Dynamite Brothers

Hello there. The Dynamite Bros. started sometime in 2000 I think as a devoted blues revival band (more Skip James than B.B. King) with Mitch Rothrock playing guitar and handling the singin and drummer Scott Nurkin holding down the skins. This lineup continued for a few years while they toured and played a bunch in there hometown of chapel hill. Eventually, with the growing popularity of two-piece bands cranking out modern blues-style numbers like the white stripes, black keys, et. al., the Dynamites decided that things needed to change and added one Alex Livingstone AKA Chickenwang to the mix. Chickenwang, while holding residency in Austin, TX became the third offical bother Dynamite, albeit from Tejas. This lineup played a handful of great shows. Sadly, as he was over 1200 miles away, and already committed to his other love, the amazing Grand Champeen, it was hard for him to make it to practice. So the D. Bros. recruited the steady rhythms of one Shane Hartman to play bass. The songs began to change from just blues rave-ups to everything from funk to punk to STAX. I think the goal was a Sly Stone meets Bad Brains meets the Minutemen sound. This lineup continued for about 3 years travelling all over the damn place in a sweet carolina blue dodge ram PRIMETIME i like to call "Swayze" much to the chagrin of others. (UPDATE: Swayze is missing in action and presummed dead...... anyways.....) Occasionally the Dynamites back up local sax extrodinaire Tim Smith as the Dynamite Family Band, as well as participating in many other local projects.What the critics are saying about the records. . . FROM: Tangerine Magazine, www.tangerinemagazine.com By Glenn Tillman“Anything the Immortal Lee County Killers, the Mississippi Allstars, the Black Keys, and Mofro can do, The Dynamite Brothers can do better. Authentic blues, jump, boogie, and down home rock and roll blends and bends together and flows like 100 proof liquid gold alcohol on every track. Effortless creative brilliance is a natural born talent of these three traditional music master interpreters. The slowed down sweet sounds of "Sunday 12 am" with the oh so cool jazz guitar chords and the sax in the back soothed my soul, then "One Way Blues" jumps and jams like a rabid juke joint jaguar, then on to a funktastic atomic "Raw Dawggin' Again" that would make the only decent Clinton (George) proud, and those are just three songs I picked out of the thirteen (not counting the hidden party song at the end of the CD). Every song is a showcase of style versatility. The Dynamite Brothers can do it all with a feel for the real and genuine star signs. Mitch Rothrock runs his guitar through every genre from lounge to lizard, Shane Hartman walks the bass lines like a natural man, and Scott Nurkin is worth the price of CD admission alone, he is absolutely the most dead on down to the sweet beat drummer walkin' on water and performin' lame man dance miracles on this ancient rockin' rollin' mother earth. I defy anyone to find a better CD to drink massive quantities of alcohol to. You know you need it, in fact, you've got to have it, so get a copy of this CD and clap along.”FROM: Charlotte Creative Loafing By Tim Davis “The Dynamite Brothers have an excellent new one out, "Clap Along With the Dynamite Brothers," a hot slab of wax (OK, plastic) full of hot rod harmonies, burnout riffs, and smoky choruses that simultaneously conjure up images of Iggy Pop and ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits. Hot shit, this is.”FROM: Screaming Bloody Mess (Australia), www.screamingbloodymess.com/reviews.html Review of Various Artists- Patchwork (Mere Exposure) – Compilation featuring Seaweed, Superchunk, Sorry About Dresden , the White Octave, the Scaries, and others: “By far the highlight is the song ‘Watcha Gonna Do?’ by the Dynamite Brothers… some weird arse punk rock blues inspired shit that will have you moving like the crazy drunk dude you normally see in the front bar of the country pubs.”FROM: "Ten great local albums of the last two years"- Independent Weekly, Triangle NC By Brian MillikinDynamite Brothers, Clap Along With (2003) "This is what happens when rootsy, Badfinger-esque riffs meet the meandering, sharp bass lines of Les Claypool and get topped with a dollop of '70's psychedelia. The clean and measured guitar line is exaggeratedly smooth until it is broken up nicely by just enough distortion and gasping vocals. The album is at once bluesy, rollicking and jam-filled."FROM: http://turnrighttoopen.blogspot.com/search?q=dynamite+brothe rs"...i somehow doubt the soundtrack to this movie (Dynamite Brothers with soundtrack by Charles Earland) is as awesome as the debut, and so far, the only release, by the rock/soul/blues/funk group The Dynamite Brothers.Now, the influences listed on their myspace, are pretty dead on; and I find myself finding this more and more odd how essential myspace has been to the music world because without this myspace, this tiny page of information found through google search [google=internet god], a random, bumbling stranger would have no look into this wonderful wonderful band. This album sounds like Minutemen started making more songs that were like "Corona" but even more awesome, then listened to a load of