“A Brother’s Revival” - Legendary Allman Brothers Songs, played live once again.

Legendary songs played live once again, and to perfection.  That is the finest way we found to describe “A Brother’s Revival”.  An Allman Brothers tribute band, consisting of Mike Kach (keyboards/vocals), Joe Weiss (guitar/vocals), Matt Siegal (guitar) Dick Reinlie and Kevin “Modee” Lacour (dual drums) and David “Rook” Goldflies, (bass) who doubles as the bands musical director and brings with him the experience of recording and touring with the Allman Brothers from 1978 - 1982.

Vizions of Rock:  How did A Brother’s Revival come together?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL:  It’s great to be talking with Vizions of Rock. A Brothers Revival, like most things, was created from a host of different situations and ideas that against all the odds came together at the same time. The two years prior to the formation of A Brothers Revival, I had reunited with an old friend, Gary Allman. We put together the Allman Goldflies Band and released one album, Second Chance (on Spotify). Due to an unscrupulous manager/agent, we found ourselves sitting on the sidelines. Any band will tell you that not working can kill a band. We were very close to calling it quits even though at every gig we played, fans came out and each show ended with a standing ovation. In these days of the pandemic it feels as if I am writing of a time long ago - although it was just two years ago this was all happening. 

Enter our current friend and agent, Rich Goldberg. Rich has a good friend, Jordan, who went out to see Johnny Neel when he was performing in the New Jersey area.  Johnny was a songwriter and studio/touring musician for the Allman Brothers Band around the time the Seven Turns album was released. Jordan went to Rich the next day and had the idea that given how great Johnny was, wouldn’t it be something to put a band of former members of the Allman Brothers together for some tours. Well, my phone rang and Rich introduced himself and ran the idea by me. I thought it sounded interesting and would let me take advantage of the two years of intensive work we had invested in the Allman Goldflies Band. So, A Brothers Revival was formed with Johnny and myself at the core.

Vizions of Rock:   How do the original songs for A Brother’s Revival come together, where do you get your inspiration?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL:  That is an interesting question. The vast majority of songs A Brothers Revival performs are authentic recreations of the early versions of songs recorded by the Allman Brothers Band. When I was creating the show, I referenced the earliest and most iconic performances that I felt represented the DNA of the group. I transcribed many of the original bass lines and I learned a lot about Berry Oakley’s and Lamar Williams’ playing. They were both fine bassists and really added to the creation of the unique sound of the Allman Brothers Band. Since I was focused on the early band, I didn’t get a chance to study Alan Woody’s or Oteil Burbridge’s style except for Soulshine (Woody) which we use for our first encore. Once while I was transcribing a bass line, I realized I was transcribing lines that I had played on a live radio broadcast in the New York City area. That made me laugh. Along with Danny Toler’s fusion approach to the guitar, I found I was playing blues and fusion behind him. Good days indeed!

All that being the case, we do a couple of original songs in our set. The first is a song from the Allman Goldflies album Second Chance called Fadiddle. It is a really fun southern fiddle tune. I play the fiddle as well as bass. The song has four distinct sections and in some ways mirror the way many classical symphonies are created - first the theme, development of the theme, a departure from and addition of a new section of music (in this case a sort of Zeppelin influenced metal fiddle section), and then a fast “presto” section to build excitement and leave the audience breathless. The tune works great. I wish I could write 10 more tunes that are loved as much by audiences as Fadiddle. 

Once we get out of this pandemic, we are going to be adding a song that I co-wrote with Dickey Betts from the Enlightened Rogues album called Try It One More Time. I think that song was the first time that a slap/pluck bass style was used with the Brothers. The song wasn’t a hit, but it is legitimately part of my artistic contribution to the Brothers and I hope our audience will find that interesting.

