There’s an interesting quote on The Bros. Landreth website describing their music as “two brothers making honest music and playing it from the heart.” But what is honest music?
“We write the traditional way. We never have a pre-determined method,” said Joey Landreth who together with his brother Dave, speak with one voice throughout their creative journey.
“For Dave and I, it’s about exploring deeper into ourselves, and when you do that you confront issues you might be avoiding. It’s about tough emotional things and the way we write is very personal – things that come up in real time.”
The pandemic’s enforced isolation forced the brothers to not only take stock of their musical approach, but also of important relationships. Coming Morning, their seventh studio album which dropped May 13, brings into focus bigger, more personal themes.
“The overarching theme is hope. There’s a lot of sombre tunes, but we really feel in exploring trauma, grief, anxiety and depression in an authentic way, there’s a lot of healing in the process. A lot of the subject matter is tough, but it’s centred around hope and coming out the other side,” Joey said.
The Manitoba-based brothers and their drummer, Roman Clarke, are on the western Canadian leg of the Come Morning Tour. As part of the 14-concert tour, the trio stops at Arden Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 27.
Prior to the pandemic, the brothers would invite three or four musicians to the studio, record the music and capture the electricity and spontaneity of a shared experience. Pandemic protocols forced musicians to work exclusively online.
“It was an incredible learning experience. It helped my brother and I grow creatively. It was not done willingly, but it was fun. The album was less improvised, but it gave room to explore other avenues. It was not a massive departure, but if you are familiar with our music you will notice profound and subtle changes.”
Glancing at the 10-track, one of Joey’s favourites is Shame, an intensely personal song written by Dave.
“It starts with the loss of a friendship. At the first leg of the tour of the tour while playing Shame, Dave realized it was autobiographical. He was losing track of himself, and at the time he wrote it, it was easier to write about an extraneous person. He was mourning the loss of a version of himself. It’s an incredibly beautiful song.”
The opening track, Stay, is a gentle song about settling down and hanging out with family, whereas Drive All Night has an almost romantic edge with bouncy rhythm.
Instead, Back to Thee is an older song from the brothers’ catalogue never previously recorded.
“It’s a hymn I wrote to my wife. I’ve played it in a lot of shows, but it was never captured on a recording."
Joey, a survivor of sexual abuse, also wrote Corduroy, a character exploration about the complexity of a relationship. And What in the World, received an assist from acclaimed singer-songwriter Jonathan Singleton.
“What in the World is a good old-fashioned love song about being grateful for the love you have and where you’d be without it.”
As for the Arden concert, Joey adds, “We plan to play our butts off. Our show is very dynamic, and we are traditionally a rock ‘n roll band. Some moments get loud, but we can play quietly too. We have lots of vocal harmonies and fun musical explorations.”
The Arden concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $39. Call 780-459-1542 or visit tickets.alberta.ca.
