Burden Brothers preview
Burden Brothers
Double Door, Chicago
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Where have all the good men gone from the ’90s? While Gavin Rossdale babysits, Jeff Buckley’s mother tries to convince Brad Pitt not to play her late son in a biopic supposedly in the works, and Chris Cornell pens the latest James Bond theme song, the fates of some of the decade’s recognizable faces have taken unlikely turns.
Despite releasing a platinum-selling debut in 1994, Rubberneck, and a raging single, “Possum Kingdom,” as The Toadies, did anyone really think frontman Vaden Todd Lewis would ever be heard from again? Especially after the band imploded following a follow-up dud seven years later?
Licking his wounds from record label shenanigans and The Toadies’ demise, Lewis teamed with drummer Taz Bentley, formerly of Reverend Horton Heat, to form Burden Brothers. Incorporating a barrage of guitars and Lewis’ signature howl, which ranges from menacing to slightly spooky, the band morphed from a project between Lewis and Bentley and their friends, including GN’R alumni Duff McKagan and Izzy Stradlin, recording a few demos to a serious outfit with the backing of a label, Kirtland Records. Guitarists Corey Rozzoni and Casey Hess and bass player Zack Busby rounded out the lineup after McKagan followed Slash to create Velvet Revolver (another hodgepodge of ’90s talent). Stradlin still contributes guitar work sporadically.
Based in Dallas, Burden Brothers released their second album, Mercy, in late October and previewed some new tunes in Chicago over the summer at Lollapalooza. *Mercy* begins with a Bentley-penned death march entitled “It’s Time,” and it’s a straightforward rock show from there on in. The first single, “Everybody Is Easy (We Sink/We Swim)” retains the sensibility of the decade that brought these guys fame, and the remaining 13 tracks feature fresh hooks any music fan would find appealing.
— Janine Schaults
Click here to download “Shadow” from *Buried In Your Black Heart.
Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly
