Just kidding...it's The Rayo Brothers!
Brace yourselves, I'm going to rave about these guys and their music. They were one of the few local bands I was excited to see live. I know good music when I hear it so trust me when I say if
you haven't been to a Rayo Brothers show, you're going to be insanely impressed with these local guys. They're a big part of the reason I started attending more local shows. They somehow manage to successfully
strike a balance between lively
and relaxed. The music, upbeat and invigorating, and yet, they project
to the
crowd this understanding that they’re just fine with you standing
against the
wall, tapping your foot. And, as
someone who
does this regularly at shows and has to constantly remind my closest
companions
that “Yes, I’m okay. No, I’m not mad, this is just how my face
looks," it makes attending
these shows wonderfully enjoyable. And
hell, if you’re not having fun, there are far too many people dancing
for them or
anyone to even notice. So go on, brood away. It's one of those shows you can attend by yourself and still have fun. I’m not sure what caused me
to be hyper-aware
that this was the most comfortable local music show I have been to, but I
even noticed the comfort and ease the band had with one another. There
may only
be two members who are actually brothers, but they all have this presence
with each
other on stage that it's obvious they're tremendously at
ease
with one another as musicians and long-time friends.
They're
also very at ease with awkwardly nervous, amateur music bloggers. I had
the chance to sit down with Daniel and Jesse Reaux to talk about their
music, how they began, and what's next for the band.
Have you guys ever done a rendition of "Man of Constant Sorrow"? You should.
In
2011, Daniel and Jesse began performing open mic nights at Bisbano's
and Artmosphere with songs Daniel wrote. At the beginning of 2012,
they competed in a several week competition at Artmosphere for singers
and songwriters, and won. Today, they consist of brothers Daniel and Jesse Reaux, Lance Kelehan, and Jordan Ardoin, along with fiddler Sarah Jayde Williams. Growing up with country and folk
influences, their motivation for what Jesse describes as "the soul of
why we make music" came from artists like Bill Monroe and Hank Williams.
But what made them want to start a band and play live came from the
more modern bands like Crooked Still, The Avett Brothers, and Mumford and
Sons. They definitely hit the mark because when they were brought to my attention, I
was told they were along the lines of Mumford and Sons (and who doesn't love M&S?). But it's hard
to accurately place their music, even for them, because there is a mixture of genres, so I asked what things they
consider when they set out to make music, and you can't help but love their answer:
"Anything that's really fun." More so, they're still at
the point where they're playing what they like to play. And like I've said before, when artists are making music for the sake of a good time, the results are going to be phenomenal, and they're a prime example.
I also wondered what it was like to work with siblings. My sister and I fought until we were adults, so if we were in a band together, I think we'd want to ring each others' neck (désolé, sœur. C'est vrai). But Daniel and Jesse feel like their work together is very natural, and it makes sense. When the music and experience they set out to create lies in the foundation that they're having fun doing what they do, it's going to flow naturally. But they're still serious about their music and have high ambitions for the places they want to perform: Voodoo Festival, House of Blues, and Austin City Limits. Easy peasy, they've conquered Jazzfest already.
Jameson: the Nickelback of whiskey.
No? Just me? Moving on..
I try to be diligent about keeping pictures and videos to a minimum when I'm attending live shows; I want to give as much consideration to the experience as possible, but there are some things I want to capture and be able to look back on. I was at a dinner party one night recently and a man, whom I was having a discussion with about technology asked, "How many people do you think actually go back and watch those videos from concerts?" After some discussion we arrived at the conclusion that I'm an anomaly because I saw Sara Bareilles three years ago and I still watch the video I took from that gig, reminiscing about being merely seven feet from her. I was like my twelve year old niece at a OneDirection concert: "I just breathed the same air as OneDirection!" But while watching The Rayo Brothers, I realized that they were about to kick it up a notch, and I knew I needed to catch it. It was about 3/4 of the way through a song when the entire place began stomping their feet with the music and It. Was. Glorious. It was one of those moments where you are forced to stop, look around, and smile at people around you being completely free of worry. At this very second, my phone decides to run out of storage, so I don't have a video of this awesome spectacle to post, and I'm very contrite about it. But, this just gives me yet another reason to see them play again, so I'll have one then when they play at Feed N Seed on July 10. In the meantime, the brothers are working on a music video for their title track "Gunslinger" which is due to premier sometime in July, so be on the lookout for that, I'll be posting it here. Jesse also let me know that they hope to have a new album out in time for Festival International next year.
Featured here: serenading in an alley. I don't recommend this for a date.
Aside from being talented Americana folk artists, they're extremely humble and very welcoming. More importantly, they're obviously passionate and proud of what they're doing on top of having jobs and families. I sure hope these guys get far in their music careers because seeing people as real and down to earth as they are is refreshing. And what's great about Lafayette's local music scene is that you can catch one or two members from one band mixing with other bands for shows around town. Jesse Reaux teamed up with SourSedans for a couple of songs during Blue Moon's melting pot show a few weeks ago. It's a unique experience, so get out there and catch these guys. You never know what you'll see. Check out their album while you're grilling for the 4th this weekend, then go see their next show Friday, July 11 at Feed N Seed. (Seriously, how great is that place?)
Happy listening!
Photo Credit: Mandie Kiddy
mandiekid.wix.com/mdkphotography
Follow me on Instagram for updates of this blog and my adventures in live music @ml_brew
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