Jeb Brinkley and his partner in musical crime, David Hutcheson have only just started dusting off their musical chops. As Bevel Summers, the two play folky Americana jams that fit in as well at a honkytonk as they do with a heartbroken hangover.
These two rascals are off to a good start, but can one-half of their country music equation handle our furious five questions?
See for yourself after the jump.
1. If your band were a holiday, which would it be?
My immediate response to this is the obvious. The Fourth of July. It’s the only day we’re actually encouraged to drink beer and blow things up. Not that we’re pyrotechnic alcoholics or anything, but the Fourth gives us an excuse to put those interests together. It’s also a day that supposedly celebrates American Independence and History. We’re kinda into that.
2. How did you begin playing together?
David Hutcheson and I began playing music together a year or so ago. David had just gone through a break-up with his long-term girlfriend who he had been living with, and was basically living on my couch as a result. We’d been close friends for awhile after I directed him in a play, and I guess that made him feel welcome on the sofa bed. It also helped that I’d been through a break-up of a similar sort only a couple months before. The two of us were both half-decent guitar players and songwriters, and at that point terrible, terrible college students. We’d been staying up all night on the regular playing Beatles and Johnny Cash covers together, and when my roommates got fed up with our noise, we’d turn on Pineapple Express, Friday, or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (literally those three movies for months) until we’d pass out. We’d sleep through our classes and then do it all over again. I remember one day starting to write a song on my own without David. I got all excited to share it and play it with him. Turned out he had started one on his own the same day. Before the sunrise we had two finished songs, and the sense that maybe putting two half decent musicians together does equal one whole decent musician. Also two terrible terrible students, can equal two college graduates. What up UNC class of 2011!
3. Describe the moment you thought music was something you might like to try.
This is a tough one. I really can’t remember that exact moment, but I have this really early memory of my mother playing the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” in the kitchen on our stereo. She’d sing the lyrics “Shake it up baby now!” while shaking a medicine bottle to get me to take some sort of medication. It worked. I loved dancing to it so much my mom deemed my toddler bounce “The Jebber Dance”. I’m sure it was cute to watch, but it was definitely a formative experience in terms of getting me interested in music. I was always dancing or singing to Oldies radio as a little kid. I wasn’t allowed to listen to anything else.
4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that would really surprise people?
This isn’t gonna get me much cred with the hip crowd, but I got really into Garth Brooks Double Live album around 5th grade. I’ve honestly never listened to any of his other albums, but I probably still know the lyrics to nearly every song on that album. (Seriously, test me sometime) The fiddle on the album is actually really great, and the energy of the crowd was just amazing to me. Other unexpected influences might include RATM and Incubus in high school. I still think Brandon Boyd is one of the most attractive men in the music industry. First search result on google images:Â http://bestof.provocateuse.
5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (How’d that turn out?)
Until last week, I’d assumed my childhood dream of being Batman would never ever come to fruition. I mean, I’m not a wealthy orphaned billionaire, I’ve got no martial arts training, and I lack a Gotham City to protect or any super-villains to protect it from. But I recently discovered I need none of those things to be Batman. I was recently hired by this company Kidz Go Nutz to play costume characters at kid’s birthday parties. My first gig was as Batman for some 4 year olds. Needless to say, it was not only the kids’ dreams come true when Batman showed up to party with them. So, it’s not the real Batman, but the costume is legit, and the kids’ believed me. That’s quite enough for me. Who knew Batman was also a singer-songwriter? Talk about a secret identity.
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Click over to Bevel Summers’ bandpage for more info on when to catch them live. And, by all means, give Jeb a high five when you see him!