Thu 8/1 @ 7:30PM
Brother duos aren’t exactly a rarity in bluegrass music, so Leigh and Eric Gibson of the Gibson Brothers are following in a long and respected tradition.
They first hit the music scene in the 1990s when they released a number of traditional-style bluegrass records and began racking up awards from various bluegrass societies. They made their Grand Ole Opry debut in 2003, and since then they’ve released a string of records on such folk/Americana labels as Sugar Hill, Rounder and Compass.
Their most recent album, last year’s Mockingbird on Nashville’s Easy Eye Sound, ventures into what their bio calls “uncharted territory.” OK, maybe for them, but mixing country, 70s-style rock and soul is certainly not unknown to performers such as Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney. And citing such typical bro country influences as Bob Seger and Tom Petty reveals that the brothers in fact are from the north (New York state) and have been juggling disparate geographies throughout their career.
How far outside bluegrass are they reaching? There’s a cover of R.E.M’s “Everybody Hurts.” And the album was produced by Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, along with Johnny Cash engineer David Ferguson. To say, as they do, that it’s “poised to introduce them to an entire new audience” is an understatement.
Still, longtime fans will hear those close brother vocal harmonies, along with the brothers’ banjo and guitar-picking. When they arrive at Oberlin’s Riverdog Bar on their Mockingbird tour they’ll be backed by Mike Barber on bass, Clayton Campbell on fiddle and Justin Moses on mandolin.
Admission is $20 at the gate; kids and fulltime students with ID are $20. Lorenzo’s wood-fired pizza will be onsite, but as usual, you’re welcome to bring your own picnic basket and cooler.
Wakeman, OH 44889