An Orrall Fixation
Jake Orrall fixes the crowd with a piercing stare from beneath his bowl haircut, brandishes his guitar in front of him like a sword and then steps into the throng like a medieval jouster about to spear an opponent. A meaty guitar riff billows out from Jakes amp behind him while his younger brother, Jamin Orrall, pounds away at his drum kit, unable to wipe the fixed grin from his face.This is the scene at Pianos during a sweat-drenched CMJ show in October 2009, just one of many appearances at the festival by Nashville two-piece JEFF the Brotherhood. It was during this time that innumerable people were converted to the cult of JEFF, having been won over by the sunbaked 70s rock riffage and Jakes affinity for donning leather trousers and dangling a raccoon tail from his guitar strap.
We are definitely trying to brand an aesthetic, explains Jake, when asked about his sartorial preferences. It just becomes easier to recognize with that consistency.The brothers have been tooling away for nine years, releasing countless albums under the JEFF moniker (We added the Brotherhood when we realized you couldnt search for JEFF on the Internet, says Jake) and building a towering stack of gloriously hefty chord progressions. Jake and Jamin are also active players on the Nashville scene, performing in an early carnation of Be Your Own Pet and releasing records by local musicians on their Infinity Cat label.
We played music since we were 12 and 10 years old, together as a two-piece, says Jake. Despite claiming he did not know how to play guitar at all, Jake forged ahead with his chosen craft. We both saw this movie about the band Half Japanese and liked this whole idea that you can make music and not have to know how to play an instrument. Our dad always had a four-track, so we just started using that, and eventually we got pretty good at our instruments.
When he discovered punk in high school, Jake claims he was just blown away that people even did that, but the Orralls father, a musician who uses the alias Bob Something, played a key role. Our dad turned us on to a lot of great music growing up, Jake recalls. He was really into Elvis Costello and The Clash and stuff like that.The preteen brothers also discovered an enduring love of flannel that continued to cast an influence during the recording of the latest JEFF album, Heavy Days.
I was really into grunge music when I was in sixth or seventh grade, Jake explains. I got really into Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana and Sonic Youth in middle school and high school.Then we started really getting into punk and hardcore.We started a punk band when I was in ninth grade.The band also reaches further into the past for inspiration. The past couple of years, weve been addicted to early- to mid-70s hard rock and Southern rock, Jake says. Really big sounds. A lot of British stuff like Budgie and Trapeze, and also some bigger stuff like Thin Lizzy and Judas Priest and Mountain.
After helping out Be Your Own Pet, Jake took an unusual detour by quitting the band and heading to Iceland for his senior year in high school. It was cold, he says when asked about the experience. I got a place in a distant town on the opposite side of the island from Reykjavik.There was a couple of cover bands that played Nirvana and Metallica and stuff like that, which I eventually joined, and persuaded to learn some of my songs. Other than that, there wasnt much going on.
Despite their tender years, the JEFF brothers have already indulged in some lengthy tours. I remember one show in Cape Cod, where we played for five or six tourists at this bar, and ended up running out into the street, blocking people from leaving because we were playing right by the door, Jake recalls. One guy, this old dude, drunk all this absinthe and was licking the window while we were playing.This other dude was a bail bondsman or something, and was tying to get us to let him be our manager, then fell backward into the street.There have been a couple of minor hospitalizations at our shows, but never anything too crazy.
When asked how the brothers survive on tour, Jake offers insight into their relationship: The sibling dynamic always turns to arguments and disagreements. But we get along surprisingly well considering weve been in a band together months at a time. He also offers a few tips for anyone tempted to follow their lead. We bring a lot of socks, these big bags of socks, and throw them away every few days, he says. And as many snacks from our parents house as possible.
-- JEFF The Brotherhood Feb. 6, Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. (betw. Bowery & Chrystie St.), 212-533-2111; 7, $15.