The Owsley Brothers

Walton County, apparently, is where it’s at.

And by “it” we mean arousing, dirty, lo-fidelity, electrified blues that at times recalls classic rock (try not to think of ZZ Top when you hear “My Man Ed”), while always managing to crush aural cavities and be as intoxicating as an Ambien chased by Makers. The vehicle for the menacing noise is Freeport, Fla.-based four-piece The Owsley Brothers, and the album is called Cobalt.

Released in April, the 11-track effort is the official debut LP from the band — comprised of frontman Jerad E. Reynolds, guitarist Brian Wise, and John Tally on drums — and is preceded by 2011's Pure Lust EP and a single (“Rotten On The Vine”), which saw release in January. Have a look at the artwork above, then take Cobalt for a spin below. Grab free downloads of Pure Lust and “Rotten” and purchase the LP all at The Owsley Brothers’ Bandcamp page.

The Owsley Brothers play New World Brewery in Ybor City, Fla. on June 9 alongside Red Rock/its and The Laurel Canyon. More information on that show is available at our calendar page.
- Suburban Apologist

If you have every felt like a king snake slithering through the stale green moss stuck to the top of the swamp and the swarming insects swarming to the blood pumping from your heart and the dripping wet sticky heat wraps her merciless hands around your throat and blows a deep hot breath to the back of your choking neck bones and the grip which holds you in front of your maker divine is the grip of forbidden fruit Rotten on the Vine! - A Circus Mind

The simple bending guitar squeal and reduced distant vocals curl through the communion of the midnight saint between candles and spray paint under the writhing sweating living and the medicated dead, those in heaven, those in hell, the difference no can tell, no one wants to tell and everyone lives under the cast of its spell, is it church? is it sacrifice? it’s the burn of cigarettes and wild turkey on ice, its the devil in disguise and the sex of Madonna’s wedding dress eyes. Download your date with the devil - A Circus Mind

The heartfelt and authentic experimental blues of Florida’s The Owsley Brothers were one of our favourite discoveries of last year and we have been eagerly anticipating their debut album Cobalt, which is due out on April 3rd.

This is the first proper taste, titled Hot Mess and it is an absolute crackerjack of a tune. Free download too, not even an e-mail address needed.
- Mad Mackerel

The folks at Do512 just posted this great footage of the Owsley Brothers lounge session during SxSW.

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Download The Owsley Brothers – Authority Song (Swamp Version) mp3

- Mad Mackerel

Cobalt is the debut album by experimental garage-blues trio The Owsley Brothers. We’ve been waiting pretty eagerly for this one following their excellent release Separated At Birth and a solid free download EP titled Pure Lust towards the end of 2011.

Take a listen to the single If It Ain’t One Thing and the band’s own favourite track, the high octane riffing of album closer My Man Ed. You can purchase the album for a minimum of $5 from their Bandcamp page.
- Mad Mackerel

Music evolves cyclically. For the most part, the main genres of music have been established, however, its permutations are infinite. It’s the reinterpretation that keeps music alive and interesting; an artist’s genius more often than seldom lies in synthesizing elements of different genres successfully to create a wholly new sound. I’m lucky to know a local group here in NW Florida that has mastered this approach, the Owsley Brothers. A two-guitar-and-drums outfit consisting of frontman/founder Jerad Reynolds on vocals/guitar, Brian Wise on second guitar, and John Talley on drums, the Owsley Brothers gain influence from Hank Williams Sr. (really, all the Hanks, truth be told) as much as they do Black Sabbath or the Stooges. Reynolds and Wise played in bluegrass bands previously; Jerad played fiddle, while exhibiting an unrivaled vocal twang (which he still retains), and B Wise brought the lightning-fast picking, applying his well-established heavy metal skills to acoustic guitar. Just the fact that these guys leapt from a bluegrass band to a garage/punk/blues trio in one move shows they are open to anything, as evidenced in their music. The garage grit of the Dirtbombs, the jainky jolt of the hill country blues, crowned with Reynold’s high and mighty vocal twang, combine to make this one of the most uniquely arresting bands out there . I will be posting a lot about the Owsley Brothers in the future, for now check this out, Owsley Brothers doing ‘Hot Mess’ at the Do512 Lounge Sessions at SXSW this year : - Eddie's Portal

Fans of The Black Keys, garage rock, whiskey-soaked blues, and thumping drums will lay into and enjoy The Owsley Brothers. Thanks to Jerad for sharing, head over to the bandcamp to scoop the EP (free). Any soulful jam that talks about heading down south is always a no brainer for Harmon Drive. - Harmon Drive

