Adam and David Moss share more than just a last name. The 41-year-old identical twin musicians share a love for music and song-writing that was imbued in them from childhood.
Now, the multi-coastal duo (Adam lives in Los Angeles, while David calls Miami home) have joined each other in a national tour to bring their music to the masses—or at least, to Felton Music Hall.
This indie/folk duo, colloquially named The Brother Brothers, collaborated on their newest effort, the “January” album, with Adam on violin, David on guitar, and both of them bringing the vocals in a tough-to-tell-them-apart West Coast headline tour as they begin to tease out new music and gear up for the release of their forthcoming new album later this year.
Formed in 2016, The Brother Brothers is the culmination of a culture of music steeped in the appreciation for songwriting and tradition at its core described by Rolling Stone as “intimate acoustic folk anchored by butter-smooth close-harmony vocals and minimalist-yet-sophisticated arrangements.” They released their first recordings in 2017 with a five-song EP “Tugboats,” which was followed by their debut full-length “Some People I Know,” which earned critical praise from Billboard, American Songwriter, No Depression and NPR’s World Cafe.
They later released their sophomore album “Calla Lily,” as well as a 2022 album of covers called “Cover to Cover,” earning further acclaim from Rolling Stone, Brooklyn Vegan, Relix, Wide Open Country and The Boot among many others.
Since then, their music has amassed over 100 million streams with over 250,000 monthly listeners. The duo have performed worldwide, appeared at festivals including Edmonton Folk Festival, FreshGrass Music Festival, Nelsonville Music Festival, and toured with such artists as Big Thief, Lake Street Dive and Shakey Graves.
While the duo had played strings and keys from an early age—the pair came from a “musical positive family”—their musical journey began in earnest while the brothers were in college. After they’d attended the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas and became well known in the circuit of music festivals, Adam and David moved to Austin and then New York, where they started a band.
“David and I have wide and eclectic tastes in music, but my taste leans more towards bluegrass and country; David is a very exploratory listener who takes in Brazilian folk and jazz fusion,” said Adam.
Crossing the streams, as it were, led them to find their own unique sound, and their identical voices blend to create a smooth, silky, comforting vibe. If you’re looking for hard rock or the relentless pounding of metal, they are not the droids you’re looking for.
“We were on a similar path of listening, but a very different path of discovery,” Adam said.
“January,” they said, is the first time that they’ve made an album together where their influences have been married in a harmonious way.
“What makes this album so special is the level of collaboration between us. Both of our influences can be heard in the songwriting and composition of the pieces, and it turned out better than we could have imagined,” Adam said.
Approaching songwriting with such separate musical ideology can be challenging, especially when the duo is collaborating from opposite coasts.
“When we find something that we can both agree on, that’s when we know it works,” Adam said.
One of their songs from their “Cover to Cover” album, “You Can Close Your Eyes (feat. Sarah Jarosz)” is a heady blend of perfect twin harmonies and easy, Sunday afternoon rhythm—you can almost hear James Taylor’s tonality seeping into the music, leaving the audience questioning who’s actually singing lead on vocals.
Their 2018 release, “Frankie,” is the type of musicality you’d hear in a Nashville bar on a weeknight—soulful and inviting, the kind of song you sway to subconsciously while holding a slightly warmed beer and chewing on some hot wings.
Take Adam and David’s vocal talents, back them with some light percussion, a little bass and a few instruments of their choice, and you’ve got the perfect soundtrack to life in the San Lorenzo Valley.
Want to see The Brother Brothers bring their talents to the stage? Check them out on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at Felton Music Hall. Tickets and information are available at feltonmusichall.com/events.
