JEFF The Brotherhood | |
|---|---|
 JEFF the Brotherhood performing in Iowa City, IA in 2013. (L-R: Jamin and Jake Orrall) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Nashville,Tennessee, United States |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Infinity Cat,Third Man,Warner Bros.,Dine Alone Records (Worldwide Distributor) |
| Members | Jake Orrall Jamin Orrall |
| Website | www |
JEFF the Brotherhood is an American two-piecerock band consisting of brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall, hailing fromNashville,Tennessee. Their style has been described by music writers as containing elements ofpsychedelic rock,garage rock,punk andpop.[1] They have released five original LPs on the labelInfinity Cat, one live album onThird Man Records, and assorted singles and splits with noted artists such asTy Segall,Best Coast, andScreaming Females. They tour extensively and have played shows across the United States and internationally.[2]
Brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall are the sons of successful producer/singer/songwriter[3] (Robert Ellis Orrall, son of “Jake the Jap”, of Motorcycle Hall of Fame (MHOF) famously) and grew up surrounded by music. They founded JEFF the Brotherhood (originally simply called JEFF) in 2001, while still in high school.[4] Their first album,I Like You, was funded using pre-orders from the audience at a show for their side project, The Sex.[5] Although this work did not see widespread exposure,[4] it received critical acclaim.[6] They started several other bands and side projects (including post-punk quartetBe Your Own Pet), eventually leaving them all and moving from Nashville to Chicago in order to pursue JEFF the Brotherhood full-time.[5] The band returned to Nashville when Jamin dropped out ofColumbia College Chicago.
Throughout the 2000s, they released several limited-release albums and toured extensively. The band began to receive nationwide attention in 2009 with the release ofHeavy Days; although the album is their fifth, it is often mistakenly reported to be their first. Soon afterwards, they collaborated withBest Coast on an EP released onVolcom and released a live album onJack White'sThird Man Records.[7]
In 2011, JEFF the Brotherhood and their family label, Infinity Cat Recordings, signed a deal withWarner Music Group that would give them "substantial creative control," as well as wider distribution.[8] According to their father, Robert Ellis Orrall, starting withWe Are The Champions, JEFF the Brotherhood releases would receive global distribution from WMG'sAlternative Distribution Alliance under the Warner/Independent Label Group umbrella.[9] Warner Music A&R representative Ryan Whalley told Billboard Magazine that the deal was "a little different than how we usually work with bands" because the band would "maintain a foot in both Warner and Infinity Cat."[10]
In 2012, JEFF the Brotherhood performed live instrumentation forInsane Clown Posse's single forThird Man Records, "Leck mich im Arsch", a rearrangement of aWolfgang Amadeus Mozart composition produced byJack White.[11][12][13] They also released a live EP recorded atUnited Record Pressing calledUpstairs At United, Vol. 3 forRecord Store Day.
