Three Mobtown Gallons by Brass Uncle Band

His resonant, growling, baritone voice contrasts with the raspy tenor of bassist, Chas Marsh, to create the band’s unique two-men-screaming-at-the-top-of-their-lungs vocal barrage. John’s chunky Stratocaster rhythms and craggy, now dissonant, now tuneful lead guitar work threads the needle, provided by Marsh’s thump and grind bass lines and drummer, Duke’s powerful and complex rhythms.

Lyrics

Petr’s enigmatic lyrics course through the razor and rumble. “Devil’s on my breath / so I must be lying / caught taking my time / now the water’s rising / kicking in my sleep / ‘cause I’m the wandering kind” introduces us to the singer’s troubled world at the top of the CD and it’s downhill from there. Death by electric chair, vehicular homicide, arson - it’s all in there without pity or preaching, sometimes even with a wry sense of humor.

About the Band Members

A mixture of many rock eras, BUB is a multi-generational band. Chas has two decades on his band mates. He brings hard knocks seasoning (from years touring with Oakland blues shouter Frankie Lee, and Texas lap-steel phenomenon, Sonny Rhodes) to the band’s raw twenty-something energy. John Petr is an art school musician. With a degree in painting and illustration he created all the artwork on 3MG. John started playing bass in high school and switched to guitar as his songwriting talents blossomed. In 2005 he came back to Baltimore from a year on a ranch in Wyoming with the backpack full of song ideas that became “Three Mobtown Gallons.” Duke Cave, a multi-instrumentalist, equally at home on guitar, bass, and trombone has roots deep in progressive rock. He chose to focus on drums after a few years as a musician/nomad, devotedly following several prog rock bands from his native Buffalo, NY all over the Northeast.

What’s Next?

Not yet two years old, the Uncles continue to build a loyal following in Baltimore. In a successful foray to Philadelphia they landed “standout performer” honors a WXPN’s prestigious World Café Live where they played on their main stage. With the release of “Three Mobtown Gallons,” BUB is ready to start stirring the pot. The band will tour throughout 2007 to promote their CD. Their goals are lofty, so keep your ear to the ground.

Brass Uncle Band FAQ (for our avid readers)

Will BUB perform at my sheshe art gallery opening?

Honestly, BUB is likely no one’s idea of a mellow night out. We have tried, and failed repeatedly. While we aren’t a constant barrage BUB can be the source of upset for the typical after dinner crowd.

Does BUB play other people’s music?

Yes, for example, we cover Steve Earle, the Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter and Ray Charles. We’re a bit lean on modern radio hits. This is not snobbery, we just don’t play them very well.

Has BUB won any awards or honors?

A bit of a sore spot, as mentioned earlier, we won standout performer honors and gigged at WXPN’s World Café Live main stage, but got (no lie) three traffic tickets on the way home from Philadelphia. This, after some guy with a high school wrestling trophy crazy-glued to his dash, tried to go a coupla rounds with Duke in the parking lot…

If Duke where a popular cocktail, what would he be?

A car bomb.

What’s up with the old guy?

Yes, Chas, BUB’s bassist is, frankly, ancient. The John and Duke feel his seasoned playing mostly makes up for the fact that he sometimes forgets the name of the band and repeats tired hippie sayings like, “It’s all good, man” until they want to kick him out of the van. His occasional acid flashbacks while driving are of minor concern.

Is it my imagination or do half the people in the audience at Brass Uncle shows look a lot like John?

Okay, it’s time to fess up. John is actually John #8 Petr. The family is part of a top secret scientific experiment to create a race of ruggedly handsome blond men. Johns #5, #7, #9 and #12 are regulars are all BUB shows.

What happened to Duke’s arms? Is that scar in the shape of the Virgin Mary or an alien?

Duke has been known to proclaim his manliness in a variety of unconventional ways, among them pressing a sizzling-hot key (which only incidentally resembles Our Lady) to his flesh and carving a bloody X into his shoulder meat, reopening an old scar that “used to look cool”.

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