Psychedelic Rock from Brother Thunder

Austin-based rock and soul band Brother Thunder is a rising act in the music scene with their unique blend of fusion, soul, psychedelia and rock. Featuring the talents of Keith Sanders on vocals and guitar, Chris Peña on guitar, Angelo Dulang on bass, Jacob Rapp on drums, Justin Malone on percussion and John Cherry on keyboards, this six-piece outfit brings a vibrant and magnetic energy to their music.

Brother Thunder was born during the pandemic when Keith and Chris started the band. As Keith recalls, “Brother Thunder came together during the beginning of Covid, piece by piece. Chris was the first member, and then we added our friends and talented musicians, Angelo, Jacob, and Justin, to fill out the sound. Later, we added John to complete the band.” The name “Brother Thunder” has a quirky backstory, as Chris explains, “It’s a name that has been floating around in my mind for some time. The first instance is in a game I used to play, GTA5 Online (my account is still live!). In the game, I have a motorcycle club property with a flag on the wall that I made that says Brother Thunder. I probably put that in there sometime in 2018 before the band came together in 2020.”

First sharing their sound with the world via their debut single “Hard Times” back in 2021, followed by their sophomore outing “I’ll Be Around,” they dropped their first EP Into the Fire in September that year. Since then, they’ve continued going from strength to strength while racking up accolades that include performing at the ACL Music Festival on the BMI Stage in 2023, recording at Purple Bee Studio in Austin, playing at Rockopelli Fest in Crown Point, performing at Antone’s and appearing at Jam in the Van during SXSW 2023.

This year, they received a significant boost with a $10,000 grant from the City of Austin Live Music Fund. This grant will fund the recording of their full-length album, set for an autumn 2024 release and will be produced and engineered by Beto Martinez. Ahead of this highly anticipated album, the band has just released their first release of the year with their new single titled “Staring Into The Sun.”

“Staring Into The Sun” is a powerful anthem about unity and overcoming obstacles together. In a world often divided by “me versus you” mentalities, the song calls for collective action and mutual support. Laying down a grooving psychedelic rock jam, this new single builds on the successful recipe that’s made Brother Thunder such a celebrated act to date.

From the delicate flutter of guitar notes, the strike of drums ushers in a fiercely grooving jam of shuffling percussion, wah-drenched guitar rhythms and pumping basslines. Keith Sanders’ soulful vocals enter to spin catchy leads above the colourful arrangement via impassioned and expressive delivery carrying meaningful lyricism. Packed full of catchy hooks, infectious rhythm and slick guitar leads, “Staring Into The Sun” sees the band serve up a spectacular display of their original sound and hints at the spectacular full-length record they’ll be releasing towards the end of this year.

Listen to Staring Into The Sun below

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