Bluegrass royalty Leigh and Eric Gibson step into what some might at first see as uncharted territory on their country-soul breakout “Mockingbird”, the new album produced by Grammy Award winners Dan Auerbach and Fergie Ferguson. The celebrated bluegrass duo — 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, and 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; as songwriters they stand without peer, having long been a band awarded for their songs and songwriting.
Looking back on the brisk week and a half of writing and recording “Mockingbird” in Nashville, the Gibson Brothers are confident in what they've accomplished. This is an album that exemplifies the sibling bond and is poised to introduce them to an entirely new audience.
"We'll be able to reach more people than we have in the past," says Eric. "I don't want to downplay what we accomplished in bluegrass, but I didn't know our voices would suit this variety of music so well."
His brother agrees. "If you thought you knew the Gibson Brothers and had them figured out," Leigh says, "well, maybe you didn't."
Lyrically driven, Chicago Farmer delves into the social and political issues of today’s world, taking it all in and putting it back out through music as a commentary on modern times in the Midwest. With his unfeigned and relatable approach, Chicago Farmer has earned a place in the heart of this generation’s rise of protest songs. He composes music written and sung by and for the working man, the “regular person”, bringing to mind modern day folk tales.
Tickets: $25