Brother 2 Brother: Press Reviews

Brother 2 Brother Interview
A Model of Self-Promotion
If you have been reading Cross Harp Chronicles for the past several months, and we hope you have, you have encountered the name of a band which has continuously appeared with every new update. This band is Brother 2 Brother--or B2B for short. We have printed their updates in full as we receive them for two reasons. We want you to come to recognize this name as we think they have a genuinely solid sound, ( define it as Texas Rocking Blues.) as with every thing that comes from Texas, this sound is Big--with a capital B. Click link to read complete interview!

A BluesWax Reprint
This review originally ran in
BluesWax on March 25, 2006
BluesWax Rating: 8 out of 10

Taking Off
Lookin' for Texas is a self-released debut CD by Brother2Brother (B2B), a Houston-based roadhouse band that is definitely hard-driving Blues Rock with Cajun, Country, South of the Border, and Swing blended in. They follow in the footsteps, they say on their website, of such great Texas Blues institutions as T-Bone Walker and Stevie Ray Vaughan. They are currently ranked as the #3 three independent band in the world by the Ultimate Band List; hitting number one last week. Do they live up to their billing? Pretty much, yes.

What is impressive about B2B is their range from down-home Texas Blues to upbeat Blues Rock with unexpected, foot-stomping variations, including guest horns, trumpet, sax, and trombone, and, in one case, guest fiddle. The band has paid its dues as is obvious by how seamlessly they work together to create some truly heart-throbbing, stomach-churning Blues. What is equally impressive is what they have to work with: eight great, original songs that pay attention to the tradition as well as going off on their own.

The first and fifth tracks seem to work together. The first, "Don't Be Shy," starts off with a wailing guitar that bleeds into lead vocalist Mike Vohsen asking the ladies not to be shy, come on in, "I'm a working man in a working band." On the fifth track, "The Power to Drive the Blues Away," the blare of the horns is reminiscent of the horn section of a hopped-up Jimmy Dorsey band. Both songs are hard driving with interludes of guitar picking by Robert Baker and ivory tickling by Norm Uhl.

Tracks two through four also seem to fit into a similar pattern: men with women trouble. On the second track, Mike Vohsen whines about when you lose a lady there may be "No more coming back/Sometimes gone is gone," while the horns whine forlornly in and out in the background followed by a final hopeless blast at the end of the song.

"It Wasn't Me" and "I Don't Care" are a bit more tongue-in-cheek. "I Don't Care" has a honky-tonk feel to it with lots of piano banging and guitar whacking and Mike "Lowboy" Leubner in an appropriately wasted voice complaining that "I don't particularly know and I don't particularly care," a male mantra if there ever was one. This mantra, though, is turned on its head when his wife runs out on him and he asks her where's she going. She says, "I don't particularly know and I don't particularly care." In "It Wasn't Me," the music is more laid back, a ballad about a woman who sees her man with another woman. "It wasn't me pretty baby," the man sings, pausing expectantly. "It must've been another man."

This is followed by a Stevie Ray Vaughan-like, guitar-thumping original about moonshining in the Carolinas, "Fool Boy's Road," and the "Margaritaville"-sounding "Toobin'" replete with Cajun accordion instead of steel drum describing one of the favorite recreations of good old boys and girls in the Southwest. Floating down the river, in this case the Guadeloupe, "Too-bin down the Gua-de-loup-e Riv-er." You can almost feel the cool water against your butt, the beads of sweat popping up off your forehead, the warm desert wind soothing your skin, and the ice-cold beer pouring down your throat like a waterfall. It's in the music, very relaxing and playful.

The title track, a Country Texas Blues, Marty Robbins-type ballad that features Bluegrass fiddle and tells of a dude who's "seen all the westerns on cable TV," and flies down to Houston to see the real thing only to discover "a whole lot of traffic and store after store." Houston is just "another city for the whole human race." He consults a bartender..."Well, the bartender worked for minimum wage, but he spoke with the wisdom that comes with age." Dumb meets dumber.

After listening to this CD, you got to think that B2B, like saltwater taffy, is pulled in many different directions, but their heart and soul is in the Blues. They're a rocket ship on the launch pad about to take off.

Jeff Richards is a contributing writer at BluesWax

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Houston's Brother 2 Brother is unmistakably a rock band, but their tasteful and accomplished playing, blues-based songwriting, and Mike Vohsen's tough vocals lend the self-released "Lookin' for Texas" a distinct appeal. The CD features Norm Uhl's piano chords behind Robert Baker's soaring guitar on "It Wasn't Me", and the churning roots-rocker "I Don't Care", features a wobbly guitar break and a humorous lyric. "The Power to Drive the Blues Away" is a strong, bluesy ballad with an effective horn chart, while the lilting "Toobin'," courtesy of an accordian, has a Tex-Mex feel. The title track, a fiddle-powered country shuffle, is another good one.
April/May 2006 Issue No. 99
Blues Revue-The World's Blues Magazine