Archie Bell and The Drells, and then hosted a bonfire party, where everyone got high and slowed down, then sped up, then slowed some more, then finally mellowed the hell out. It's a party where you wake up the next day and go: shit, that was an awesome party. It's also pretty surprising to me that their album can be bought for a measly dollar on ebay. For shame!FROM: http://www.earvolution.com/2005_01_01_archive.asp posted by Heather Huff The Dynamite Brothers "Yeah, so I'm partial to Chapel Hill bands -- sue me. The fact is the tight-knit community consistently produces innovative artists who push the boundaries of current music without losing their footing or becoming pretentious. The Dynamite Brothers are no exception. The popular new buzz phrase "genre-defying," doesn't quite capture their sound; you'd have to invent a new word -- something like omnigenric. You name it, they've got it in there somewhere. The sound is authentically adventurous, not busy or forced like those bands who make a big show of their own complexity. Their debut Clap Along With the Dynamite Brothers features guest appearances from members of other ground-breaking Chapel Hill area bands such as Squirrel Nut Zippers, Two Dollar Pistols and Hobex. "FROM: Music Monitor By Rick Cornell “. . . damn if Chapel Hill’s dynamic trio The Dynamite Brothers doesn’t come close to the claim that their raucous rock contains elements of ‘blues, soul, punk, funk, garage rock, jazz, and other styles’- especially if you consider the Yardbirds and the North Mississippi Allstars to be blues bands. Their debut Clap Along With the Dynamite Brothers is a party on a platter best characterized by a mid-disc three-song stretch. ‘Sunday 12am’ is horny in several senses of the word, ‘One Way Blues’ does to the blues stomp what The Clash did to rockabilly . . . and ‘Rawdawggin’ Again’ is a giddy funk fest. But the crowning moment is ‘Crazy,’ a deep soul number presented with just the right amount of ruggedness and, well, soul.”FROM: http://www.x814x.com/yinssay52.asp "Scott, Mitch and Shane are three of the best musicians around. They played a particularly explosive set tonight. Get it? But I--m not joking -- they seemed particularly tight and hard-hitting. It was a blast. Get it? But it was. The Dynamite Brothers have crafted their own sound, their own get-down-low boogie that grows out of soul, funk and rock influences, a sound forged by endless practice and searching for that groove that--s floating around deep down under your feet, in the dirt, the thing that makes the worms wiggle. When they aren--t playing as the Dynamite Brothers, these guys are out gigging around with jazz bands and side projects. Very well rounded. Not slaves to genre. They are musicians in the old school sense of the word. Right on."What the critics are saying about the live show. . .“......The Dynamite Brothers each played flamethrower sets while a man to the right of the stage created live, on-premises paintings. Rather than the usual column-ending, overly sentimental moralizing, this time I'm reserving these last couple of column inches to tell you that you should run, not walk, to the next Charlotte-area Dynamite Brothers show. Musically, I suppose you could describe it as Delta-by-way-of-Detroit, with a Keith Moon clone on drums. It's more than that, however, when the band is all synched up and getting that glazed look in their eyes like they're entering a trance. At that point, it's less like a show and more like an experience, a sort of altar call to gettin' down. Go get yourself saved.” Tim Davis - Charlotte Creative Loafing“. . . When they deliver live, it’s a red-eyed devil’s music crushed to its dusty essence.” - The Independent Weekly“. . . They play from the soul, which is anything but unappreciated, as they truly work to entertain. With raw instrumentation and forced-but-passionate vocal strains, the Dynamite Brothers are the outcome of Willie Dixon teaming up with Iggy Pop. They have proven themselves far worthy of pushing the envelope against industry standards and will have you rockin’ and boppin’ and talkin’ far after the show’s completion.” - Encore Magazine (Wilmington, NC)“. . . Their act is a crazy mixed-up mess of vintage Stax-Volt progressions, CB squelch-knob vocals and relentless raw-boned percussion. Fans of everyone from R.L. Burnside and Hound Dog Taylor to the early Kinks will flip for this great band.” – Jim Reed - Connect Savannah (Savannah, GA)“. . . Frankly, all there is to say about this show is that you owe it to yourself to check out the Dynamite Brothers as soon as possible. What’s not to like- a Keith Moon-like drummer who sings, a bass player so active he has blisters on his fingers, and a guitarist who seems equal parts Howlin’ Wolf and Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist.” - Charlotte Creative Loafing"Some bands miss their moment, but others just seem to show up in the wrong decade. Or maybe the right one. Take a listen to "Clap Along With the Dynamite Brothers," and the best parts of it will have you swearing this Chapel Hill trio came from the "Nuggets" era of 1960s garage bands. Not that they sound retro, just timeless. A find -- and lucky us, we get to hear 'em here and now." - The Independent WeeklyNUFF SAID!!!!