A quick story - the intro line to Try It One More Time was inspired by a superb guitarist, Bill Bartlett. Bill had a group in the early ‘60s, The Lemonpipers, that had a hit record, Green Tambourine. When I met Bill, he had a band called Starstruck. Bill hired me (I was 18 years old) and I got to work with this very talented writer and player. I went into the studio with Bill a few months later and we cut a track called Black Betty - Bill’s take on the Hudie Ledbetter (aka Leadbelly) song. That song became an iconic hit. In fact, I was in a Dollar General store getting alcohol to sterilize my world during this pandemic and I heard Black Betty on the radio in the store. That made me laugh - my god that song is still being played and there I am on the radio. Bill had a song called Right on the Money and his opening lick inspired me to create the lines played at the beginning of Try It One More Time. 

Writing music is an interesting process. It’s satisfying to be able to talk about the roots of particular songs. Thanks for asking!

Vizions of Rock:  I like that, in your shows, you are playing their original songs note for note.  Is that simply as musicians you feel the music that the Allman Brothers left for the world to enjoy deserves to played as originally written; or is there a deeper responsibility that you feel, as you pay homage in sorts, to the memory  of the original Allman Brothers?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL:  Interesting question. And as usual no easy answer. I’ll do my best to shed some light on the decisions I made when creating the show.  I think it is important to be able to hold more than one idea in mind at a time. 

The first idea when speaking of the music of the Allman Brothers, while no two live shows were alike, the RECORDINGS stay the same. The original recordings, such as Live at the Fillmore, are now definitive versions of those songs to their audience. The band became one of, if not the biggest, band in rock and roll history, and those original recordings were what motivated people to love the group and drove the band to its success. My thought was not to “give my take” on the band’s music, but to document the original sound and performances. It is much like playing a classical music performance. Beethoven’s symphonies are in many ways the recordings of his day. It is up to the orchestra (and the conductor) to bring that music to life today while being faithful to the original concept. And that is the approach I thought would be best for A Brothers Revival. Study, document, practice, and perform the original ideas and recordings of the band. 

If you recall, I mentioned it is good to be able to have more than one idea in your mind at a time.  The other idea was to embrace the improvisational style of the band without coloring the music so much that it loses what made it the definitive sound of its era. With this conundrum, I have been fortunate to have the ears (and mind) of my fellow musician and friend, Mike Kach. Mike worked for many years with Dickey Betts. We joke that we both went to the Dickey Betts school of Rock and Roll. And believe me, we’re better off for it. Mike joined A Brothers Revival after he was invited to fill the seat left by Gary Allman. Mike came up from Sarasota and sat in with the band at our rehearsal studio. It was there we had a chance to hear each other play live and in the moment. About halfway through the rehearsal, Joe Weiss, one of my guitarists, and I looked at each other and said, “Mike’s playing and singing are like a key in a lock”. Mike opened up what the songs really meant and the whole band shot to a new level. Mike loved the live jammin’ feel of the band. After the rehearsal he said, “These arrangements and players FEEL like the Brothers.” Frankly, there is no better compliment to be had.

By balancing these two ideas, we have strived to be faithful to the original sounds while at the same time trying to capture the intensity that I felt when I worked with Gregg, Dickey, Butch, and Jaimoe. 

Vizions of Rock:  David – The original Allman Brothers have been often called the principal architects of Southern rock; do you agree with that statement?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL:  To be honest, I wasn’t there for the beginning of the band or Southern Rock. I’d hazard a guess that what the Brothers did paved the way for other supergroups such a Lynyrd Skynyrd. Some of that came down to Capricorn Records in Macon, GA, and the acclaimed producer Tom Dowd. In a sense, the Allman Brothers were the architects but there were many elements that, fortunately, all came about at the same time to create the new genre of Southern Rock. 

Vizions of Rock:   David – As a follow up, why do you think the Allman Brothers music has stood the test of time?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL:  I think it is because, at its core, it is just plain out good music. I know that sounds a bit naive, but as I was writing the show and churning out the charts for the guys, I was amazed at the simplicity of the ideas in terms of their clear musical statements that were repeatedly being played as well as by the beautiful complexity of the interactions for the different lines, the players, and the subtle feel that permeated their music.  Again, referencing classical music, a simple theme such as in Beethoven’s 7th symphony (The Pastoral) is a deceptively simple and beautiful melody that defines the era, the man, and the intent of the music. The Allman Brothers Band is in every way comparable to the “great composers” and differs only in orchestration (the choice of instruments) and the era for which the music was written. 

