Oklahoma City (Top40 Charts/ Lackpro Records) "The Harmed Brothers have a tendency to lean toward acoustic which makes their alt-country / Americana influences obvious, but it is their greater depth of influences such as
Nirvana and The
Flaming Lips that makes the song writing of their indiegrass, new music, style stand out." - Price Vernon - Big Okie Doom
Two years after their debut CD All The Lies You Want To Hear Lackpro Records is proud to announce the release of The Harmed Brothers new album Come Morning.
The completion of their second CD has been no small effort. The band has been plagued by endless set backs such as, constant touring, the process of graduating from a 2-piece to a quartet, a revolving door of band members, and ridiculous disputes that resulted in recording the same album twice (once in New York, and again in Missouri / North Carolina). Despite each challenge, The Harmed Brothers have maintained their optimistic outlook and "you can't bring me down" attitude. In the end, what did not kill them made them sing. The sum of these experiences have been accumulated and presented in their sophomore effort.
Consisting of two lead vocalists Ray Vietti on guitar and Alex Salcido on banjo plus Zach Kilmer on stand up bass, and Ben Kilmer on drums, the band's origins go back to teenagers playing music in the rural regions of Missouri where Vietti and the Kilmer brothers first met. According to Vietti, "They were already playing music and had been for awhile. I didn't play music at that point but thought I could sing so I would go where they were jamming and sing a song or two."
Growing up and going their separate ways, Vietti ended up on the West Coast in Oregon, and the Kilmer brothers on the East Coast in North Carolina. It was in Oregon where Vietti first played under the moniker The Harmed Brothers, performing one show with a good friend, Joe Cole. Shortly thereafter, having received an offer to do some solo recordings in North Carolina, Vietti jumped over to the East Coast where he re-united with Ben and Zach. The Harmed Brothers, as an actual band, took life. Upon completion of Ray's solo session, The Harmed Brothers went immediately into full swing. Not allowing the lack of knowledge or experience to discourage them, the band took on everything from producing their own CD, to booking their own tour. With a six-song demo recorded on a Tascam 8-track, they started cold calling clubs across the country setting dates for their first tour.
One month into touring, the band had made it from North Carolina to Oregon. Still uncertain if life on the road was for them, Ben and Zach made the decision to go home, but Vietti wasn't ready to call it quits. Desperately wanting to complete the last few shows of the tour, Ray reached out to the band Termite Dog to see if they would be willing to help him meet his obligations. Termite Dog band members Alex Salcido and Guthrie McClenny agreed to lend a hand. The initial intention was to have three guitar players but once it was realized that Salcido could play banjo and McClenny could play drums, the plan changed, as well did the sound of the music. What was only to be a few shows to end a tour turned into a whole other tour, and then another. Eventually McClenny would leave to pursue his own musical direction, but Vietti and Salcido would continue on as a two piece.
In 2010 Ray and Alex released their debut album All The Lies You Want To Hear. The CD, and the band's high-energy stage performance, gained them the attention of record labels and producers alike. The Harmed Brothers chose to release their next album on the indie label Lackpro Records and agreed to work with a producer in New York. The CD Come Morning was recorded in full, but unfortunately, conflicts occurred. The band and producer both agreed to discard the first rendition, and part ways. Never skipping a beat, Alex and Ray went to St. Louis to re-record the album with
David Beeman. After the second completion of the album, Ben and Zach re-joined the band. The St. Louis tracks were taken into a studio in North Carolina where Ben laid down drum tracks and Zach added bass.
Come Morning is back to basics, raw music: organic and alive. Staying away from over produced, studio trickery, the album has the feeling of a live recording as it moves from upbeat songs to slow paced sad songs. One song will make you want to dance, and the next will make you want to have a strong drink. This is an emotional menagerie of life experiences and stories to be told. It has been packaged and delivered with the two different vocal styles of Salcido and Vietti that sound amazing when mixed. Come Morning is a testament of talent over technology.
"Harmony is what separates the boys from the men, and there is no shortage here, as Ray and Alex relentlessly maneuver through these tracks with vocal unity." - Chad
Little Indie
Music Reviewer Magazine