"I'm a hot hot mess," multi-instrumentalist J.E. Reynolds drawls in the first track off Cobalt, his nasally-brassy vocals crawling and climbing over grinding garage blues and setting the dark-tinged tone of The Owsley Brothers' brand new full-length record. For fans of The Black Keys. Also with Laurel Canyon, Red Rock/Its
— Leilani Polk - Creative Loafing

In October of last year, I was searching for some new music and was immediately struck by the raw power and sound of the Owsley Brother’s track “Pure Lust” on the L.A. music blog Rollo & Grady. I took to writing about it in the only broken jigsaw puzzle form that I know for my blog A Circus Mind. A few weeks later I received an email from Jerad Reynolds, guitar player and lead singer for the Owsley Brothers, and over the course of the next couple months we stayed in contact chatting over email. Being an Austin resident, the topic of SXSW naturally came up and I was able to make an introduction between the band and festival bookers. I saw the Owsley Brothers live for the first time at the Do512 Lounge and was again captivated by their stripped-down sound, raw emotion and snarling guitars. We were formally introduced after the show, struck up a friendship, agreed to knock out an interview and pursue some creative endeavors together. Let’s pull the curtain back and find out a little about the Florida rockers.

Weeping Elvis: Tell me, what was your experience growing up in bands and how did you and the boys in the band get together?

Jerad Reynolds: I was 13 when I first picked up a guitar and at about 16 or 17 got a punk band together called Point Blank Range. A full on 80s, hardcore, Black Flag type thing. Played around in Kentucky, house parties mainly. Did that for a few years and when I was 21 I moved to Florida. I moved about 40 miles outside of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and that’s where I met up with Brian (lead guitar). We started a bluegrass band called The Waco Ramblers and did that for about three and a half years. I played fiddle and Brian played guitar. A banjo player and mandolin to round it out. We played all over the Gulf Coast, Nashville, Atlanta, Birmingham, all that. All the bluegrass festivals and jam band festivals. We released a self-titled album and knocked down about 700 shows over the three and half years, sometimes playing two, three shows a day. It burned everyone out, hard. Couple of guys in the band didn’t want to travel more than a week at a time, which held us back and we ended up worn down and going our separate ways in 2009.

WE: Where did all of that creative energy go when the bluegrass scene came to an end?

JR: That’s the period when I recorded “Pure Lust.” I was just at home, hanging out and then in the evenings I would go and spend a couple or three hours a day working on songs, messing with recorders. So I decided to start recording and I recorded all the parts myself. Drums and all. I mean any sound you hear on “Pure Lust” was all me. I mean the drums were kind of tricky because I used bits and pieces of sounds here and there, borrowed some stuff and set up microphones across the room to pick up the sounds of the whole room.

WE: Where did you record “Pure Lust”?

JR: In my bedroom over the course of a month, just casually working on it. No pressure really. I started the last week of July and had it finished by my birthday at the end of August. I started handing out copies after that to friends. And man, everyone kept telling me “Man, this is really good! Are you going to start a band or what?” And you know, I hadn’t planned on it at first, it was really just something to do. I don’t know if I really ever had major aspirations for it, it was more or less just a hobby.

WE: Where did the name Owsley Brothers come from?



JR: The name is actually from Owsley County, Kentucky, and I always wanted a “Brothers” band like the
Allman Brothers, so I just put the two together and there you go, Owsley Brothers.

WE: When did [bassist] Brian Wise and [drummer] John Tally get into the mix?

JR: Well, I definitely recruited both of them. I knew John from when I first moved to Florida and was knocking around Fort Walton Beach. He was the drummer who knew everybody, played in everyone’s band, and worked the sound for a lot of bands. And of course Brian and I played a ton of shows together in the bluegrass outfit and are constantly playing music together. We started rehearsing five nights a week and I had more songs ready to record. We hit the ground running.

WE: We have talked a bit about poems and rock lyrics. What’s the difference between a rock lyric and a poem?

JR: I don’t see any difference; just it’s put to a melody.

WE: Do you find great poems that you have to tear down to fit a great melody?

JR: Oh yeah, for sure.

WE: Is that part of the puzzle?

