Soundhouse: The Brother Brothers + Hannah Read & Michael Starkey

Join us for the opening concert of our autumn programme at The Traverse. This is a very special double bill featuring a band we have wanted to book for so long and then have had to wait more than two years because of COVID, plus a duo that blew us away last year when they appeared at our Back @ The Trav season

THE BROTHER BROTHERS

“With fingerpicked arpeggios, a splash of funky electric keyboard, and some close harmonies that suggest Simon & Garfunkel over Willie Nelson, the Brother Brothers offer a bittersweet ode to the touring life and days that seem long past” - Rolling Stone Country

Based out of Brooklyn, New York, the Brother Brothers is a folk duo consisting of Adam and David Moss, identical twins who embarked on individual music careers of their own before uniting in 2017 to release their debut EP, Tugboats, earning themselves a record contract in the process. A pair of full-lengths, Some People I Know (2018) and Calla Lily (2021), followed, showcasing their rich harmonies and instrumental chops.

Originally from Peoria, Illinois, the Moss brothers began their musical journey as string players, with Adam playing fiddle and David on cello. After receiving his cello performance degree at University of Illinois, David ended up in Austin, Texas, where he played in a band called the Blue Hit, learned to play the guitar, and started playing and recording his own solo material. Meanwhile, Adam continued to explore a wide range of fiddle traditions from klezmer to bluegrass and swing, playing in East Coast bands like Session Americana and the Defibulators.

Plopped atop virtuosic musicianship and enlivened by true blood harmonies, these stories come to life on the band’s stunning sophomore album Calla Lily , produced by Grammy-nominated Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Brandi Carlile, Vance Joy). According to American Songwriter, “Calla Lily proves that no matter what musical context Adam and David Moss may come to put themselves in, what the duo want to say through music will always come to show the beauty that exists—even in the deepest cracks—of human living." Proclaims No Depression, “the warm harmonies and silky melodies of identical twins David and Adam Moss evoke the kind of ’60s-era folk tunes that reverberated through dark, wood-paneled bars in the Village... If these brothers aren’t among the Americana Music Association’s nominees for Emerging Artist or Duo-Group, I want a recount.”

HANNAH READ & MICHAEL STARKEY

'So exciting to hear such a diversity of old and new tunes and depth of expression, all in the language of old time music, but at the same time reaching out... a wonderful new piece of musical work” -Bruce Molsky

Fiddler and singer-songwriter Hannah Read met banjo player Michael Starkey at an Appalachian old time session in Edinburgh in late 2019. The moment they first struck up a tune together there was an immediate meeting of musical minds. They have since become a dynamic fiddle and banjo duo, playing repertoire deep from the old time tradition as well as newly self-composed tunes and songs. Their compelling sound can be heard on the debut album Cross the Rolling Water out on Hudson Records in June 2022.

Hannah Read is an award-winning Scottish musician based in Brooklyn, New York. She moved stateside to study American fiddle styles and to immerse herself in the thriving string music scene. She has toured extensively, performing solo and collaborating with musicians far and wide including Tony Trischka, Sarah Jarosz and Jefferson Hamer, as well as being one part of the BBC Folk Award winning Songs of Separation.

Michael Starkey is a multi-instrumentalist, music teacher and old time banjo enthusiast living in Scotland. His mission as a musician is to keep things simple – clear melody lines underpinned by solid, infectious rhythm. Recent collaborations include with Wayward Jane (Edinburgh-based UK/US folk and roots music 4-piece) and ‘Faultlines’, a collection of Lisa Fannen’s poetry set to music.

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The Traverse Theatre is funded by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council, and has received additional support from the Scottish Government's Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund and Creative Scotland’s Recovery Fund for Cultural Organisations.