something unique and different with the style. Sometimes by straying away from the norm and taking big risks musically, an audience doesn't quite get it at first, but at the same time a good handful of people may be really turned on by the unusualness. You may not be struck right away by a straight forward hit song, but overtime the subtleties may begin to reveal themselves and you hopefully acquire a taste for our brand of music.
Deeds: Frank Zappa, Phish, Rush, The Aristocrats, Umphrey's McGee—these are some of the bands that are almost always being played in my world.
Howard: I take my inspiration from the rest of the guys. I also look at our band as an outlet for some creative energy and angst.
Who are your major musical influences?
Jeff: growing up I was drawn to the heavy guitar sound of Black Sabbath and AC/DC, both which I blame for ever wanting to pick up a guitar. Over the years I grew interest in all different genres of music. Some of the artist who I think have had the biggest impact on me musically would have to be Frank Zappa, Little Feat, Pat Metheny, Phish, Tool, Pantera, The Beatles, King Crimson, and later it was all the jazz greats like Coltrane and Miles that really furthered my understanding of music. But, I can't talk about musical influences without mentioning pop-music. Weather or not it was a conscious effort or not, pop-music has definitely seeped into my musical psyche from my early days listening to the car radio while driving around with my mom. I am pretty open when it comes to music, and tend to listen to things even if I don't like what I'm hearing. There are a lot of "shitty" bands that I listen to, hahahaha. But, I've found that you can find something worthy in any type of music good or bad. There is always something that you can take from whatever it is you are listening to.
Deeds: Same as above and….Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, yano all the classics; TOOL
Howard: Elton John and Billy Joel, along with other rock pianists of today and yesteryear. I also take inspiration from the school of French organists who specialize in developed, theme-based improvisations. Other great classical composers are in there, too.
What is on your ipod?
Jeff: All the above mentioned artist in addition to… Jeff Beck, Guns N' Roses, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Michael Jackson, The Mars Volta, Charles Mingus, Eric Johnson, The Misfits, Return To Forever, Beethoven, The Books, STS9, Iron Maiden, Gorillaz, Duke Ellington, ZZ Top, Gui Boratto, Ella Fitzgerald, Brian Eno, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Stanley Jordan, Lady Gaga, Bob Marley, Opeth, New Edition, Les Paul, Nirvana, Prince, SBTRKT, Rush, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, BADBADNOTGOOD, Depeche Mode, Snoop Dogg, Buckethead, and of course… the soundtrack to Willy Wonka. (To name a few)
Deeds: All listed above
Howard: Classical, covers we need to learn, and improvisations from past rehearsals.
What makes your music unique?
Jeff: I think what makes our music unique is the combination of heavy metal elements fused with improvisation and "jam-band" elements. Some bands dabble in this area, but few take it on as part of their sound. What I find to be unique is the overall groove aspect of the music even when coupled with odd time signatures. I noticed that most of the time when I come up with an idea on the guitar, I naturally lean towards playing against a straight pulse no matter how odd the meter is. This works great for creating a unique musical idea in an odd timing while maintaining a danceable feel where you can still bob your head along with the beat. For example the end section of Incidental Buttscratcher, when counted out, is something like 17/8, which is a very unusual timing to count out, and I never think of it that way when playing it. Instead, the feel of the entire section is a constant pulse (much like you would hear in a typical 4/4 pattern), while the actual strummed chords shift between the down beat and the up beat. It's a little hard to explain clearly, but that is kind of a little trick we do a lot in our music. Another example of this happens in "Point Of Connection". In the middle of the song (around 3:47 on the recording featured on brothersrage.com) before the big shift in dynamics, there is a riff counted out in nine but played with a straight forward drum beat. This creates a push/pull tension where the riff doesn't immediately resolve on the next down beat as you might typically find. Even though these musical sections sound complex when I describe them, the resulting music does not sound like it's in an odd timing. By playing against an implied constant pulse, the odd timing becomes masked and you are still able to bob your head along to the music. That's sort of one of the trademark styles in BRage's music. It is much the same concept as Rush employed in a lot of their song writing like in "Limelight" and "Passage To Bangkok".
Deeds: We are a “jam band” that plays our songs in drop D tuning. “Meaning the low E sting on the guitar is tuned down to D. This gives us a much heavier edge to our music, especially in the jam-band scene.
In your opinion, who is the greatest rock band of all time?
Jeff: Too hard to say my friend.
Deeds: This is tough,, but I would have to say most definitely Rush
Howard: The Beatles
In your opinion, what music out there is garbage?
Jeff: Like I said before, you can pull something worth while out of any kind of music no matter how shitty, in my opinion.
Deeds: This question would be so easy to answer “Country”, but at least pop country singers hire all-star bands to back them up, and for the most part can actually sing/play their songs, however terrible they may be. Complete trash--- Brittany Spears, Miley Cirus, Madonna, all other people that don’t really sing.
Howard: There’s some really bad pop. That doesn’t mean I don’t listen to it, though!
Does the band have any future plans, what’s on BR’s agenda?
Jeff: keep making music and evolving. I would enjoy adding a percussionist. I feel that element would be a nice balance/addition to what we have going.
Deeds: Our main goal right now is to play as many shows as possible and spread the word. We feel we really have something to offer to people who are fed up with fake commercialized music and are just craving to hear some honest, heavy hitting jamming music.
Howard: Have a good time making music, and develop our skills as a band.
Whats your MO? Whats your motive?
Jeff: to share what's in my head with people.
Deeds: To make people rediscover he greatness of music.
Howard: Our Modus Operandi is to melt your face and show you a good time.
