Courtesy of pernikoffbrothers.com
It's hard not to be swept up in The Pernikoff Brothers' excitement. With a string of praise-worthy opening gigs on local stages last year (including a opening slot for Willie Nelson), and a renowned producer working on its new album, the band seems on the brink of much bigger stages.
Comprised of brothers Tom and Rick Pernikoff and Dan Germain, the St. Louis-based band released their self-produced debut album, On My Way, in 2011. With their new album, though, they opted for a different approach.
"We recorded a demo in our basement. Then we started sending it out...unsolicited to a bunch of producers," Tom Pernikoff explains.
Through this scattershot method, the band came into contact with Brian Deck. The producer—best known for work he's done with Iron and Wine, Modest Mouse and the Counting Crows—"just seemed like a match" to the group.
"He's kind of a fourth member of the band," Pernikoff says. "He works on a lot of elements of the songs with us...from lyrics to form to overdubs, instrumentation, everything. You know he's...in the music, he's not just recording it."
Talking about the band's sound is almost moot at this point—Pernikoff says that with Deck's additions, the music is a far cry from what they released on their own.
"I used to tell people we were folk rock...kind of a mix between Dave Matthews and the Avett Brothers," says Pernikoff. "But I don't know if I can say that anymore."
Pernikoff explains that their classic rock influences—Zeppelin, the Beatles—are more obvious in their songs now.
"The rock stuff rocks harder...the singer-songwriter stuff is more interesting.......more textures, more sounds. Things like that."
The band, born and raised in Wildwood, Missouri, is planning on revealing their new sound to fans at LouFest. Pernikoff says that most of their set will consist of music from their new album.
"We were just kind of throwing the idea around of giving out a few of the tracks to everybody who's in the audience," discloses Pernikoff.
Whether or not the band goes through with these plans, they're determined to make their LouFest appearance one to be remembered.
"We just want to do something special around LouFest...it's a hometown thing."
For a LouFest preview, catch Pernikoff Brothers at the Urban Outfitters in the Galleria on Thursday, July 26 from 6 to 10 p.m. For more information visit http://www.saintlouisgalleria.com/events/loufest-concert-event-at-urban-outfitters.
