Brian Huybers and the...'s Friends

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Lone Cigarette
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I Don't Get Awards

Brian Huybers and the...'s Page

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City & State: Lexington, Kentucky

Country: United States of America

Music Genre(s):: Indie/ Progressive

Bio:: Brian Huybers and the Biographical Notes

So, there are four friends from Kentucky, city of Richmond, and each one of them is a stand-up guy. Now it gets even better: they’re all great musicians who are creating some terrific songs. And best of all for us: we get to hear the progress of that friendship through music. Here, then, is Brian Huybers and the…

Okay. We need to address the whole dot dot dot thing right away…

Their idea is to change the name each time they play a gig. One night it was Brian Huybers and the Woolly Mammoths. Another: Brian Huybers and the Secrets of the Gas Station Bathroom. Or: Brian Huybers and the Other Three Guys. And: Brian Huybers and the Reason You Got Pregnant (which takes the pressure off us…all we did was go to the show).

They named the first part of the band after its bass player, Brian Huybers (rhymes with “fibers”) because, they decided, most people don’t think about the bass player. Nothing against Brian (they did it for the irony). Everyone thinks Brian is a great guy.

So, they’re playful. And their playing is full of some incredible energy. What’s truly amazing is how accomplished they sound, how wise their lyrics and masterful their compositions are…and they’re all young guys with individual and collective passions for music.

The band works together to build a song. Take their tune “I Don’t Get Awards.” That’s Brian’s cool bass line at the beginning. From there, the guys weave a handful of styles and tempos and key changes into what should be a mess, but it’s a mesmerizing song—filled with tension and release, longing and exploration, superb musicianship and cohesiveness.

That’s Jordan Perrin on guitar, which he first picked up at age 14. He says, “We had a music theory class with a lot of downtime, so we’d sit and talk about all these bands and we decided to jam. From the first time we played, I knew from that moment this was my fulltime commitment, this was the band right there. That was it.” See that?... commitment…right there…that was it. Jordan explores rhythm of things even when he’s talking. He describes their creativity as “the crazy exploring journey together.”

And there’s Michal Riley on guitar and vocals. Been singing since 4th grade. Got a drum set in the 5th grade, played percussion in high school jazz band, then taught himself the guitar. Like all the guys, Michal listens to and studies a lot of music. He talks about “strum patterns.” He talks about the organic nature of the band, how their sound becomes “a fusion of great ideas,” how the process makes it more true, how “four people with different ideas, different musical backgrounds, and levels of expertise, can come up with something we think is awesome.” We wholeheartedly agree with that, buddy.

Rounding it out is Michael Southgate on drums. He loves the drums. He thinks the world of his bandmates. He looks up to them a lot…and he’s not even all that short. Michael talks about listening “to what sounds right, what’s pleasing to the ear.” He proudly recalls their recording at Red House Records, getting there via “this crazy road you think is going to turn into a dead end. The building looks kind of sketchy at first”—like we might think of a band’s name that ends with dot dot dot—“but it’s a beautiful studio.” Like the sound of these four guys.

Brian Huybers and the…

The dot dot dot of them reflects their joy at exploring different styles. We might hear hints of other bands in there, and yet they’re completely original. The dot dot dot of them reflects our joy of discovery as their songs and styles take unexpected and rewarding turns.

The dot dot dot of them announces a bold, exhilarating, accomplished and fresh new contribution to today’s musical soundscape.

Shine on, gentlemen…

- Hal Klopper