“The band has that ragged blues-meets-country-rock groove down cold, with plenty of slashing guitar work and a rhythm section that could pulverize concrete. They come charging out of the gate with attitude and energy to spare and a relentless mid-tempo thump that never lets up.”
—Harp Magazine
The Deadstring Brothers' heart beats with pure rock and roll. Simple and shor 'nuff. Built on a the unshakable foundations of blues, rock country and soul, DSB manages to create something at once totally fresh but totally recognizable. It's all ragtops and cold beer, seeds and stems, gatefold LPs and foxy girlfriends with tight, flared jeans. You can imagine them walking as a gang down Carnaby street in London in the late 60's, or tearing up the stage at Cobo Hall in De-troit Rock City or sweating buckets at a Muscle Shoals recording session in the 70's.
If mainstream radio played music like the Deadstring Brothers, they wouldn't have to call it classic rock anymore, they'd just call it rock. It's still here, and it sounds as good as ever.
Fronted by guitarist/vocalist and studio magician Kurt Marschke, the Brothers pound out a sound that, in comparison to so much lo-fi indie rock, is full and rich and sounds GREAT blasting out your car window. Joining Kurt in the band are longtime drummer and fellow Detroiter Travis Harrett, and the brothers Cullum---Spencer (guitar, pedal steel and slide guitar) and Jeff (bass). The Cullums, a couple of London lads, came into the Deadstring fold during a UK tour in 2006. Both were mainstays in the burgeoning Heavy Load scene built around a communal love of all things Stones, Crowes and Allmans. It was love at first jam and the boys joined up and bridged the waters between London and Detroit in time to record their 2nd album Silver Mountain.
"If there ever was a band that completely embodied Parsons' idea of "Cosmic American Music" - that indefinable mix of rock and roll, country, blues, soul and gospel - it is Deadstring Brothers."
—The Crimson White
"With breathless urgency, the Brothers give the chilling impression that every note might well be their last, that at any second the car could veer off the edge of the road and explode on the rocks below."
—Detroit Metro Times
It may be a surprise to hear the country rock sounds of Detroits Deadstring Brothers coming from a city better known for loud rock and roll, but disillusionment can take many channels. Desolation, frustration and regret have always been present where great country music was played, and from its bombed-out inner city to its sterile suburbs, Detroit has its share.
Deadstring Brothers began in fall 2003. Since then, the band has worked to develop their own take on the American Sound, drawing influences from a variety of sources. Its all in there somehow, declares Kurt, but blues and country music just feel the most natural.
Not unlike Exile-era Stones, Deadstring Brothers deliver a menacing sound that draws equally on the melancholy of country ballads and the abandon of rock and blues. The bands music is deeply rooted in the storytelling and instrumental traditions of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and the American Outlaw Movement, but is also informed by the song structure and understated aggression commonly associated with Detroit bands. Their haunting melodies reveal the influence of early 70s rock icons like The Band and Gram Parsons and The Faces. Deadstring Brothers live performances have the energy of guitar rock, but sophisticated arrangements, Hammond Organ and a focus on traditional American music separate them from many of their Detroit contemporaries.
Deadstring Brothers - Sao Paulo
