Photography courtesy of the Brothers Lazaroff
The Brothers Lazaroff describe their work in terms of being both a two-man writing team and a five-man band. For brothers David and Jeff Lazaroff, the songs are the foundation; they typically write those together and helm the eventual recording process. The overall sound of the group comes together, though, when drummer Grover Stewart, bassist Teddy Brookins, and keyboardist Mo Egeston come to their weekly Tuesday-night practices, adding an eclectic, swinging tinge to the duo’s Americana-born tracks.
“For a long time,” David says, “I was based out of Austin. We played with the best players we could find. This sound that we’ve developed was written in a lot of roots-music traditions. That can only be done with the players assembled. This unit plays in a certain way, and these songs could be played in a lot of different ways. But [this band] is the first to be able to pull off what we’re going for. We’ve been influenced by them. The sounds in your head are always changed when played with other musicians.”
Over the band’s half-decade together, it has undertaken a real variety of collaborative experiences. Not content to simply play an average monthly club show, the members have sought out unique and challenging ways to work with other musicians. They’ve seldom shied from a collaborative role, working with klezmer, hip-hop, and even circus acts. In some respects, that makes the traditional notion of career climbing that much harder, but it makes the overall experience a lot more enjoyable.
“Our approach has always been about incremental improvement,” Jeff says. “It’s a slow burn. Obviously, your career can be struck by lightning, and that’s great. But over the years, we’ve looked back and said that ‘this year was better than the year before,’ or we’ve marveled at the opportunities that have come up.”
Of late, the group has undertaken a major collaborative project with vocalist Elizabeth McQueen. After years of touring and recording with the Austin group Asleep at the Wheel, McQueen’s making the solo break, and part of that process involves continuing work with the Brothers Lazaroff. This month, the new unit is set to release The Laziest Remix to St. Louis audiences; the EP features five songs from McQueen’s 2010 album The Laziest Girl in Town, along with one Brothers Lazaroff original, sung by McQueen.
“Austin’s one of the few music-industry towns in the country, and she’s one of the top female vocalists there,” Jeff says. “We’re honored that she’s chosen to do this collaboration with us. And it’s great that we’ve known her for a decade. It’s nice to work with people you’ve known for a while, rather than someone new, who’s going to have a different vision.”
All of the Brothers Lazaroff players add new touches to the songs on The Laziest Remix, which are also altered by Jacob Detering of the studio Red Pill. The band considers him the sixth member of Brothers Lazaroff. “I definitely rely on him for musical feedback,” David says. “It almost feels like he has the same role that a band member does. He has great ears and great ideas.” “And he’s able to work with material that might not be his aesthetic,” Jeff adds, “but still applies a solid level of recording.”
Currently, the band is pushing the Laziest Remix project, while continuing to work on writing and recording. And the group hopes to further its use of video. With Tuesday-night rehearsals a weekly staple, the members plan to bring in new artists once a month to rehearse and perform together, largely for kicks, but also to record videos for a monthly series.
With the band’s history of working with other folks, that type of opportunity is just going to keep coming around. And employing both new media and old-fashioned hustle will keep the Brothers Lazaroff in the local scene’s consciousness.
But at the core, always, is songwriting. “I like writing songs with Jeff,” David says. “Nothing’s more fun than sitting in a room and writing songs with him. The first thing we do is hit record on a tape machine. And then getting to play with Teddy, Grover, and Mo, and having radio stations playing you, having clubs around the country to play in—that’s folk music, working the wheels. But it’s also satisfying to the soul, it’s fulfilling and meaningful, playing things that you want to play.”
The Brothers Lazaroff play The Demo (4144 Manchester, 314-652-3366, thedemostl.com) on February 22 with Jenny and the Late Nite and Thelonius Kryptonite.
Now Hear This
Ransom Note, Big Soul: Though the group is full of players with multiple musical commitments, those myriad side projects haven’t kept Ransom Note from consistently gigging and recording. In 2011, the band released its debut, it’s you! In 2013, it split a 45 with Née. Later last year, the group released the partially crowd-funded Big Soul, a disc on Tower Groove Records that’s full of…you guessed it, soul. But the group’s born of a South City rock scene that frequently puts it on other types of bills.
“We’ve always been so different than anyone else [on our bills],” singer Merv Schrock told SLM last year. “We play with punk bands more than anybody else. But we’re an original soul band.”
The band’s chops are, without question, impeccable, with players that have collectively racked up more than a century of experience on St. Louis stages, and Schrock in the well-cast role of frontman. The band’s been a good fit on a variety of festival and fair stages over the past few years, with a crowd-pleasing style that blends nicely into an all-ages environment. Its second album brings that appeal to disc, with the band’s already loaded roster augmented by top-notch contributions from other area musicians, especially on horns.
If you’re thinking of sampling the band’s sound before committing to buy, check out “Russian Blue,” at ransomnotestl.bandcamp.com.
