Review: The Weber Brothers - Baddest Band In The Land

When I first listened to The Weber Brothers new CD Baddest Band in the Land, I pictured a bunch of guys in their late fifties who spent the last 30 years paying their dues playing in a Classic Rock cover band. Boy was I wrong.

Brothers Ryan Weber (vocals, guitar) and Sam Weber (bass) were born in 1980-83 in Baltimore, MD. They started playing in 1992. By the time Sam was 15 he was playing in bars at night and then getting up to go to school the next morning.

In 2001 Ryan emailed Ronnie Hawkins and through that email Ryan and Sam ended up working his farm in the day and being schooled by him at night. They eventually became official members of his band before breaking out on their own.

In the line-up for the Baddest Band in the Land the Weber Brothers are joined by: Emmet Van Etten (Drums), Shai Peer (Keyboards) and Tim Bracken (Multi-Instrumentalist).

Baddest Band in the Land gets off to a strong start with a hard rocking song “Stay in the Game.” It has a groove that reminds me of something Zeppelin would play. It’s littered with excerpts of American political activist, Mario Savio’s “Bodies upon the gears” speech. The vocals and keys remind me of the Doors. It’s probably my favorite track on the CD.

“Can’t Help Feeling Bad,” is like a cross between Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie. “Nothing We Can’t Get Through” reminds me a little of the Flaming Lips. Then the band switches it up with a classic Rockabilly style song, “Sell, Sell, Sell”.

The track “Who Ever Would Have Thought” is the low point of the CD for me; it’s a less catchy rip off of “Whiter Shade of Pale”. Things look up though with, “Things Are Looking Up For You.” It’s a cross between Tom Petty and The Who. The song “Panic Attack” could easily be an AC/DC song with a little REM thrown in. Baddest Band in the Land Ends with “Different Day” which reminds me of “Trampled Under Foot,” by Zeppelin with some REO Speedwagon and Kansas thrown in. The whole album seems to be sprinkled with a bit of the Beatles.

If you took all the best recordings from classic rock, diced them into little pieces and glued them back together in different places you would have this CD. It was recorded live over two days live. It feels nice and raw. The vocals and musicianship are great and the band really lives up to its claim of being the “Baddest Band in the Land”.

I would recommend this CD to anyone who likes Classic Rock, Heavy Rock or Album Oriented Rock.

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Stay in the Game, Can’t Help Feeling Bad, Different Day

Kirk Bullough

Tracks: 1.     Stay In The Game 2.     Can’t Help Feeling Bad 3.     Nothing We Can’t Get Through 4.     Sell, Sell, Sell 5.     Who Ever Would’ve Thought 6.     Things Are Looking Up For You 7.     Windbag 8.     Origami Rose 9.     Move Over The Mountain 10.  Panic Attack 11.  I Still Believe 12.  Miles Away 13.  Different Day

Artists: The Weber Brothers
Title: Baddest Band In The Land
Genre: Classic Rock
Label: Last Jack Productions
Website: http://www.weberbrothers.com