Sibling rivalry is an age-old rock ’n’ roll trope; just ask the Beach Boys, the Kinks or Oasis. Ben Lomond alt-rockers and brothers George and Henry Chadwick went so far as to reference it in their band name, My Stupid Brother—a name they came up with after a fight.
However, they aren’t exactly Noel and Liam Gallagher.
“Despite the name, we get along great,” says Henry. “We don’t fight at all. We work well together and keep it pretty professional.”
The group formed 13 years ago, when Henry was still in junior high and George was a freshman in high school. In that time, they’re about the only thing that hasn’t changed about the band, which is now a trio. When they started, they played ’90s-style pop-punk, and later developed into more of a garage-rock band a la the Strokes and the Vines. More recently, they’ve evolved into a lush, heavy alternative-rock band in the vein of Arctic Monkeys, Cage the Elephant and Wavves, but with a heavy dose of vocal harmonies.
“I feel like the band’s sound has been 10 years behind the popular trends in music,” Henry says. “So our last album sounded like music you would have heard in 2004, where our first album sounds like music you would have heard in 1992.”
Their third record, Welcome to My Head, was released last year. It’s not only a boost forward in terms of production, it’s also their most personal and angriest record to date.
“I guess there’s a loud, angry teenager living inside of me, and it comes out in songs,” Henry says. “I write most songs when I’m in not the best mood. When I’m feeling confused, it’s a way to make sense of all that. Definitely it’s an outlet for that side of myself.”
INFO: 9 p.m. Friday, April 24. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $8. 429-6994.
