There's almost no
point in attempting to pigeonhole Joe, Marc's Brother at any one
musical moment. This trio can veer from mind-blowing three part
harmonies that would make Brian Wilson shiver to an ear-splitting
psychedelic freakout in just a few bars. They seem to take almost
every style of popular Western music from the last fifty years and
throw it into a blender, without a hint of sarcasm, mimicry, or
presumption. These guys are well aware of the fine line that divides
genius and hilarity, and their vision only seems to grow clearer
with time.
The long and winding
road for these boys began in New Jersey. Joe Pisapia (guitar, vocals)
and his younger brother Marc (drums, vocals) grew up playing music
together before parting ways for college. At school, Joe started
a group known as 23 Skidoo with pal Steve Ward. After graduation,
the two, along with Marc on drums, made a startling record of Joe's
material, which has yet to see the light of day. It was quirk-pop,
old time swing, and country mixed together; perfect autumn music
with a shimmering layer of guitars and harmonies. The material found
its way into the hands of Nashville muso Rick Clark, who convinced
the Pisapia brothers their place was in Tennessee.
So the journey went.
The Pisapias made their way down south in 1994, and over the next
few years would establish themselves as THE band to see in Music
City. Along with the help of bassist Pete
Langella, and later, singer/guitarist David
Mead, the
quartet played a balls-to-the-wall brand of jaw-dropping guitar
pop that found a meeting place for the Beach Boys, Elvis Costello,
Cole Porter, and early Flaming Lips. Joe and Marc attracted others
to help manifest their musical vision and in '96 they recorded The
Debut of Joe, Marc's Brother at Memphis' renowned Ardent Studios.
This release garnered critical
acclaim, a regional fan base and landed several songs on various
compilations including: The Soundtrack to the Bible Belt (along
with Olivia Tremor Control & Remy Zero) and Nashpop on Not Lame
Records.
After some sour deals
and a lot of "hurry up and waiting," Mead left to pursue a solo
career and Langella left for a job. What were the brothers to do?
The answer lay in James "Hags" Haggerty, a college buddy of Marc's
who, in 1997, was talked into making the trek down south and becoming
the group's new bassist. The change in personnel also signaled a
radical change in direction for the boys. Gone, for the most part,
was the la-la guitar pop to which their fans had become accustomed.
Joe, Marc's Brother, much like another New Jersey trio, Yo La Tengo,
found that their organic and unique approach to music could open
up countless new directions. Audiences now looked forward to an
eclectic brew of late sixties prog, bossa nova shuffles, and baroque
sixties chamber pop.
Since the solid gelling
of the band as a trio, the group has reestablished its place at
the forefront of the burgeoning pop scene in Nashville, with a reputation
for stellar three part harmonies and exceptionally stylistic attention
to songcraft. Their live shows can veer from perfect pop to raucous
jamming to intensely quiet ballads, in which the harmonies are heartbreakingly
intimate. Anyone who hasn't seen Joe, Marc's Brother "in the flesh"
is missing out, as it's almost impossible to convey their effect
without actually witnessing them live.
Last year, the guys
teamed up with respected pop producing team Brad Jones & Robin Eaton
(Jill Sobule, Jump Little Children, Marshall Crenshaw) to record
Around the Year with Joe, Marc's Brother, a maddeningly-creative
jaunt through styles and genres, all the while maintaining a natural
and organic feel. They released the album themselves, and in conjunction
with it, launched a west-coast "Stream of Consciousness" tour during
which they played coffeehouses, street corners, and strangers' house
parties. In fact, any place that would have them was sought, for
unlike any other "tour," these guys flew by the seat of their pants,
all the while trusting that they would be guided in the right direction.
The whole journey, sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking,
was chronicled on their website (joemarcsbrother.com), and even
garnered media attention, which resulted in an Associated Press
feature.
Back and stronger than
ever from their odyssey across America, Joe, Marc's Brother is ready
for whatever the next step might be. This is one of those bands
that doesn't know the meaning of the word "can't." They have their
own vision, and they'll be damned if they aren't gonna get the word
out while the time is right.
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