NY Gets Live: JEFF the Brotherhood at Le Poisson Rouge 8/21/11

Throughout the decade, the garage rock revival of the post-punk era has not necessarily lasted on the mainstream level it was on in the early days of the Strokes and White Stripes, but that does not mean that garage rock has died. There are still many, many bands that have been making ripples since the early 2000s; you just need to seek them out.

JEFF the Brotherhood is a prime example of a garage rock band to seek out. They are a two-piece band composed of a guitar player and drummer, and actually are brothers (though neither is named Jeff). Jack White is a supporter of this band, as he has been known to speak highly about them, and has recruited them to be the opening act of the Raconteurs comeback show this September in Nashville, where the duo is based.

They took the stage on Sunday night at the Le Poisson Rouge on Bleecker Street as the third of four bands that night. Le Poisson Rouge is a small venue, where you are guided downstairs and to a basement stage area. The small room was mostly filled, but still easy to maneuver around, and virtually anywhere you stand would give you a good view of the stage.

JEFF the Brotherhood came out and played with a lot of energy. The brothers looked like they came right out of the 1970s, and played with grit and power to display their dominant garage rock sound. The guitar player came into the crowd multiple times, and they really got the already rowdy crowd jumping. Unfortunately, the other bands didn’t seem like good fits to compliment the JEFF the Brotherhood sound. The other bands were more metal sounding, and included a lot more screaming rather than singing, and a lot of the fans that night seemed to be there for that sort of sound. However, those bands still played with a lot of energy themselves, and got the crowd worked up, and the crowd stayed that way through JEFF the Brotherhood’s set. It was probably a lot more rowdy of a show than other JEFF the Brotherhood shows might be, especially up close to the stage where there was a lot of pushing, beer spraying, and even some crowd surfing, which all allowed a good time for those involved. However, if you didn’t want to be shoved and sprayed with beer, the back of the room was still tame, and wasn’t that far away from the stage.

JEFF the Brotherhood isn’t a band that you are going discover on MTV, or even listening to the radio, though their last two albums have achieved more exposure than the group started out with as a high school band in 2002. However, they have been covered by several magazine and music websites, including Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Paste, and Spin magazine, which named the group one of the best tours of this past spring. They are one of the bands that you might be inclined to pass over when you see their name at the top of an article since you don’t hear about them on the radio or tv, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth checking out whether they are attached to a bigger name like the Raconteurs, or playing in a small New York City venue.

-JKS

Key songs by JEFF the Brotherhood:
"Diamond Way"

JEFF The Brotherhood - 'Diamond Way' by SpunkRecords
and "The Tropics"

The Tropics by JEFF the Brotherhood by infinitycatrecordings