The next Cochrane Valley Folk Club (CVFC) show in line is one that CVFC president, Brian Fitzgerald has heralded as a season highlight: the Kruger Brothers.
Taking the Alliance Church stage March 8 at 7:30 p.m., the acoustic trio will be showcasing their current album, Spirit of the Rockies.
“This one is a real storytelling piece,” said Joel Landsberg (bass, harmony vocals) of their one-hour commissioned orchestral production through The Banff Centre, complete with 10 songs and 11 instrumentals and inspired by the Rocky Mountains.
“It’s a one-hour ghost story…kind of like an operetta.”
The year was 1995 when the members of the Kruger Brothers each gave up their solo pursuits and side projects to form what has become an award-winning, revered bluegrass-folk-country group, backed by seasoned instrumentation and earnest songwriting.
Early inspirations include the likes of Doc Watson, Flatt and Scruggs and Bill Monroe.
The Kruger Brothers is filled out with blood brothers Jens Kruger (pronounced ‘Yens’; lead composer, five-string banjo, harmony vocals) and Uwe Kruger (pronounced ‘Oo-vay’; guitar, lead vocals).
The ‘fourth member’ of the group is sound tech, Bernie Velluti, who Landsberg credits as a “vital member of the band”.
“We’re constantly moving forward,” said Landsberg. “Jens is such an incredible, prolific performer and is always pushing the envelope on what to do.”
Pushing boundaries with their musicianship and straying from any singular genre, their nearly 20-year trio continues to gain momentum — including an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman Sept. 27, 2013; performances with famed funny man and ‘clawhammer’ banjo player, Steve Martin; and a 2013 Steve Martin prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music for Jens Kruger.
Critics have considered Jens as ‘one of the most advanced five-string banjo players in the world’.
Landsberg, who hails from New York, N.Y. moved to Switzerland in 1989, cutting his chops as a bassist with a number of groups before finding the Kruger Brothers.
With early beginnings on the piano, Landsberg switched to the bass by age 12.
“Bass playing is an attitude. It’s a way of life. The bass is the support member of the group — I always enjoyed being in the background and making sure the person up front is the best (they) can be.”
Landsberg feeds his fire for helping others by working as a volunteer EMT in his limited spare time.
Due to increased touring throughout the U.S. by the late ‘90s, sensibility took over and the trio uprooted their respective families, relocating to North Carolina by the early 2000s.
“We live 45 minutes away from where Doc Watson lived,” said Landsberg; citing the late seven-time Grammy winner and American guitarist as one of their greatest sources of inspiration, as well as a favourite stage companion over the years.
Watson was once noted for saying, “The Kruger Brothers are just about as fine a band as I’ve ever played with…I love to play music with them.”
The Kruger Brothers released a tribute album in 2013 to their late friend and mentor, Remembering Doc Watson.
Crafting originals to add to their repertoire of traditional music, Landsberg said it’s difficult to nail the Kruger Brothers down to one genre.
“It’s new acoustic music, new ‘Carolina’ music…” said the bassist, adding that the group infuses their traditional repertoire with modern bluegrass, country, folk and even blues elements to develop a sound of their own — one that can certainly be considered ‘current’.
Landsberg said what makes the Kruger Brothers continue to tick is a mutual respect, as well as a high standard of music.
“We all are our toughest critics of each other. We set an incredibly high standard and set the bar high for each other and that’s what keeps us at work,” he said. “We’re students of life and that’s part of the musical process, as well.”
“Our plate is constantly full,” said Landsberg, adding that the group would like to reach more of their audiences (namely throughout Europe and North America) via social media, as road life can be tiresome.
“We’re looking forward to playing in Cochrane for the first time,” said Landsberg, adding that the trio has been donned honourary Calgarians before as ‘white hatters’.
Learn more about the Kruger Brothers at krugerbrothers.com.
Tickets to the CVFC show can be purchased at cochranefolkclub.com; tickets are also available at Cochrane Coffee Traders or Phantoms Music.
