Lonesome Brothers

Before there was Americana or Alt/Country or Singer Songwriter or Roots Rock or any of the other record store bin labels of today, when New Wave was crashing and hair bands were making video history, there was the LONESOME BROTHERS. Seven CDs full of original songs and thousands of gig miles later, there still is. From the lowliest bar in the tiniest town of Western Massachusetts to Town Hall in Manhattan to Newport, RI, the Lonesome Brothers put it down like it's supposed to be put down. Original, creative, pumping, swaying, digging, rocking, blues busting, curve making, straight shooting, no bullshit songs and solos distinguish the Lonesome Brothers from any other band you've ever heard. Get on the dance floor now, before the song ends. This ain't no jam band. This is hick rock- smells like diesel. Twenty-six years ago the lifelong partnership between Jim Armenti and Ray Mason was formed. The two founding members of the Lonesome Brothers became acquainted when Jim needed a bass player in his band the Yankee Rhythm Band for a weekly gig in Springfield, Mass. that was too far for the regular band members to travel. A mutual friend recommended Ray, so Jim checked him out where he was filling in with the Sock Hops. Jim asked him to play and he said yes. From there they did regular gigs at Billy T's in West Springfield, the Hunt Club in Barre and Sheehan's Cafe in Northampton, added drummer Bob Grant (who was later replaced by Tom Shea), changed the name of the band to the Lonesome Brothers and played thousands of live shows. In the mid 1990s when the technology became available, the band recorded its first CD Lonesome Brothers, which became an instant sensation on their home turf of Western Massachusetts and landed a cut "All Around You" on the last No Depression CD. In the two decade life of the Lonesome Brothers, the band has garnered a reputation for being one of the best live bands in New England. The storytelling and bantering shared by Jim and Ray on stage amuses and enraptures. The trademark switching back and forth of songs authored by Jim or Ray invokes a sense of fun, predictability and unpredictability. The solid partnership of Jim and Ray is evident by the quality of the songwriting, the tight instrumentals and the respect shown to one another on stage. The Lonesome Brothers have appeared at a number of festivals in New England: Newport Folk Festival, Green River Festival, Northampton Brew Fest, Celebrate Holyoke, Springfield CityFest, Taste of Amherst, Taste of Northampton, Grand Band Slam and Westhampton Summer Series, as well as a number of fundraising events in support of community charities and fundraisers. The band has been heard on A Prairie Home Companion, WGBH's Caught in the Act and GCTV's Homegrown. Stay tuned for the exclusive documentary feature to be released in Spring 2008! The Valley Advocate has been fortunate enough to have The Lonesome Brothers grace its cover in 2002 as winners of the Grand Band Slam! Visit often, leave money.