* The Gibson Brothers (Bull Run Restaurants)

1-28-2023

The Gibson Brothers (Eric and Leigh Gibson) are already bluegrass royalty. Along with their Mockingbird Band (Eric O’Hara on steel & electric guitar, Sam Zucchini on percussion and Mike Barber on Bass) they step into what some might at first see as uncharted territory on their country-soul breakout “Mockingbird,” produced by Grammy Award winners Dan Auerbach and Fergie Ferguson.

The Brothers, who were named back-to-back Entertainers of the Year by the "International Bluegrass Music Association" in 2012 and 2013, played the Nashville game two decades ago, while in their early 20s. They were offered a major label deal only to be told at the last minute that they were too "retro" for modern country music. Today, such characterizations, along with their authenticity, set them apart and describes the marvelous “Mockingbird.” A mix of country, soul and seventies rock, the album further cements the sibling duo as musical trailblazers.

As players and vocalists, they are superb, harmonizing as only siblings can. And as songwriters they stand without peer, having long been a band awarded for their songs and songwriting. The 11 tracks on Mockingbird, their 14th album, draw on much of the brothers' experiences being raised on the family farm in Northern New York. As Northerners growing up in a Southern business, they had to work twice as hard as the bands from the South to achieve the success they had, and were the first from that far north to carve a path to IBMA Entertainers of the Year.

Coloring outside the lines is not unfamiliar to the Gibson Brothers, whose innate talent as writers and vocalists allows them to float seamlessly between genres. In that way, they're outsiders - refusing to be confined to just one sound - which is why they chose to work with a rock producer and a band of legendary session players like drummer Gene Chrisman and guitarist Billy Sanford for Mockingbird. This album that exemplifies their incredible sibling bond and is poised to introduce them to an entirely new audience.

"...when I hear someone like the Gibson Brothers, I know it’s them from the first note. They have that little thing in their voices that no one else has..." Del McCoury

"They have it all: lead vocals, brother-duet harmony, instrumental virtuosity, ensemble sensibilities, and great original material." - Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine