The Self Righteous Brothers: Dancing around the pigeonhole

By Brett Cromwell

Photo by Lara Woolfson

Following a recent visit by the Self Righteous Brothers to the studios of WERS, the Emerson College radio station in Boston, a posting on the station's website likened the experience to Bugs Bunny pulling a fast one on his less adept nemeses. Like Daffy or Elmer after they've been had, the dudes at ERS apparently never knew what hit them.

Despite the fact that performing a set in bunny costumes would probably entice them, though, comparing the Self Righteous Brothers to the dastardly Bugs implies a malevolence that simply isn't there. The truth is quite the opposite, as these Brothers have a laid back and playful approach to songwriting and performance that does more than just wink at their audience. More often than not, Self-Righteous shows let the crowd in on the joke.

Co-founder and primary guitarist Max Koepke sums it up perfectly: "If you're coming to our show, and you're paying $10 to see us, we want you to take something away from it, even if it's just having a good time."

Max is tall and thin with a soft voice and a haircut straight out of the punk '80s. His roommate, Jake Hal, is the band's other co-founder, songwriter, and primary drummer. Hal is shorter, stockier, and more animated than Koepke, not to mention an absolute Animal on the drums. Together, the duo poke their heads around various corners of popular music's last four decades, snatching up the most useful tidbits for their own impressive compositions.

"If you think we sound like the '70s, then you better think we sound like the '60s, the '80s, and the '90s, too," demands Hal. "Every time we've been reviewed, there's been a different description of our sound.""To me, that's a compliment," adds Koepke.

Regardless of their influences, the primary element in the Self Righteous sound seems to be fun. In fact, based on the tongue-in-cheek band name, the quirky cover art of their debut album, In Loving Memory, and several hokey song titles like "Didjeridon't" and "Tain't Misbehazin," it may seem like these guys are having a little too much fun to be taken seriously.

But one listen to the music on In Loving Memory reveals something a little more complicated. More a time-traveling shuffle through musical styles and eras than a seamless blend of them, the album shifts gears with at least every song, if not once or twice within a single one. Over the course of 12 songs, the Brothers resemble artists as diverse as Dinosaur, Jr. ("Concerto in Drop D"), Madness ("Electric Boogaloo"), and Cream with a horn section ("Lee Torsee"). "I enjoy the fact that people can't describe us," says Koepke. "We have an eclectic group of songs, and it's impossible to pin us into a corner."

Released on Black and Greene Records in June of this year, In Loving Memory was recorded primarily at Pete Weiss's gloriously remote Verdant Studio in Vermont. On several occasions, the band took Fridays off from work and headed up to work through the weekend with producer Jesse Gallagher of Apollo Sunshine and Northampton engineer Justin Pizzoferrato. "We recorded the bass, drums, and guitars live, then the vocals," says Koepke. "Then we spent some time exploring other elements that might be needed, like keys and horns." Although Hal and Koepke both are multi-instrumentalists, the horn work on the album was handled by saxophonist Kevin Corzette and trumpeter Chris Lier, who wrote their own parts and have since become full-time members of the band. Completing the current line-up is bassist Paul Dilley, who recently replaced original third member Justin McLean.

Vocal and songwriting duties are shared between the remaining original duo, although there are definite differences in style and approach. "Jake writes the poppy parts," says Koepke. Hal agrees: "If you're three tracks into the album and you need that song about a girl, I can get that." His promises are fulfilled on In Loving Memory with songs like "Graduated Cylinder," "Diana," and "Sidecar Jesus."

According to Koepke, another important part of creating the album was the sequencing. "We spent a couple of days just thinking about the best ways possible that the songs could interact with one another. I think that's an underrated part of modern albums."

This attention to detail is evident between most songs, which often include natural, and sometimes unnatural, transitions, like the Bush anti-terrorist rant between "Electric Boogaloo" and "When I Want To," or the uninterrupted jump in tempo between "Diana" and "Concerto in Drop D."

Bringing the eclectic sound of the album to a live setting was a bit of a challenge, but the duo is happy with the new band they have in place. "When we did the album, we made it the way we wanted it to be," explains Koepke, "and we worried about the live show after. Since then, we've been adding members to find a sound that represents the album, and I think surpasses the album."

"We did a lot of production on the album," adds Hal, "but the live sound has come closer than I think we expected. If you like the album, you'll hear it onstage."

Though certainly recognizable, the live versions of the songs have natural areas for improvisation that the band takes full advantage of. "Improv is definitely a part of our live show," says Koepke. "That's the only way you can grow as a band."

Growth and maturity often bring shifts to a band's style and approach, but the Self Righteous Brothers seem comfortable with their eclectic sound. Koepke explains: "I tend to get bored easily and I think Jake does, too. I really like that we have 10 different songs to play, and five different feelings within each of those songs."

Don't look for too much growth and maturity up front, either. Although you've probably picked up on this already, the band-naming process was not a serious-minded affair.

"We spent a whole day discussing band names," laughs Hal, "trying to come up with something that people could laugh at. And after turning down some pretty offensive names, Max came up with the Self Righteous Brothers, and everyone froze ... and then started cracking up. It stuck."

"I mean, what do you expect with a name like the Self Righteous Brothers?" adds Koepke. "An oldies cover band, perhaps?"

In this case, far from it. But it's this unpretentious approach to their personae and music, coupled with their undeniable talent, that sets The Self Righteous Brothers apart from most of their contemporaries on the Boston scene. And with most of the local press and music scene raving about In Loving Memory, it's evident that people are ready for this refreshing change of pace.

>>www.theselfrighteousbrothers.com