THE IMPENDING CRESCENDOS OF BROTHERS PAST

Not yet four years old, Brothers Past is one of those bands that is building up a loyal base fan by fan, show by show. Unlike many jam-oriented bands that may sound Phishy or seem to play Dead at first, the songwriting and musical interplay of Brothers Past take them to the next level.

After listening to a bootleg or catching a show, you'll find that Brothers Past is one of those bands that sets themselves apart from the rest of the pack and deserves time in your tape deck. Most jams build gently towards an impending crescendo, yet are interwoven with lyrics that tell wonderful stories about... well, Brothers Past! The jams range from ambient-style space to earth shaking explosiveness, and cover most of the ground in-between. The Brothers show their pop sensibilities on a bouncy Carribean number like "The Messenger" but will quickly segue and evolve into to majestic jams that can fill a room any size.

The two guitar attack of brothers Tom and Jim Hamilton really adds depth to BP, layering swirling melodies over the drum and bass grooves of drummer Nick Desiderio and bass player Joe D'Amico. Desiderio lays back deep in the pocket, his loose rhythm keeping all the jams swinging onwards and upwards, and D'Amico can keep the rhythm or drop bass bombs with the best of them.

With the addition of keyboardist Tom McKee in 1998, the band re-invented its sound, the third melodic instrument creates an extra ingredient to an aromatic musical stew. Anywhere from three to five part vocal harmonies really add even more flavor.

Listen for yourself and hear what we hear: The Brothers have uploaded some tracks from a show at Fennario's in West Chester, PA from July of this year. The first song tells a legendary story of Generals, "those national heroes." This is not your average jamming band, as evidenced by this extended 33 minute medley, featuring the JamBase anthem of Catharsis-> Boy-> Catharsis. This MP3 shows a wide range of the boys' skills - it's well worth the download. The Tunnel Vision download sounds like a swiring cross between lots of Brothers, past and current, emulating sounds of early Dead, From Good Homes, and even some of The Disco Biscuits sound.

While you're filling your hard drive, grab the encore from 7.22.99, Astphadel. Astphadel shows where the roots of the band lie, sounding not unlike 1960's pop harmony at first, morphing into cascading guitar epiphanies, yet lyrically and musically tight enough to stop on a dime. From their bio, "Bands like The Beatles and Crosby, Stills Nash and Young are bigger influences on Brothers Past than many of the contemporary jam bands currently influencing the scene."

You can tell they are young and have a slightly raw sound at this point, but the musical interplay and the breathtaking levels of jamming shows real promise for the Brothers. With some hard work and the natural evolution that comes from touring, the potential is there for Brothers Past to be a scene leader after the dust settles in the next millenium.

The buzz is out there, ask anyone who's seen them. Or, see for yourself, as Brothers Past is touring right now, capping off this next month with a first-time appearance on Saturday, December 18 in the Lounge at The Wetlands Preserve. A lounge gig has helped break more than one band in this scene, make sure you see Brothers Past before it's tough to get BP tickets.

If you can't catch them this time around, you can always check back here for Brothers Past Tour Dates.

-Ted Kartzman