Skin Walker takes Brother O’Brother’s already monstrous sound to the next level. Thundering guitars and drums are HEAVY and passionate lyrics meld into a wall of head-banging fury. My favorite track is the ass-shaking, boot-stomping “Who Wants It, Who Gets It.” Also amazing is the psychedelic speed-metal “Elixir,” the single “Cyborg,” originally released in 2020 as part of a split 7″ with The Pack A.D., and the title track “Skin Walker” which they performed at the Mile of Music set at Chadwicks on Friday August 5th. The digital version of Skin Walker is set to drop this upcoming weekend so audio and video links will be more readily available after that. And for those unfortunate souls who haven’t made it to a BoB show lately to get the LP directly from the source, more vinyl will be available to pre-order from the band’s website in about a week.

And because Chris (guitar/vocals) and Warner (drums) are really great, sweet guys and know our kid really well, they recorded a video message for him after the show since he wasn’t able to be there with us. (Note: we did not leave him home with just ravioli to eat, but there was ramen)

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We went down to Indianapolis in August for the Monster Truck EP release party, which coincided with the first ever Romanus Records fest, and I was first in line to put my name down for a copy of the EP. Chris graciously hand-delivered it to me in Milwaukee at the end of August when they played at the Cooperage for Moon Rats’ Highway Lord record release (we saw them again just a couple of weeks later when they performed with Pack AD at Company Brewing).

Monster Truck is heavy heavy garage blues, delivered with the fervor of a true-believer. It’s also really really funny! The opening track, the fire-and-brimstone gospel and grunge howler “Unleavened”, has the line “But these world leaders are trying to play whack-a-mole with your very soul.” And the title track “Monster Truck” – an all-out ass-shaking balls to the wall rocker, has the chorus “I’m in love with you baby, like a monster truck.” Which is funny in and of itself but the thing is that young Chris Banta had dreams of either being a professional basketball player or a monster truck driver, so this song really is his ultimate ode to love. The video is also the funniest damn thing I’ve seen in a long time.

“Gold” is thunderous and exciting, a wall of fuzzed-out guitar and crashing drums and then “Howlelujah” slows things down to a determined stomp highlighting BoB’s blues and gospel influences. “Must Be Blind” is another slow-burner full of big rock-n-roll power chords concluding with a recording of an over-the-top announcer at, what I can only assume is, a monster truck event, the sounds of crushing and mayhem overlaid with engine revving before switching over to Banta’s and Swopes’ other true love, WWE. The last track “Omni” is a really tight interplay between Banta’s guitar and Swopes’ heavy-hitting rhythm. But wait! Just when you think the EP is over, there’s more “Omni” that starts off fuzzy and dark before becoming uplifting and soaring and with a completely different sound and flavor than the usual BoB sound. A nice surprising treat at the end, fitting for a record filled with candy.

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We first stumbled upon Brother O’Brother a little over a year ago at Mile of Music after reading this description of the band in the festival program: “Brother O’ Brother, an Indianapolis-based duo, formed in the Summer of 2013 and began making music with the message of love in mind and combining their message with their garage, blues and gospel sound. They participate in this conversation of life by drenching guitars in fuzz, booming drums, and mountains of smoke and lights.” I’ve since seen them at least eight more times and can say without hesitation that Chris Banta and Warner Swopes are two of the most dynamic performers out there and put every ounce of energy and sweat into their shows. They are also super-sweet guys with enough patience to hang out with our kid, Vault-boy.

I wrote about the save-your-soul-by-rock-n-roll bluesy garage tornado of fuzzed-fury that is Neon Native in March ‘17 (before its official release in May) and before any links were available. I’m pasting my comments again here, though now updated for full visual and auditory enjoyment.

