Download The Belle Brigade’s live session on KCRW here! And go see them LIVE at The SATELLITE TONIGHT!
From KCRW Volunteer Taryn Olsen:
After hearing them on KCRW, Grammy-award winning singer k.d. lang hand-picked The Belle Brigade to open for her on her recent tour, which gave them a couple thousand cool points in my head before I even cracked open their album and gave it a listen.
The relatively young brother sister duo from LA performed on Morning Becomes Eclectic on the day their album released back in April and it was immediately obvious why they’ve been getting so much attention. They have a balance of ease, passion, joy, and heartbreak in their songs that makes them easy to listen to, while still cutting straight to the place that music lives in your heart.
It’s hard to believe these two are so young, as their beautiful harmonies and thoughtful lyrics sound more like the musicianship of seasoned artists. Perhaps the best explanation for their mature sound is in their genes. In their interview with Jason Bentley, Ethan and Barbara talked about their talented father, Jay Gruska, who was a singer-songwriter himself before writing songs for people like Janet Jackson and Dusty Springfield, as well as their well-known musical genius grandfather, Composer John Williams.
One of my favorite memories being at the front desk at KCRW came after these two performed. Their father called in, totally ecstatic, wondering if they were still around because he wanted to tell them how proud he was and how great he thought they sounded. I couldn’t help but feel proud of Ethan and Barbara along with him.
The Belle Brigade may be young, but listening to them feels like being at the jumping off point of something big.
Their podcast is available for download until June 16, so don’t wait.
— Taryn Olsen