Brother O’Brother “R.O.S.E.” split single with Verseria “And Also” and “Hunting Accidents.” 2016. Fonoflo Records/Romanus Records on psychedelic marbled vinyl. Today, February 2nd, is Brother O’Brother drummer Warner Swopes 30th birthday. Happy birthday, Warner! He’s a power drummer with stage presence for days (and a really nice guy), hitting hard on this newish split single (which I hastily put on 45 rpm, oops, and it sounded great until Chris Banta started chipmunk singing – actually Chris always sounds pretty damn good, even as a chipmunk).

We picked up this single at their show in Milwaukee this past December. “R.O.S.E.” (when played at the correct speed) is a slow-burning heavy bluesy rocker, complete with Brother O’Brother’s signature musical tension provided by Swopes’ tight rhythm that builds and builds and builds before exploding into pounding fury. Add to that Banta’s gospel-tinged lo-fi vocals and power chords and it’s a blistering track that also appears on Live at Radio Radio (Shed House Records, 2016).

Side B has two tracks by Veseria, a band I am not familiar with, but they are also from Indianapolis and according to their bandcamp page are “a 4-piece rock group…their fusion of the raw power of classic rock, early punk beats and the lyrical and melodic tones of American folk music has captured their audiences at home and across the Midwest.” They are on Banta’s Romanus Records label and after listening to “And Also” and “Hunting Accidents,” I can picture watching Veseria at an outdoor summer festival, dancing barefoot in the grass while the sun sets: harmonic, sweet sweeping music.