I guess that is why it has lasted so long. That, and people like it. :)

Vizions of Rock:   David – Would you mind sharing something MUSICALLY that you learned from either recording or touring with the Allman Brothers during those years?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL:  One thing that comes to mind is an experience I had with Tom Dowd at Criteria Studios in Miami. It was while I was cutting bass tracks for the Enlightened Rogues album. This was the first album I had cut with the Allman Brothers Band, although we had recorded an album with Dickey Betts and Great Southern, Atlanta’s Burning Down, there as well. I don’t remember the track I was playing but Tom approached me after a take or two and said (I paraphrase), “Playing in the studio is different. Live playing is more tolerant of different techniques on the bass such as hitting the strings while muting them. It will record better if the playing is just the notes for the track.” I took this to mean clean up my playing for the studio - it isn’t a live show where you play something, and it is gone. It will last forever once recorded. Clicks, pops, and rattles all just come across as noise if done without intent. I thought this was a great lesson, one that I still think of today when I am recording on any instrument. Only make the sound you are sure you want to record, not just the habits (good or bad) that you have been used to playing. 

One other thing that working with the Allman Brothers taught me came from both drummer Butch Trucks and my experience on stage with the band. Today we live in an era of perfect time in music.  Musicians have had metronomes for years and have often achieved very accurate time in music. But now computers play music as well and time is perfect. But as I played in the band  (and listened to the tracks I used as the source for much of the Brothers Revival show), I kept hearing time change depending on where I was in the song. For instance, on the Live at the Fillmore track, You Don’t Love Me, the “train” improvisation in the long jam section after the main song starts at one tempo and ends up almost 12 beats per minute faster than when it started. And it sounds great!

Butch once told me just play what the music needs, but never drag (slow down) or the song loses all of its punch. If you have to, rush and keep the energy up. So that lesson from Butch, along with the example of You Don’t Love Me, taught me that music with perfect time can really be appropriate (such as on a dance floor), but really good music breathes with expression and intent. 

Vizions of Rock:   David – What do you think of the current music of this generation?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL:  I love it. It is a great time, creatively speaking, to be a musician. Tools to create music have left the studio and now can live at home for a very reasonable cost. Distribution is effectively free given the Internet and social media. Gear for performing has become inexpensive and while you can spend as much as you want on a guitar, bass, keyboard, or whatever, you can also get very good instruments for a fraction of what they used to cost. 

As a result, there is a LOT of music in the world. So much that it amazes me. Everyone can have a voice now and in theory be heard. Some music being made now is fantastic.

I once taught an Ableton Live (DAW) course to a middle school class. The sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders were excited to be able to create loops with different instruments, make drum beats, and record their own voices onto the computer. Most of them were band students and the entire experience just opened their minds to the possibilities that exist for musicians today. I guess you can tell I’m really optimistic about the music of the upcoming generation(s). As I get older there seem to be a lot more of them!

Vizions of Rock:   David – With the original Allman Brothers you were a part of what Rolling Stone Magazine called the 52nd greatest band of all time. Looking back now, what are your thoughts about being involved something so special?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL: The band was special. It is interesting to see the name become less recognizable as time goes on with some young people. It isn’t part of the current popular culture, yet, there are persistent memes in the media such as, something is as long as an Allman Brothers guitar solo.

By any measure it was a great privilege to be asked to join the band. I’m still blown away that of an entire world of bass players I got the gig. Getting to play at such an intense level so early in my musical life shaped my approach to many parts of my life. I’ve always been one to go my own way and the band showed me how far creating something new can be taken. It gave me confidence in myself and my playing I’m not sure I could have achieved any other way. I also find that even though it had been years since I had worked concert venues, I find during the current shows with A Brothers Revival I am totally comfortable on “the big stage” and feel equipped to do the job.

The experience is also something that cannot be given away. Unlike a guitar or a pair of shoes, the experience will always be with me. And it has been interesting to see how my experience has become relevant to others who are in the music business or even to life long fans of the band. My life would have been very different if I hadn’t met David Toler in a barn in Liberty, Indiana, got dubbed “Rook” by Danny Toler right after getting the gig with Dickey Betts and been taken under the wing of Dickey Betts. 

