The Brought Low Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Mar 9th 2010 2:56PM by Amanda Elam
Comments

It's not hard to understand on first listen how the Brought Low have captured and maintained such a broad fan base over the past ten years. Forming in 1999, vocalist/guitarist Benjamin Howard and drummer Nick Heller emerged from their former band Sweet Diesel, mixing punk rock with a classic rock-tinge. Add to that a dash of country and blues influences, and bassist Robert Russell in 2003, and you have the Brought Low as they are today. Spinner caught up with the New York City band ahead of their SXSW performance.

How did the band form?

Our drummer Nick Heller and I had just come out of a band called Sweet Diesel. We were getting older and wanted to get back to the classic rock sound we grew up on. As my life and emotions were changing, what I had been playing really wasn't working for me anymore. So I started writing these songs with a more blues, country and classic rock influence. We've been through a few bassists, but we've had the same bassist, Robert Russell, now for about seven years. It's been a pretty solid line up since 2003.

How did you come up with your band name?

With the early band I was a lot younger and was like, "Yeah, we're gonna make it one day." But coming out of that it was like being brought low, or taken down a notch -- so that's where it came from.

Describe your sound in your own words.

We've got a bit of a bluesy, country, classic rock sound. Its a little brash and in your face. We have a new record coming out and on that we've actually started exploring our punk rock roots again.

What are your musical influences?

It's funny cause your tastes are always changing and what you listen to varies. I've always been of the opinion that whatever you are playing you end up listening to. But specifically, the Who got me started playing music. And the Rolling Stones -- classic rock bands are a big influence. By that same token, we're also ex-punk rock kids, so a lot of '70s Australian bands. But then also old school country like Waylon Jennings. We kind of tap into the things we like about all of that music and make it a big loud rock sound.

How would you describe your new album compared to your other releases?

As we've gotten older, we've gotten more comfortable and when that happens, you're not afraid to try new things. So there are a few straight up fast punk songs and two ballads, one of which is acoustic. With the new record we just did what we wanted. We tried not to over think it. We just wanted to keep it fresh and capture what we sound like live.

What's in your festival survival kit?

You just have to go in and have fun and enjoy the experience because that is the ultimate take away from it. You just have to keep the love of playing music in mind and go down there and find some good barbecue.

Amanda Elam is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.