MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE WEBER BROTHERS - BADDEST BAND IN THE LAND

We all know about the legends who have passed through the ranks of Ronnie Hawkins' various incarnations of The Hawks.  You have, of course, The Band members, but that was just part of the story.  Also in the group at various times were Roy Buchanan, King Biscuit Boy, members of Crowbar, Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band, Dominic Troiano, even (gulp) David Foster.  Given that track record, one should never take a credit in Hawkins' band lightly.

Ryan and Sam Weber were rock-obsessed kids from Baltimore who got introduced to Hawkins thanks to The Last Waltz movie.  Youthful guts lead them to contact The Hawk back in 2001, and offer their services.  Whatever Hawkins heard, he once again proved his talent scout smarts were still there.  The Webers moved on up to Ontario, and got the full course under his tutelage.  Then, like the rest, they went out to earn their own stripes.

The past decade has seen them settle in the Peterborough area, and put out a long string of discs, somehow avoiding any great attention.  I want to grab passers-by and play them this new disc.  While it might sound like a bragging title a blues group would use, The Weber Brothers are instead a great, classic, rock group who may indeed be the baddest in the land.  They have mastered great chunks of bedrock group sounds, from the cowbell-dumb hard stuff of "Panic Attack" to the piano-pounding Leon/Elton number "Different Day".  Both Webers handle lead vocals, offering more variety that takes us from hard to soft, gutsy and smooth.  In "Can't Help Feeling Bad", they even conquer hit single-worthy material, that is if this was 1972, and they were Badfinger.

The thing is, it's also the most excitement rock band album I've heard in eons, or at least since The Sheepdogs.  Unlike The Sheepdogs, who sound too much like their influences, The Weber Brothers have swallowed up everything and created a bold blend.  It's as tight as a New Orleans funk band, and as surprising as the best mix tape.  This is the band I want to see tonight.