JEFF The Brotherhood teamed up withDan Auerbach to produce their latest studio album and first album on Warner Bros. Records,Hypnotic Nights. The album was recorded in just one week at Dan's Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville, TN and was released on July 17, 2012. "We've never worked with a producer before, so this was the first time we'd ever had any outside input," says Jamin. "It was Dan's first co-production, too, and it really worked. He just hung out, let us do our thing and helped when we needed it." Adds Jake, "We write songs without anyone else in mind, so Dan brought in this idea of, 'Well, you guys do what you do and I'll present it so everyone else will understand.'"[14]
On July 9, 2012,NPR Music began streaming the entirety of their 7th album, entitledHypnotic Nights.[15]
JEFF the Brotherhood was initially due to release their second album for Warner Bros.,Wasted on the Dream, on March 10, 2015. However, on February 17, 2015, the band announced that it had been dropped from the label and would instead release the album on March 24, 2015 via Infinity Cat.[16]
For this LP the band includedJack Lawrence ofThe Greenhornes andThe Raconteurs on bass. In addition to Lawrence, Wasted On The Dream features guest contributions fromBethany Cosentino ofBest Coast, who sings on "In My Dreams," plusDiarrhea Planet guitarists Evan Bird and Emmett Miller as well as rock veteranIan Anderson ofJethro Tull, who provides the flute solo on "Black Cherry Pie".[17]
For the Summer 2015 tour, the two piece band beefed up to a four piece touring unit to provide a larger sound and to relieve some of the tedium associated with touring as a two-person group over so many years. Chet Jameson was included on bass guitar and Kunal Prakash filled in on second guitar.[18]
The band was named one ofSPIN magazine's "must-hear acts" at 2011'sSouth by Southwest festival,[19] one of SPIN magazine's "best spring tours" of 2011[20] and one of the "Best of What's Next" byPaste magazine in 2010.[21]
BBC Radio'sZane Lowe has sung the band's praises, calling them "super endearing garage rock" in an interview.[22]
Hypnotic Nights reached No. 1 on the CMJ Radio 200 Album Chart on August 14, 2012.[citation needed]
The band appeared on the NPR programtiny desk, where they played a four-song set.[23]
They also played onKEXP in 2014 and 2015[24]
The band appeared on thePBS programWe Have Signal, where they were the subject of a half-hour-long segment.[25]
The band's song "U Got the Look" is featured in the comedy filmCedar Rapids.[26]
The band appeared onLate Night with Jimmy Fallon, playing their song "Diamond Way".
The band performed their new single "Sixpack" on the Late Show with David Letterman on July 17, 2012, the release date of their album Hypnotic Nights.
The band had a few songs in the "Capita: Defenders of Awesome" snowboard movie.
The band's song "Sixpack" was featured in the updated version of Vinewood Boulevard Radio inGrand Theft Auto V.
| Year | Single | Label(s) | Format | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Cancer Killer" | Infinity Cat Recordings | 7" vinyl+DVD | The Byzantine Empire |
| 2009 | "Heavy Damage" | Crystal Swan/Infinity Cat Recordings | 7" vinyl | Heavy Days |
| 2010 | "U Got the Look/The Tropics" | Too Pure | 7" vinyl | |
| "Mellow Out" | Suicide Squeeze Records | 7" vinyl | We Are the Champions | |
| 2011 | "Shredder" (Golden Label Contest) | United/Infinity Cat Recordings | 5" vinyl | |
| "Whatever I Want" | Third Man Records | 7" vinyl | Non-album singles | |
| "Health and Strength (Heavy Version)" | Infinity Cat Recordings | 7" flexi disc | ||
| "Something in the Way" | Infinity Cat Recordings | 7" flexi disc | ||
| "Stay Up Late" | Stolen Recordings | Promo CD | We Are the Champions | |
| 2012 | "Dark Energy" | Infinity Cat Recordings/Warner Bros. Records | 7" vinyl | Hypnotic Nights |
| 2013 | "Melting Place" | William Street Records | Digital download | Wasted on the Dream |
| 2015 | "Coat Check Girl" | Warner Bros. Records | Digital download | |
| "Black Cherry Pie" | Infinity Cat Recordings | Digital download | ||
| 2016 | "Punishment" | Dine Alone Records | Digital download | Zone |
| "Idiot" | Digital download |
| Year | Single | Other artist | Label(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Mind Ride"b/w "Highway Scratch" | Sisters | Death By Audio/Infinity Cat Recordings | Heavy Days |
| "Bone Jam"b/w "I Do/Untitled" | Screaming Females | Infinity Cat Recordings | ||
| 2010 | "Diamond Way"b/w "My Head Explodes" | Ty Segall | Infinity Cat Recordings | We Are the Champions |
| 2011 | "Bummer"b/w "Sunny Adventure" | Best Coast | Volcom Ent./Infinity Cat Recordings | |
| "Health and Strength"b/w "Lampfire" | The Greenhornes | Infinity Cat Recordings |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
