ISSUE 20 - THE BROTHELS

by Josh Spilker

A brothel is known as a house of ill repute. But The Brothels’ house is more of a house of interesting repute. Chicken wire lines the front yard of their house near Market and 21st to keep the dirt from spilling out into the sidewalk. And there’s a big raft out front on the porch, already inflated and ready for a ride.

On a recent Saturday, the house is literally buzzing. Amps are feeding back and harmonicas are humming. The pattering of dogs and the offering of mango mimosas greet all visitors. I stepped through the makeshift, disheveled living room of couches, sleeping bags, and various books and DVDs to the dining room. This is actually the practice space, with not only the standard band equipment but also a folded up Ping Pong table. The disorganization of the living room is separated from the formal practice space by one prominent feature - a stoned over fireplace painted white with a chimney that doesn’t quite reach the ceiling. No one knows what to do with it, except put drinks and leftover Mardi Gras beads on the mantle that surrounds it.

Jason “Jerry Dripper” Burke and Jeff “Jersey Cowboy” Micchelli are part of The Brothels and live in the house. They just returned from Mardi Gras the Thursday before along with Justin “Sterile Darryl” Autrey. On that trip, while traversing the south, they found out they were opening for Oteil and the Peacemakers on March 9 at the Soapbox. Oteil Burbridge, of the Allman Brothers Band.

“We grew up listening to the Allman Brothers, and going to Allman Brothers shows, when we found out, we were on our way to Mardi Gras from Atlanta,” says Jason. “We lost our voice screaming so loud. It’s early in the life of our band, but we feel good about it.”

So early, that they just started playing regularly four months ago, when Jason and Jeff decided to leave their homes in Maryland and join “Jasper James” Butler here in Wilmington. James (vocals/mandolin) has been in Wilmington for about three years, met his wife Emmalee and has taken to a life filled with aquaculture and band stuff. Justin still lives in Maryland, but is considering a move (“The arm is getting twisted,” says Justin).

At the practice, after petting the dogs and getting settled with a mango juice mimosa, The Brothels launch into their set. They start off with an instrumental that was heavy on the “Fisher-Price percussion amalgamation,” as Jason called his drum kit that included a couple of high-hats, a snare, and bongos. James was ripping on the mandolin, and the hard charging sound was complimented by Jeff on the acoustic guitar and Bry “Sly Cat” Smith on the electric. Justin provided melody on the harmonica.






For the next song Jeff picked up a banjo and Bry soon moved over to the acoustic from the electric and took up the vocals from James. The sextet is rounded out by Steve “The Sledge” Tarabokia on the bass. They all play multiple instruments however, and it’s a flexibility that The Brothels are proud of.

James explains it this way:
“When you’re playing music and you explore an instrument, it’s just like any other profession-- you want to branch out and expand and find out, and so you pick up another instrument. We’ve all done that. We’ve all explored a different instrument not just so we can have a variety of instruments in the band, but have the variety of people playing different styles on those different instruments. It really keeps it fresh.”

This time The Brothels move in and out of their bluegrass/folk mold and James lays his vocals out more as cries of passion rather than singing. This is backed by pleasantly by melody on the harmonica, which serves as an essential member of The Brothels lineup, rather than a mere novelty act. The whole shebang comes out as an earthy original rock experience that invites jam band callers and modern rock hoarders right into the home of bluegrass.

“You can tell from the instrumentation we will be seen as a traditional bluegrass instrumentation, but that’s the furthest pigeonhole away from where you can peg us,” says Jason. “Some of our music can really be fast and intense, and a shit-kickin’ good time, and some of it is really slow, melodic and wonderful. We play a wide variety of music, and hopefully in the end it will sound like us, and you’ll know it.”

“You can’t help but be honest with these instruments. It’s not like we’re playing pop country. There’s nothing to hide behind,” Jeff the Jersey Cowboy adds in.

Once the set gets started, I realize I’m not the only one there for a show. There are few people coming in and out, plus the dogs making their presence known. People want to see what The Brothels are up to. Even a few days before when I first met the guys for an interview at a coffee shop, they were inviting people to their shows. It’s a feeling that The Brothels want to emphasize.

“Most of our music,” says James, “has themes of community, family. It’s inclusive.”

And The Brothels are taking their inclusiveness and using it as a cornerstone for their future. The Brothels is a musical endeavor that the guys are putting their whole selves into. Several of them have given up other jobs or opportunities to move to Wilmington and embrace The Brothels.

“The commitment comes easy,” continues James. “[What] any of us would leave behind I think are false commitments, those that are half-hearted. It’s a leap of faith, but all of us have fallen on our face plenty of times for worse reasons. But the commitment is there, and it’s always been there in every one of us.”

And the right time is right now. Many of them have played together for several years, but it never jelled into a cohesive force until this place and this time. They are finally ready to open up for all to see.

“I think we’re all seasoned to the point where we have a lot more confidence in the songs that we write,” says Jeff the Jersey Cowboy. “Now I feel confident that I can put it all out there and have something substantial behind it.”