BROTHER 2 BROTHER – LOOKIN' FOR TEXAS: Brother 2 Brother (B2B) consists of five core members and guest horn and fiddle players. Four of the five sing with Mike Vohsen handling lead. Mike can sing graceful ballads to gravelly blues. B2B's music is a blend of Texas blues and hard driving rock with subtle country and jazz undercurrents. B2B's influences include Albert Collins and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Lookin' For Texas is their eight track, self-produced debut. Although the album is a studio recording it has a live feel with experienced musicians bring passion to their craft. The CD has few overdubs allowing the emotions of the songs to take center stage. 'Don't Be Shy' features smoking guitar leads with up-tempo rhythms and hard rocking vocals. Mid way through the song, B2B slows the pace down for a blues guitar solo before returning to the original driving beat. 'Toobin' is a whimsical, Cajun flavored composition with the keys creating an accordian effect, along with flowing guitars and rhythms. Brother 2 Brother is musical camaraderie at its best and Lookin' For Texas is diverse and divine!
• Recommended Tracks: (1,7) [USA/TX 2005 - web] (2006 Review by Laura Turner Lynch for Kweevak.com)

As soon as I put this CD on I quite liked it. It was easy to listen to and I didn't have to struggle. The music just flowed. Although some of the songs were predictable for a blues band, the CD was a little over 28 minutes long with 8 tracks, so there was little chance of getting bored with any of the tracks.
They have 2 separate styles: the slow traditional blues as in the tracks 'SOMETIMES GONE IS GONE' and 'THE POWER TO DRIVE THE BLUES AWAY', although appeared to be played technically well, they were too slow for my taste. The other is a more up-beat style which really rocked along and I would imagine would be excellent played live. My favourites were the first track 'DON'T BE SHY' which reminded me of The Robert Cray Band in style and delivery. The other was the title track 'LOOKIN FOR TEXAS' with a hint of country starting with a fiddle which although not normally associated with Blues complemented it well.
Overall I enjoyed the CD. The lead singer, Mike Vohsen, has a great voice for this style of music and the band members have obviously been playing together for a long time and they seemed extremely competent. Blues dosen't appear to have the popular appeal it once had, but even my 11 year old daughter Danielle commented on how much she liked it and she normally listens to McFLY and the Now Music CD's, so that is praise indeed.
If you like Blues then this is a CD you will like, have a listen.
Colin Jan 2006

LOOKIN' FOR TEXAS: August 2005.
This independent, self-produced blues/blues rock album contains eight original tracks. Time is 28 minutes, 43 seconds. Production and sound quality are very good. The opening cut, "Don't Be Shy," is a forceful, medium-tempo blues tune. Lead singer Mike Vohsen presents the mood of the lyrics well. Guitarist Robert Baker's strong solo is an excellent match for the mood. The title cut is a neat novelty tune that bemoans the fact that Houston is just another big city and has lost its Texas identity. Bassist Mike Leubner does lead vocals. Margo Lively guests on fiddle. "Toobin'" is a lighthearted ditty sure to get a broad grin from anyone that's enjoyed tubing the Guadalupe River, a favorite Texas pastime. "The Power To Drive The Blues Away" is a traditional, get-down blues tune that features Norm Uhl's first-rate vocals and keyboards. Bob Martin guests on trumpet and trombone, Patrick Brennan on saxophone. The whole band rocks hard on the driving, high-energy tune, "Fool Boy's Road," the best up-tempo song on the CD. Best slow-tempo tune is the Tin Pan Alley styled gut-ripper, "Sometimes Gone Is Gone." Vohsen's vocals are intense and passionate. Joe Miller guests on trombone. Best song on the CD is "It Wasn't Me," an R&B belt buckle polisher soaked in Swamp Pop Syrup. Vohsen's vocals capture the song's bayou feel perfectly. Highly recommended.

These guys will have you foot tappin', shakin' your head, and sayin' "oh, ya" to a steady beat of blues rock. Fusing instruments like trombones, fiddles, and saxophones; this blues-rock album "Lookin' for Texas" will fill your stereo and echo in your mind for hours after listening.

…which I suppose is good way to segue into the faithful blues rock of Brother 2 Brother. Walking in the footsteps of fellow Texan Stevie Ray Vaughn, B2B exists to play it as it is with honky-tonk and R&B thrown in for authentic measure. Which is just great for those late nights when you wanna put your feet after a hard day's work and enjoy the blues. And songs like "It Wasn't Me" and "The Power To Drive The Blues Away" will certainly do the job. Every time.

The sound of the new Brother 2 Brother disc, "Lookin' For Texas", is the sound of a live band at work, striving to entertain the crowd at all costs. Although clearly a studio effort, there is an unmistakable live feel to the tracks. The desire to entertain is evident from the insistent urging of "Don't Be Shy" with its pounding , gritty, hard rock feel to the bluesy lope of "It Wasn't Me" or the Tejano-flavored squeeze box work on "Toobin." The musicianship is first rate, especially on "Sometimes Gone is Gone" which features Norm Uhl's honky tonk style piano. Brother 2 Brother should be congratulated for so successfully translating their live stage show into the fixed form of a studio recording.

If you like blues-rock, Lookin' for Texas is a solid purchase.

