The Brass Uncle Band
"The Brass Uncle Band delivers rock like it was meant to be delivered - unerringly honest and unerringly loud. They are not trying to be catchy or hard or cool. They seem incapable of TRYING to be anything, which makes them my favorite sort of band, whatever the genre. They are making the music they have to make with an earnestness that speaks to you at the root level. Add to that print-worthy lyrics and you truly have a new band to watch."
Chris Bentley - the Bunker Recording Studio
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Brass Uncle Band is a new roots-rock trio from Baltimore, Maryland. John Petr (guitar, harmonica, voice), Duke Cave (drums) and Chas Marsh (bass, Fender Rhodes, voice) met on a construction site in 2005. After a semi-legendary, all night, beer-soaked jam/rehearsal, they were convinced by their fellow revelers to form the BUB. The band’s name refers to a brass statuette, Uncle Beefheart, who serves as a doorstop (and bottle opener) at their rehearsal space.
While the group co-writes/improvises their music, John Petr, the band’s poet, singer-songwriter, usually brings the idea that becomes the song. John is a relatively happy guy, but his lyrics range from larceny to murder. every day misery to flat out disaster. Musically, the Uncles are confirmed genre manglers, mixing the influences from Tom Waits and Ray Charles with the Black Crowes and Zero Seven. On stage Chas starts a gospel-tinged cowboy ballad on piano, John lurches into a two minute, Ramones-style assault, and Duke slams into an extended prog-rock jam - all within a ninety minute set. The result is an ordered chaos, the kind of show that keeps all but the most inebriated BUB fans up on their seats.
Their new CD, Three Mobtown Gallons, expands the power trio , adding Hammond organ ace John Ginty (Citizen Cope, Robert Randolph) on five songs, a horn section, and B.J. Lazarus (Smooth Kentucky) on mandolin. Petr’s crooning, growling baritone, supported by Chas’s sandpaper tenor provides the sonic glue. Instrumentally, John’s barking Stratocaster floats on the thump and grind of Chas’s Warwick basses, and the all-out bombast of Duke’s drums and percussion.
The new eleven-song record has been called, “ a raucous, slice of punk Americana” and “ a grimy, hand wringing revision of the American Dream” and Brass Uncle’s performances a “full blast semi on two wheels”. Fans say “why does all your music make me feel like drinking” and call them B-more’s premier swamp-rock trio
A BRASS UNCLE BAND FAQ
Will BUB perform at my sheshe art gallery opening?
Honestly, BUB is likely no one’s idea of a mellow night out. We have tried, and failed repeatedly. While we aren’t a constant barrage BUB can be the source of upset for the typical after dinner crowd.
Does BUB play other people’s music?
Yes, for example, we cover Steve Earle, the Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter and Ray Charles. We’re a bit lean on modern radio hits. This is not snobbery, we just don’t play them very well.
Has BUB won any awards or honors?
A bit of a sore spot, we won standout performer honors and performed at WXPN’s World Café Live main stage, but got (no lie) three traffic tickets on the way home from Philadelphia. This, after some guy tried to wrestle Duke in the parking lot…
If Duke where a popular cocktail, what would he be?
A car bomb.
What’s up with the old guy?
Yes, Chas, BUB’s bassist is, frankly, ancient. The band feels his seasoned playing, developed with the touring blues bands of gospel shouter, Frankie Lee and lap-steel phenomenon Sonny Rhodes, mostly makes up for the fact that he sometimes forgets the band’s name and repeats tired hippie sayings like, “It’s all good, man” until we want to kick him out of the van. His occasional acid flashbacks while driving are of minor concern.
Is it my imagination or do half the people in the audience at Brass Uncle shows look a lot like John?
Okay, it’s time to fess up. John is actually John 8 Petr. The family is part of a top secret scientific experiment to create a race of ruggedly handsome blond men. Johns 5, 7, 9 and 12 are regulars are all BUB shows.
What happened to Duke’s arms? Is that scar in the shape of the Virgin Mary or an alien?
Duke has been known to proclaim his manliness in a variety of unconventional ways, among them pushing a sizzling key (which only incidentally resembles Our Lady) to his flesh and carving a bloody X into his shoulder meat, reopening an old scar that “used to look cool”.