JR: Yeah, it’s part of the puzzle. You can write some beautifully embellished words on a page and put them together so nicely on a page, but they can definitely not fit in the song you are trying to put together. So it’s a less-is-more type thing. The other part of the puzzle is what you should repeat; let’s say you’re writing a verse, verse, chorus, verse thing. How do you capture the essence of the song, the chorus section? I really try and sum up a song, or an idea of a so - HyperVocal-Weeping Elvis

Straight outta Florida, the one-man band Owsley Brothers stirs up the sweatlodge blues, gator rhythms, psychedelic suntan lotion. The new EP Pure Lust has some nice Creedence vibes, 13th Floor Elevators buzz, revved up with contemporary White Stripes pop minimalism. You miss some of the impromptu flavor that comes out of the interplay of two or more musicians, but you can't argue with the textures: raw, rowdy and ready to party. - Qro Magazine

We end the week with an ass kicking c/o of Florida band The Owsley Brothers. Like raw, swampy sounding electric blues as much as us? Yeah, that’s what we thought. Give The Owsley Bros’ “Burden On Your Eyes” a spin below. - Blah Blah Blah Science

Florida garage bluesmen The Owsley Brothers released their new LP ‘Cobalt‘ last week. The lead single ‘If It Ain’t One Thing’ is a dirty, lo-fi rocker that will appeal to lovers of Jack White and The Black Keys. - Sounds Better With Reverb

Get ready to have your head ripped off by some psyched out, bad ass, garage blues courtesy of The Owsley Brothers! The man behind the curtain is musician J.E.Reynolds from the Gulf Coast of Florida by way of Kentucky. The Owsley Brothers are working on an LP but in the meantime, the ‘Pure Lust’ EP is now available for free download right here! - Sounds Better With Reverb

I’ve been sporting a good bit of electronic vibes recently, so here’s a bit of a change of pace. Florida’s The Owsley Brothers is the torn down garage blues dealings of J.E. Reynolds. Nothing mysterious about his sound. His Pure Lust EP is up for free. A LP is in the works. - Pasta Primavera

The Owsley Brothers know how to rock it, with a serious dose of the blues and garageism in the mix. Their new album Cobalt is red hot and ready for you to check out below. The Flordia three piece – J. E. Reynolds (Guitar, Voice), B. Wise (Guitar) and John Tally (Drums) curate a lo-fi roots experience that bridges the gap between Howlin’ Wolf, Ry Cooder and The Black Keys well worth taking notice of. Below, download “Hot Mess” for free and listen to “If It Ain’t One Thing.” - Some Velvet Blog

I have always liked my rock a little dirty, which is why I cannot stop listening to the bluesy little number, Rotten On The Vine, from The Owsley Brothers. The single is a nice little preview of their upcoming album, Cobalt, due out March 6th. Grab the song and the b-side, Blood & Fire, below. You can also download their previously released EP, Pure Lust, for free at their bandcamp. - My Old Kentucky Blog

Last week I had the following Facebook conversation with one of the guys who books shows here in the Tampa Bay area:

Him: you up on The Owsley Brothers? JUNE 9 @ New World Brewery
Me: Never heard of them.
Him: check them out, think you would like
(30 minutes later)
Me: Checking them out now. I think you were right.

Remember when The Black Keys were big, loud and dirty as hell? When they were still recording in basements and closed down factories? Ever wonder what they would have been like had they not abandoned that sound as they matured?

If so, meet The Owsley Brothers. Coming out of Freeport, Florida this trio of Jerad Reynolds (Guitar/Vocals), BWise (Guitar) and John Tally (Drums) have a sound that seems to possess the groove of the modern Black Keys and the brash noise that made people like them to begin with.

Cobalt is one of those rare albums that had me the instant this huge drum and guitar beat broke into the acoustic intro 0.22 seconds into the opening track. Then, this fat ass keyboard comes in to carry the backbeat and I was fucking sold. From there the album unfolds into 13 tracks of muddy guitars and vocals with enough reverb to make Jesus and Mary Chain jealous, and feedback and drums as big as a Montana sky. With a sometimes indie, sometimes bluesy garage rock and the occasionally straightforward rock and roll sound, Cobalt never gets repetitive but always rocks.

Needless to say, this album is the latest entry into the ninebullets.net Essential Listening club. Check it out:
- 9 Bullets

Dark, reverb-y, Kentucky-born garage blues strike back. “Rotten On The Vine” – the new single from the Owsley Brothers upcoming full-length – delivers on all the promise of last year’s Pure Lust ep (see: “Blood & Fire” below). Look for the new LP, Cobalt, out March 6.
- Aquarium Drunkard