Straight out of the mountains of Ashland, Ore., brothers Aaron and Phil Reed are going on tour, with their next stop coming up in Lompoc, at the D’Vine Wine Bar and Bistro on Nov. 14. Transplants to Oregon, the two brothers have connected musically over the past several years, culminating in their duo The Brothers Reed and their album Sick as Folk, which came out in April.
The two are six years apart in age and so they never really played music growing up together in Missouri, they explained. But once Phil followed his elder brother Aaron out to Oregon, they connected musically like never before, which “came surprisingly easy,” Phil Reed told the Sun.
“When I was younger, I would always raid his CD book, so we were always listening to the same music and kind of developed the same style,” Phil said. “So, when we came together, and our voices are so similar with genetics and everything, that the harmonies just came really easy.”
Both were into hard, “angst-y” rock as youth, but later became interested in acoustic music, classic country, bluegrass, and other forms of American folk. Their songwriting has influenced one another’s, and created a cohesive, connected sound throughout the new album. They’ve even penned a couple of songs together, but more often than not, they write their songs alone and then let the other add the crisp harmonies they enjoy so well.
Sick as Folk features a cartoony cover filled with symbolic meaning for the two. The brothers, heads emblazoned with big green hops, stand on either side of a white stag. Mount Ashland is the background for the scene, which was where Aaron Reed saw the white deer that was the inspiration for the cover.
“They are actually very revered by Native Americans,” Phil said of the deer. “And back in the day they would shut the whole tribe down and talk about what an omen it was. And for the most part it means good things are coming. So it has kind of become our logo, we slap it on all our stickers and album artwork.”
The hop heads featured on their album cover were inspired by the Reeds’ passion for home brewing.
“We like them all,” Phil said.
“We seem to have a more natural ability for darker beers,” Aaron added. “We’ve brewed a decent pale ale, a decent pumpkin, and a few really good porters.”
There are more than a few beer references on Sick as Folk, they explained, adding that they make sure to stop at local breweries while on the Central Coast. Firestone Walker Brewery is always a stop when traveling through the area, they said, as well as natural wonders they enjoy like Jalama Beach.
“Touring Southern California—it’s so diverse,” Aaron said. “You get to pass through so many different environmental ecosystems and so many places where the people are diverse. California is definitely the most diverse state I’ve been in in my life in all aspects, and Lompoc, that entire area, is one of the most beautiful areas. All the way from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo.”
The songwriting siblings take to the road with their warm sounding acoustic guitars, a Fender electric guitar for some twanging leads, harmonicas, and maybe even a keyboard—depending on how they pack their car, Phil explained. Stops on their tour include San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Redding, as well as the Lompoc show.
They will have plenty of albums and merchandise for sale at the show, and curious locals can check out their songs at the band’s website or reverbnation.com profile page. Currently working on their next album, The Brothers Reed do all their own recording and mastering. And much like their home brews, everything is carefully considered and crafted by just the two brothers.
Arts Editor Joe Payne can be reached at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 5-12, 2015.
