October 16, 2012

Airplay Band of The Month: Kelly & The Hermanos



Welcome to the "Underwater Western" world pioneered by Kelly and The Hermanos. Founded in 2011, this Brooklyn-based group of musicians brings a modern interpretation of great old western music. The result: A refreshing alt-country experience. Take the plunge! 

Describe Kelly & The Hermanos sound in one sentence?
We try to bring the sound of the great old country western artists into our own world- a dreamy, nostalgic, and bubbly sound we call "Underwater Western".

When was Kelly & The Hermanos formed and where?
As good friends and musical collaborators from Berklee College of Music, we locked ourselves in a basement studio in the winter of 2011. We came out of there as a band, and went on to record our debut album a few months later.

Name three people who have influenced your music, and tell us why? Living or dead.
1. Gram Parsons & the Flying Burrito Brothers. They really pioneered the sounds of alt-country in the early 70s, and as some of our favorite music we are hoping to develop this sound in a modern era.
2. Tammy Wynette - The Queen of Country Music, Tammy's beautiful and heartbreaking voice is what country music is all about.
3. Yim Yames & My Morning Jacket - Yim's got the voice and the band's ethereal rock has influenced us to look beyond traditional structures.


How do you connect with fans and get them involved in your music?
Our Facebook page is a big one right now. Being an independent band, we try to encourage new fans to ‘Like’ our page so that they can stay connected, as we keep the page current  with new show announcements, photos, videos, music, reviews, etc.- It’s a great way to stay in touch. We also always set up a mailing list at our shows, so that new fans can know about upcoming shows. We reach out to fans on Jango and encourage them to visit our website and Facebook page, so we can stay connected with our band outside of the Jango world. 


What do you like the most about Jango Airplay?
Getting our music played around the world! It’s the coolest thing to see that our music is heard by listeners tuning into Jango from countries like Taiwan, the UK, The Netherlands, Israel and of course all over the US! These are all listeners and fans that would never have otherwise been exposed to our music if it wasn’t for Jango Airplay. Another thing I love about Jango Airplay is that they let the artist or band actually pick their listeners! We decide what stations (based on similar artist choices we are asked to make) will play our music on jango.com. This is truly the best thing, because if we select similar artists targets wisely, we will get heard by listeners that are already likely to enjoy our music! Jango Airplay also provides us with really helpful reports and play statistics, and allows us to connect with our listeners and fans.

Is there any recent project you'd like to share with us? Tell us about it.
We recently released our debut album, Underwater Western. We’re now getting ready to spend the next few months touring to promote our album and also working on new material for 2013. Be on the look out!

Are you guys playing live and do you have any shows coming up soon?
We're playing a special all night Halloween show at the famed Rodeo Bar. Wednesday 10/31. Rodeo Bar 375 3rd Avenue  New York, NY 10016

Connect with Kelly & The Hermanos
On Facebook
Visit their website
On BandCamp
On iTunes