Billy Bob Brothers Band. Alliteration junkies, go wild. Billy and Bob might be heartthrobs. They might be middle-aged men heralding from a small island in the Pacific. Billy Bob Brothers Band might not be brothers. In a haze of incertitudes, a few things are clear. They know country, they write and play what they want, and they’re dropping their album soon.
Now, we could toil about trying to figure out who they are. This could be some fluff piece with more baseless assumptions than an early morning Screenrant article. It’s not. Sitting down with Billy Bob Brothers Band was done via the internet. No masks, but no better off. I mean, just take a gander.
The voice changing is a bit much. Like, honestly. We hear you on the song, no need for the voice modulation.
But Who Are They?
Billy Bob Brothers Band upholds a kind of sexy anonymity, and it works. The first time I saw both members of Gnarls Barkley, it had not crossed my mind that Cee Lo Green was not a man named Gnarls. Danger Mouse dropped those sick beats from six feet behind the man with the mic, and it’s working well for his career. In similar fashion, Billy Bob Brothers Band is bringing you music before you can judge them on just how country they really are.
Make no mistake, they’re not your momma’s country music. They’re not your grandparents country music. If you’re looking for some mysterious Alan Jackson, go to your local library, put a blindfold on, and go searching. If you’re looking for Carrie Underwood, head to your local watering hole and peep the 4WD’s that have been keyed. No sir, Billy Bob Brothers Band are here with their own style. Unlike their identities, they’re not shying away from their sound. And for that, we like them all the more.
Enough of that, on to the good stuff.
Without Further Ado, our Q&A with Billy Bob Brothers Band:
T: Let’s start with an important distinction. Who’s Billy, and who’s Bob? Or is Billy Bob more like a Hootie and the Blowfish situation?
Billy: Was one of the band members a blowfish? I had no idea.
Bob: Billy is the younger sibling. I’m Bob, the greatest country singer-songwriter of all time.
T: Knowing that you both grew up in a smaller town outside Las Vegas, I’m guessing you heard your fair share of country music growing up?
Bob: Yeah. Every bumpkin with a pickup would play it and I heard it and I knew I could do better. I guess there are other “country artists” but I’ve never seen it done quite right.
Billy: He’s right you know. Bob is a visionary, the greatest country singer/songwriter of all time.
Inspirational Inspirations
T: What artists did you listen to while making this album?
Billy: Chris Stapleton, Avicii, lots of house music, Skrillex, Deadmau5, Illenium, Diplo, Major Lazer, Disclosure, Calvin Harris, Daft Punk, Kanye West, Outkast, Kendrik Lamar and Roddy Rich.
Bob: Sturgill Simpson, Classic Rock, Mac Miller, Logic, VHS Glitch, John Mayer, Dead and Co, A Day to Remember, Silverstein, and Beartooth.
T: “I’ll Ride” is a perfect blend of pop culture, homophone (or is it more a homonym?), and electro-country swag. Tell us about the moment the song came together.
Bob: Alright, alright, alright.
Billy: I told Bob that Matthew doesn’t get enough attention and that we oughta give him a proper song. Y’see we have this deep affinity for everything Matthew has ever released. He’s the greatest actor of our generation and seeing as we are the greatest country duo to ever grace the ears of. . . well anyone, we figured we ought to be the ones to give him a song. I mean, have you seen Ghosts of Girlfriends Past??? It’s a masterpiece.
Longhorn Fans with Long-Term Plans?
T: And are you planning to pitch it to the UT football team for them to play at games at home there in Austin?
Bob: If they plan to pay us I won’t turn them away. But, it better be a sizeable check. Hear that UT, SIZEABLE.
Billy: That’s right. Bob is the greatest country singer of all time and deserves every penny. Seeing as it’s a Texas team, and seeing as Texas is one of the greatest states in this here United States of ‘Murica, we might be willing to offer a slight discount.
T: The spoken word refrains on “Cliché” had me chuckling, but at the same time it’s pretty impressive how many clichés you fit in one song. Also, the satire is so close to an earnest country song, you might be on to something. Is there a version without the refrains behind the sung portion?
Bob: This might be a better question for Billy.
Billy: Satire? What’s satire? Are you using your fancy pants language? I don’t believe that that word applies to the earnest sounds of Bob Andersen. This is the perfect song to dance to at a wedding. In fact, we always get requests from friends and family to perform that song at their weddings. We say we’ll do it for free. But, then they just give us so much money. I guess they recognize true artistry.
Now You’re Just Fishing
T: How many times have you actually been fishing?
Billy: A lot, my pappy took me all of the time.
Bob: Not a lot with my pappy, ever since my dad told me that he wouldn’t go fishing with me until I was a country star. Me and the boys go all the time. In fact, just the other day, Billy turned to me and said let’s get out of here and go fishing. So, we packed everything up and went fishing for three weeks. You won’t imagine the phone call I got from the Misses, “Where are you? Don’t you care about this family?” I told her we were out fishing and as you can imagine she was very understanding.
T: Listening to “Deep Thoughts,” it’s clear you weren’t cutting a record of your Grandma’s country music. How did you decide on the synthesizers, drum machines, and layered effects for this album?
Bob: This might be a better question for Billy. He does all of that tech wizardry.
Billy: Well, as executive producer of this group of songs, I realized that we needed to create a sonic soundscape suitable for the majestic vocals of my brother, the greatest country singer of all time. I felt that the stylings of EDM were the right atmosphere. And, so far everyone agrees.
Alright, Alright, Alright Already
T: If we call up Matthew McConaughey and he agrees to go fishin’ with you two, what kind of deep thoughts would you discuss with him?
Billy: I’d ask him about the grass growing, the apple pies baking, the soft winds blowing across our cheeks. He’d probably tell us some fancy Hollywood stories. And, we’d probably eat some delicious watermelon and talk about the good fun of country living.
Bob: I would ask him what he thinks about when he’s trying to relax out fishing with the greatest country artists of all time. How does it feel to be with me? I imagine he’d be shaking in his boots.
T: I know you’ve sent or played some of this music to folks who like country, and I’d bet some who don’t. What’s the reaction been thus far?
Bob: Every person, country lover or not, has loved every second and can’t wait to hear more. I often hear people who have listened to it only once either singing the lyrics or humming the tune.
Billy: These are some of the greatest country tunes that anyone has ever heard. So, everyone loves them.
Release Date?
T: Don’t keep the fans waiting, when’s the release of the album/EP? Do you plan to do any touring with this material?
Billy: The EP is coming out in May and the first song comes out April 13.
Bob: I love playing shows for anyone and everyone. Now Billy has this party trick he likes to do while we’re out touring. He likes to throw out the corded microphone toward the audience and pull it back right before it smacks someone in the face. And, on this particular occasion he pulled back too hard and knocked his front teeth out with the microphone. He was so embarrassed that he didn’t know whether to pick up his teeth or keep singing. He figured they came here for a show, so he kept on singing the song. Eventually he got his mouth fixed, you can’t even tell. And, that’s why I love my brother. He’s got true dedication.
Don’t just sit there, go follow Billy Bob Brothers Band on Spotify!