Brother is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band incorporating

Celtic rock Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock, as well as a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context. It has been prolific since the early 1970s and can be seen as a key foundation of the ...

(with

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, N ...

), mongrel rock,

Australian rock Rock music in Australia, also known as Oz rock, Australian rock, and Aussie rock, has a rich history, rooted in an appreciation of various rock genres originating in the United States and Britain, and to a lesser extent, in continental Europe an ...

and

didgeridoo The didgeridoo (;()), also spelt didjeridu, among other variants, is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous Drone (music), drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgerido ...

. They record on their own Rhubarb Records label, and gained a worldwide following with their meld of Celtic music and dress with

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

and style.

History

The Richardson brothers – Hamish, Angus and Fergus – grew up in Bathurst and attended the Scots School, where they participated in the School's pipe band.''Western Advocate'', 10 September 2008 Brother formed in 1992 around the nucleus of the Richardson brothers with Hamish on didgeridoo, bagpipes and guitar, Angus on bass guitar and bagpipes, and Fergus on guitar and bagpipes. They began touring pubs in Sydney. After releasing their first album, ''Black and White'', which they had self-produced for their own label, Rhubarb Records in 1992. Their track, "An Daorach Beag", was used on the soundtrack to the film, ''

Baraka Baraka or Barakah may refer to: * Berakhah or Baraka, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony * Barakah or Baraka, in Islam, the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres * Baraka, full ''ḥa ...

'' (September 1992). In the following year they scored an opening spot on

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other ...

's Australian tour. Fergus left Brother in 1996 and worked as a film maker. He was based in Arizona, running a boutique production house, with his wife. A live album, 2000's ''This Way Up'', was met with critical acclaim and an opportunity to perform at the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

. In March 2007, Hamish left the band to live on the south coast of New South Wales, working in journalism and running a 50-member secular gospel choir. In 2007 the song "Photograph" by Brother appeared on a compilation CD containing songs associated with Bathurst. The band mainly plays in the United States but returns to Bathurst regularly. They have undertaken numerous tours around the US and the world. They have played

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Summerfest Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's Third Ward business district. Summerfest is known ...

and

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...

Musikfest ''Musikfest'' is an American music festival that has been held annually since 1984 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is the nation's largest non-gated free music festival. The festival begins on ...

. In 2011, Brother served a British band, also named Brother, with a

writ In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrant (legal), Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, and ''certiorari'' are commo ...

asserting trademark infringement; the Australian group won the legal case, and the British group changed its name to Viva Brother.Brother forced to change their name to Viva Brother
''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', 28 June 2011.

Members

;Current members *Angus Richardson — vocals, guitars, bass, bagpipes *Dave "Dalbo" Allen — drums, percussion, vocals *Drew Reid — didgeridoo, whistle, keyboards, melodica, vocals ;Past members *Hamish Richardson — vocals, bagpipes, didgeridoo, whistle, guitars, keyboards *Fergus Richardson — vocals, guitars, mandolin, bagpipes, whistle, keyboards

Albums

*''Black White'' (1992) *''Pipe Dreams'' (1994) *''Exit From Screechville'' (1995) *''Black Stone Tramp'' (1996) *''Digging Bone'' (1997) *''Your Backyard'' (1998) *''This Way Up'' (2000) (live) *''I You You Me'' (2001) *''Urban Cave'' (2003) *''Pax Romana MMV'' (2005) *''The Terrain Around Here is Far Too Dangerous'' (live - Two Roads Theatre 02.26.06) *''As You Were'' (compilation, 2006) *''One Day'' (2008) *''out from under'' (2010) *''From the Dreamtime to the Meantime'' (2013) *''Last Man Standing'' (2015)

DVDs

*''Mongrel Mythology Vol. 1''

References

External links

* New South Wales musical groups Australian rock music groups Musical groups established in 1992 {{Australia-band-stub