When Nick James was living in Hawaii, he found himself in desperate need of good music. So he turned to his brother Lucas, still living near home in the Bay Area, for inspiration. He got back some Bright Eyes, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Nebraska, Velvet Underground, and someone he had never heard from before: Lucas James.

“I was loving it!” says Nick of Lucas’ original songs that were burned onto a CD.

“I played it all the time and I showed people out there and (they) liked it. I was thinking man, this stuff is good…he’s going to do something. (I thought) if I want to hop on that bandwagon I got to get back there. I (wanted) to be a part of it too.”

Nick had played guitar and bass in punk bands previously, while Lucas was writing and recording as much as he could on his own. Together, the newly formed James Brothers Band began landing local gigs around The Bay and throughout California. Six months ago, the duo put down five original tracks for their self-titled debut album, which they recorded in Castro Valley.

Nick and Lucas, two of four brothers, grew up in a religious household. Their father was an Episcopal preacher whose favorite Bob Dylan albums were his “Christian trilogy”, while their mother favored Creedence Clearwater Revival. Johnny Cash and Neil Young was in the house too, but Lucas says his favorite authors influenced his music just as much: Albert Camus, John Updike, and Jack Kerouac.

All of these inspirations shine through in The James Brothers Band. “Say” has a slowed-down blues tempo, while “Home For The Winter” and “Next Week” pick it up with an Allman Brothers feel. Blues and roots with a little rock, the wholly original lyrics and emotion behind the vocals marks the James brothers unique stamp in their genre. With this promising start, we’re expecting more from these talented brothers.