Leading off the album is “R.O.S.E.,” a track I’ve written about before (it was released on a split single in 2016), and it’s a slow burning heavy blues rocker that builds into an explosion of fury. “16 Flowers” is scorching blues, with a decidedly punk attitude. “Sunshine” is full of T.Rex swagger, churning fuzzed out angry guitars (and one of my favorites). “Grab the Rope” has a grungy-headbanging tempo with a scathing political message. “I Got It” is another favorite on Neon Native; I’m totally partial to ass-shakers and this one does not disappoint with its locomotive rhythm guitar that breaks into an infectious hook at the chorus. “I Confess” showcases Banta’s gospel preacher-intense delivery to the music of deep humid Southern blues inspiration. “Cardinal” is bluesy via Zeppelin guitars. “Fever” is the longest track on the album and it burns slowly like a, well, fever, eventually building into a bonfire so hot you can feel Banta’s sweat seeping through the speakers. “White Noise” takes the listener on a completely different journey, heading down to mountain country with a stomping acoustic beat, a little bluegrass infused into Brother O’Brother’s blues rock. “Take Me” starts with a traditional blues guitar lament while Banta admonishes, cajoles and pleads “If you love me, you gotta take me as I am.” OK! “Life on Mars” is sparse, lots of space for the lyrics to shine, and then gravity takes shape into a fiery explosion at the chorus; this track is another great example of Brother O’Brother’s ability to build beautiful tension into their songs. The album concludes with “Widow Maker” which has a lilting 50′s/60′s pop rhythm and 3-chord punk melodic sensibility while Banta contemplates the nature of life.

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I’m expecting a bit of an adventure for this brief road trip. It’s Memorial Day weekend and we have to drive through Chicago (always a bit of a nightmare, even on a non-holiday). While trying to find a hotel around Indianapolis – and being completely unsuccessful – I figured out that it’s also the Indy 500 this weekend (me=not a race fan, obviously). While having driven through Indianapolis hundreds of times on my way to wherever, I’ve never actually stopped so I have little knowledge of the city or what to expect. But the show itself should be AMAZING. BoB puts on an incredible show wherever they play, but this one will be in their hometown with lots of friends and family (I’m guessing) in the audience. The guys will have some sweet swag available: some tasty crazy vinyl treats, shirts and posters. And to top it off, S-E-R-V-I-C-E is one of the opening bands and Russell Simins from Jon Spencer Blues Explosion plays drums so that’s the happy cherry on top of my rock-n-roll-blue-garage-punk-gospel sundae.

The sweet swag (Photos via Brother O’Brother’s Instagram).

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I’m already on my third listen to Neon Native and it’s blistering awesome, in a save-your-soul-by-rock-n-roll bluesy garage tornado of fuzzed-fury. The first thing I noticed is that Chris Banta’s vocals are beefed up, a definite asset to showcase his intense fervor, and his guitar solos have a virtuosic edge that are always the perfect length (see “I Confess”). Warner Swopes’ drumming is always hard-hitting and probably even stronger. In yesterday’s review of Neon Native in The Huffington Post, Randy Radic wrote “Swopes takes care of business like a gaudy old whore at a teamsters convention” (this without, I’m guessing, having seen Swopes perform in his amazing fur vest and stellar WWE moves).

Leading off the album is “R.O.S.E.,” a track I’ve written about before (it was released on a split single in 2016), and it’s a slow burning heavy blues rocker that builds into an explosion of fury. “16 Flowers” is scorching blues, with a decidedly punk attitude. “Sunshine” is full of T.Rex swagger, churning fuzzed out angry guitars (and one of my favorites). “Grab the Rope” has a grungy-headbanging tempo with a scathing political message. “I Got It” is another favorite on Neon Native; I’m totally partial to ass-shakers and this one does not disappoint with its locomotive rhythm guitar that breaks into an infectious hook at the chorus. “I Confess” showcases Banta’s gospel preacher-intense delivery to the music of deep humid Southern blues inspiration. “Cardinal” is bluesy via Zeppelin guitars. “Fever” is the longest track on the album and it burns slowly like a, well, fever, eventually building into a bonfire so hot you can feel Banta’s sweat seeping through the speakers. “White Noise” takes the listener on a completely different journey, heading down to mountain country with a stomping acoustic beat, a little bluegrass infused into Brother O’Brother’s blues rock. “Take Me” starts with a traditional blues guitar lament while Banta admonishes, cajoles and pleads “If you love me, you gotta take me as I am.” OK! “Life on Mars” is sparse, lots of space for the lyrics to shine, and then gravity takes shape into a fiery explosion at the chorus; this track is another great example of Brother O’Brother’s ability to build beautiful tension into their songs. The album concludes with “Widow Maker” which has a lilting 50′s/60′s pop rhythm and 3-chord punk melodic sensibility while Banta contemplates the nature of life.

Do yourself a favor and listen to Neon Native, buy it when it is released in a couple of months, and for goodness sake, GO SEE THEM LIVE!

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