Vizions of Rock:   A lot of younger artist that we interview will list “The Allman Brothers” as an influence.  Who are your influences?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL: There are so many influences. I grew up on classical music, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, John Cage, Edgar Varèse, Wendy Carlos, Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole (5th movement), and Leonard Bernstein. Also on pop music like the Archies, Hermans Hermits, the Hollies and other bubble gum songs on pop radio. As a teenager, my influences were groups such as Yes, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, The Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Wishbone Ash, Edgar Winter, Mountain, etc. I grew up just after Woodstock, but I loved Sly and the Family Stone, Country Joe and the Fish, and more. 

I snuck into Mac and Joe’s, a college bar, in my home town of Oxford, Ohio when I was 17, and I heard jazz played live by the local group, Live Bait. That night changed my life. I call it the great jazz awakening. I’ve actually seen other young musicians discover the subtlety and depth of jazz, usually from listening to Miles Davis albums Bitches Brew and In A Silent Way. Those albums were transitional albums for jazz and rock and it makes sense many musicians make the connection between the two when their minds are ready for the next step. So then came the Return to Forever group (Chick Corea), Pat Methany Group (American Garage), John Coltrane (A Love Supreme), and Weather Report (with Miroslav Vitouš on bass). And then, the Allman Brothers Band. 

Miroslav’s bass playing was a huge influence. His parts stepped out from the background of the track in a very musical way. Stanley Clarke's first album drove me wild. I listened to Monk Montgomery. Of course, Jaco Pastorius was an influence - he gave us all permission. Permission for what is the question but unquestionably after Jaco, we bassist had permission to do what needed to be done. 

Now I am inspired by EDM, Hip Hop, DubStep, Soundtracks from movies… whatever moves me in the moment. I think art has to move the person perceiving it. It is very personal and is irrelevant without that human connection. I think it is safe to say I am still being influenced.

Vizions of Rock:  Do have any advice for up and coming musicians who want to follow in your footstep, aside from “Stay in school” and “Don’t quit your day job”?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL: LOL! I probably should have stayed in school and I failed miserably at day jobs. I had a friend named Buddy DeFranco. Jazz buffs might recognize Buddy as one of the top three jazz clarinet players in history. I asked him once if he had any advice for young players. He said to do what you feel is right. You won’t get an ulcer, but you will like what you are doing. Also, play with musicians that are better than you when you can. It feels good to be the best in the pack, but it is better to learn from those that have progressed further. (Listen to Buddy’s full response here: https://soundcloud.com/goldflies-music/buddy-defranc-advice-1996)

I think Buddy said some great things. I’ve always taken my responsibilities as a bassist, bandleader, and a businessman seriously so that the gigs that I took on were completed to the best of my ability. Give it your all and use your head.

Vizions of Rock:  Is there a tag line that describes A BROTHER’S REVIVAL?

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL: - Yeah, sure, we got one. 

A Brothers Revival - A bunch of musicians that didn’t fit in anywhere and that thought that playing music beat having to show up at a bland job that squeezed out just enough to survive… while the whole time you thought you might have missed the one thing that gave you and everyone around you meaning, and found out you were just dreaming… but then sat and learned to pick a piece of wood and steel to vibrate invisible emotions that people’s ears light up and smile and talk about what just happened even though they can’t see or touch it with anything they can buy on Amazon, even though they searched over 200 websites trying to find such a thing.  

It’s a bit long but I think it gets the point across. (Thanks to Jack K. for the inspiration).

Vizions of Rock:  What is on the horizon for the future for A BROTHER’S REVIVAL? 

A BROTHER’S REVIVAL:  Man, a lot of this is up to the pandemic. We would love to be playing tonight, but I wouldn’t want to endanger the players or the audience with Covid-19. So, we have to wait and see when it is safe to resume gigs. The band was just entering its second year and we have had some great shows with great feedback. I love performing this music and our plan is to keep on keeping on.

For touring schedules see:

 www.abrothersrevival.com and https://www.facebook.com/A-Brothers-Revival