Butt-kickin' blues-rock is alive and well in Texas. Lookin' for Texas, Brother 2 Brother's stew of blues, rock and soul goes down warm and sweet. It's a studio recording with a live feel: this Houston outfit is not slick - in fact, they're not always even very tight - but they're good musicians who sound like they love playing together, which is more important. Clever, well-crafted songs complete the picture. "I Don't Care" recalls Georgia Satellites via Jerry Lee Lewis, while "Fool Boy's Road" suggests Jim Morrison and the Doors. You'll hear some Fabulous Thunderbirds, a little Lynyrd Skynyrd, more than a pinch of soul from the excellent horn section, and plenty of Chicago blues in these eight songs; there's even a shiver of the bayou in the accordian-led "Toobin'." Altogether a wide variety of styles, served up with heart and a generous helping of fun. Brother 2 Brother is not literally a band of brothers, but their camaraderie shows in the music.

When I caught this fast rising, five-piece group at Fenders, they did a good mix of blues & blues/rock originals and covers. Well done cover tunes included Buddy Guy's arrangement of "Mary Had A Little Lamb," and two Freddie King classics, "Goin' Down" and "Tore Down." But the real strength of the set was their original songs from their CD, "Lookin for Texas," released in late August (review next month.) Songs included the hard rockin' "Fool Boy's Road," and the back-alley gut ripper, "Sometimes Gone is Gone." Song of the set was "It Wasn't Me," a Swamp Pop flavored R&B number. That song has been receiving airplay on KPFT 90.1 Houston and 89.5 Galveston's Blues On The Move show, hosted by Mr. & Ms. V. Bravo! Bravo!

Brother 2 Brother turns out a consistently solid effort here. “Sometimes Gone Is Gone” with the driving horns of Patrick Brennan and written by Norm Uhl, Kevin Reed and Mike Vohsen advises that you should know when it’s time to quit a relationship, and the soulful “It Wasn’t Me” (my personal favorite) is a dreamy ballad that should stand out. Everyone should recognize the sentiment in the novelty tune “I Don’t Care” by Mike Lowboy Leubner. The big band sound of “The Power To Drive The Blues Away” with more horns is the answer to a relationship breakup cured by the power of music. Mike Vohsen’s powerful “Fools’s Boy Road” is an ode to moonshiners prompted by a documentary seen on TV. The two songs with much potential to become regional Texas hits are “Toobin” with keyboard induced accordion inspired by Guadalupe river rats on a weekend on the river and the title cut making fun of the way people think about Texans with some mean fiddle by Margo Lively and references to the real places you’ll find true Texas folks like New Braunfels and even Magnolia. The eclectic mix of blues, soul, country, rock and humor make this a treat from the first beat to the last.

Not since the invention of the Reese's peanut butter cup has there been such a sweet blend of things not usually found together. Soulful blues have traditionally carried a certain sound. Common sounds include a B3 organ and a horn section. Rock music has its power chords and a particular vocal style. Now comes Brother 2 Brother (B2B) and their brand of Texas Rockin' Blues. Their 2005 release is "LOOKIN' FOR TEXAS," an eight-cut album of this unique blend of Texas influenced rock and blues. There are a couple of gems that you'll really enjoy, such as the off-beat accordion-led (albeit a keyboard) "Toobin'" that Guadalupe river rats will love and "Lookin' For Texas" (the only song with a fiddle), which might help dispel some of the stereotypes about Texans …especially the Houstonian variety. B2B makes friends with those from New Braunfels, Boerne, Luckenbach, and even Magnolia on the title cut. Great writing and excellent delivery of this exciting blend of traditional styles make "LOOKIN' FOR TEXAS" a great choice.

These guys are so great. Blowed away by "Lookin For Texas".."Toobin" is a delight. Power to drive the blues away, wow...awesome guitars in this one. We are a Texas couple living far from home, love Texas Music and this CD made us smile!!! This band is HOT!!!

Great combo of rock, blues and true Southern flavor make up this intriguing first release of the band Brother 2 Brother. With the various musical styles intertwined with an eclectic mix of voices, how can one not be entertained, especially with such lyrics as in "Don't go to Houston, if you're looking for Texas". As someone having been to Houston and experienced much of the same feeling "where are the cows???", much of this song rings true...Anyway - great intro to Texan Music and a great local band...can't wait to see them live!!

"Brother2Brother had the big crowd in a good mood with a great bunch of covers and their signature original, "Sometimes Gone is Gone." They are getting a lot of local gigs and making a lot of new fans with their cool mix of blues, soul and rock. This is one hard-working band and a lot of fun."

"Brother2Brother is an awesome band, a real crowd pleaser. B2B has played at TUTS many times and we recently chose B2B to open for Malford Milligan."

"You guys sound great!"

Name : Frank
City, State : Houston, Texas
Comments: I saw your band for the first time yesterday at the St.Pattys parade. Great Show, Great Talent! Best of luck. Thanks, Frank.

Name : Woodrow Skip Dixon
City, State : Tomball, TX
Comments: : You guys rocked at Willies! Best of luck!

Name : Alan Wilcox

Comments: Saw you guys again this is becoming a habit. Ya'll were great! I really like the originals! Thanx again