Brother is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band incorporating

Celtic rock Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock, as well as a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context. It has been extremely prolific since the early 1970s and can be seen as a key foundat ...

(with

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

), mongrel rock,

Australian rock Rock music in Australia, also known as Oz rock, Australian rock and Aussie rock, is rock music from Australia. The nation has a rich history of rock music and an appreciation of the roots of various rock genres, usually originating in the United ...

and

didgeridoo The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...

. They record on their own Rhubarb Records label, and gained a worldwide following with their meld of Celtic music and dress with

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

and style.

History

The Richardson brothers – Hamish, Angus and Fergus – grew up in Bathurst and attended the Scots School, where they participated in the School's pipe band.''Western Advocate'', 10 September 2008 Brother formed in 1992 around the nucleus of the Richardson brothers with Hamish on didgeridoo, bagpipes and guitar, Angus on bass guitar and bagpipes, and Fergus on guitar and bagpipes. They began touring pubs in Sydney. After releasing their first album, ''Black and White'', which they had self-produced for their own label, Rhubarb Records in 1992. Their track, "An Daorach Beag", was used on the soundtrack to the film, ''

Baraka Baraka or Barakah may refer to: * Berakhah or Baraka, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony * Barakah or Baraka, in Islam, the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres * Baraka, full ''ḥ ...

'' (September 1992). In the following year they scored an opening spot on

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has been a member of three successful rock bands: the James Gang, Eagles, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr B ...

's Australian tour. Fergus left Brother in 1996 and worked as a film maker. He was based in Arizona, running a boutique production house, with his wife. A live album, 2000's ''This Way Up'', was met with critical acclaim and an opportunity to perform at the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

. In March 2007, Hamish left the band to live on the south coast of New South Wales, working in journalism and running a 50-member secular gospel choir. In 2007 the song "Photograph" by Brother appeared on a compilation CD containing songs associated with Bathurst. The band mainly plays in the United States but returns to Bathurst regularly. They have undertaken numerous tours around the US and the world. They have played

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

Summerfest Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's central business district. Summerfest attracts app ...

and

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

Musikfest ''Musikfest'' is an American music festival that has been held annually since 1984 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is the nation's largest non-gated free music festival. The festival begins on ...

. In 2011, Brother served a British band, also named Brother, with a

writ In common law, a writ (Anglo-Saxon ''gewrit'', Latin ''breve'') is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, a ...

asserting trademark infringement; the Australian group won the legal case, and the British group changed its name to

Viva Brother Viva Brother are an English rock band from Slough, England. Previously known as Brother, they signed to Geffen Records in October and EMI Publishing in November 2010. Their debut album, '' Famous First Words'', was released on 1 August 2011, a ...

.Brother forced to change their name to Viva Brother
''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', 28 June 2011.

Members

*Angus Richardson: bass guitar, bagpipes *Dave Allen (Dalbo) *Drew Reid

Albums

*''Black White'' (1992) *''Pipe Dreams'' (1994) *''Exit From Screechville'' (1995) *''Black Stone Tramp'' (1996) *''Digging Bone'' (1997) *''Your Backyard'' (1998) *''This Way Up'' (2000) (live) *''I You You Me'' (2001) *''Urban Cave'' (2003) *''Pax Romana MMV'' (2005) *''The Terrain Around Here is Far Too Dangerous'' (live - Two Roads Theatre 02.26.06) *''As You Were'' (compilation, 2006) *''One Day'' (2008) *''out from under'' (2010) *''From the Dreamtime to the Meantime'' (2013) *''Last Man Standing'' (2015)

DVDs

*''Mongrel Mythology Vol. 1''

References

External links

* New South Wales musical groups Australian rock music groups Musical groups established in 1992 {{Australia-band-stub