LIZ ANASTASIADIS & JOEY SEMEL — Are you a fan of country music? Well, you’re in luck if you live near the Greater Columbus area.
The Brothers Osborne, a two-time Grammy-nominated alternative-style country duo is coming to Express Live! on February 20 for the drop of their new album, Port Saint Joe.
Originally from Deale, Maryland, the brothers began their love for music at a young age from listening to their dad’s old CD collection, consisting of classic country bands and southern rockers such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lyle Lovett, Mariah Carey, Merle Haggard and The Allman Brothers Band.
“We grew up in a musical family. Our dad, cousin, and uncle would all sit around the kitchen table and sing and the rest of the family would come and sing along,” said John Osborne, the guitarist of The Brothers Osborne and the older of the brothers by 2 ½ years, during The Denisonian’s phone interview. “We grew up that way. We didn’t realize it was something unique to our family. Our mom and dad have influenced and supported us in our endeavors, and we’re extremely lucky for that,” added Osborne.
The 2019 tour kicked off in Chicago, Illinois on January 10. The Brothers Osborne will hit more than 40 additional markets including New York, Los Angeles and Nashville during the tour, with Columbus on the list.
“We’ve played the three C’s [Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus] of Ohio for years and it’s always a great crowd,” said Osborne. “Ohioans love a good rock show and we’re willing to give it to them.”
As for what to tell young artists here at Denison, Osborne stressed that dedication to the craft is the most important thing. “Most importantly, work very, very, very hard. Work harder than the person next to you. Be nice to people, be good to people, help others out. Stick it out and be patient. If you can, try to have fun because it’s supposed to be fun,” Osborne said.
As for their most recent album, the recording process was vastly different than their first album: “We recorded Pawn Shop over a year and a half; very fragmented and put together. Port Saint Joe was recorded in a two-week span in a house. There is no process to creation and you need to work with what you have,” said Osborne.
Now, not all of us have as cool of an opportunity as the Osborne Brothers do. Being able to record with your sibling, the person you grew up with through thick and thin, is an opportunity that John would not pass up.
When asked what it’s like performing with his brother, John answered: “Do you know how siblings have this collective consciousness? My brother and I can discuss a song by grunting out a couple of vowels that most people wouldn’t understand. I think that’s the best part about it. You go back to babies.” The Brothers Osborne’s current single is I Don’t Remember Me (Before You). It is a part of their Grammy (nominated or winning) album Port Saint Joe. Tickets for their February 20 show at Express Live! can be found at online at ticketmaster.com.