Kevin and Ciaran Jeremiah have musicality in their blood. Growing up in a family band the brothers played 60s and Irish folk music, finger picking acoustic guitars and singing harmonies with their parents and uncles. Now after years dedicating their time to other projects they are finally releasing their debut album as a duo – The Jeremiah Brothers. Inspired by the folk music sound they grew up with, they’ve created a touching Bob Dylan-esque debut album that brings the 60s troubadour vibe back into the present.
For the Jeremiah Brothers the album was influenced by a “mild sense of panic at all the responsibility” in their settled down lifestyle – both married, one with a child. As siblings their musical chemistry has always been strong, but writing together without any input from a record company they have reached a new level of contentment. They “never had a moment of disagreement over how anything should go”.
The brothers are no strangers to the music industry. As children they were playing with their family in The Jeremiahs, heavily influenced by the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan and The Dubliners. Entering their teens, the brothers now in a band with school friend Paul Stewart (The Feeling, drums) discovered more alternative artists like Guns n Roses and were regularly appearing on Brighton Pier. Eventually they formed The Feeling after Ciaran attended the legendary BRIT School in Croydon, and from their debut album onwards the band were a huge success – going 3x platinum and selling over 1.5 million copies of their debut record, earning an Ivor Novello Award as well as a BRIT Award nomination. But after settling down with their families and embracing adult responsibilities, Kevin and Ciaran have found time to return to their roots with a more folk inspired project.
The writing is extremely personal, ‘London Angel’ is inspired by Ciaran’s wife and the strong, positive force she has had on his life; ‘Not That Easy’ is a tribute to their father who passed away a few years ago. ‘Never Let Me Go’ delves into how, when you have to start letting go of the boundless dreams of youth, as the brothers explain, “you can find a different purpose in living for someone you love”. Fellow The Feeling member Dan Gillespie co-wrote ‘Lie With You’, a song inspired by Oscar Wilde’s famous quote “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”.
The production was entirely their responsibility, a refreshing challenge for the duo. While they describe the progress as much harder and time consuming than working with a team, as they have done before, they were glad that they could bring to life their own vision of what they wanted the record to be – it was a personal endeavour. The creative freedom they enjoyed on this project contributed to a unique sound that is so different from their previous commercial successes. The Jeremiah Brothers also enlisted the expertise of Paul Stewart and Matt Park (The Mystery Jets, pedal steel) to bring some variety to the record.
The Jeremiah Brothers will be touring the UK in June, and are playing various festivals throughout the summer.
Artists’ website: http://thejeremiahbrothers.com/
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