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Luminiferous Ether
Colin Brooks, born in Michigan, but now of Austin, Texas, says he was destined to be a musician. He’s one of the three alternating frontmen for Band of Heathens, a group of roots rock 'n’ rollers who create a fusion of rock, soul, blues, gospel and honky-tonk with a hint of R&B and funk undertones. The result, which you can hear on their new album, One Foot in the Ether, is a sweet sound with a down-home sense of southern comfort.
But back to Brooks, and destiny. His first memory, in fact, is of music. “My dad was a musician,” he says, “And he had an old Gibson Hummingbird guitar that my mom had bought for him. He died when I was two, but my very first memory is sitting on his lap playing with his guitar. I always had that guitar and it always seemed to be inevitable I guess that I would become a musician. It’s probably the best way to put it; that I would be playing it.”
One Foot in the Ether is the Heathens' second studio release and their strongest work so far (For the aficionado, they’ve also put out two live albums). Of the album, Brooks says, “You could call it a spiritual awakening. It might be too strong of a term, certainly not religious. The concept of ether was originally the scientific term 'luminiferous ether.' It was their best guess at what Einstein eventually called the space-time continuum. So it was that which connects everything; the space between through which light and gravity travels. You know, it’s basically the shit we don’t know,” he admits with a laugh. But Brooks says when they first started tossing around that phrase for the album, it appealed to him on a personal level. “Everyone in the band has kind of a different view on it. It appealed to me in that we as a society, or as humanity, have one foot in the ether. We have one foot on the ground and an eye toward that which we don’t know. We’re moving in a direction, and the future of course is always unknown.”
One of the biggest and most exciting moments for the band so far was being featured on America’s longest-running concert program, Austin City Limits. “That was pretty cool. It was just such a great experience. The show itself was one of the most inspired shows we’ve done. The crowd was killer; it was packed,” he remembers. “But what really set me back on my heels was when I saw the rough cut of it. That show is iconic. I’ve watched it since I was a kid, and to see us up there on that stage, it was pretty wild … Seeing it actually on TV was astounding. I was like, 'Wow! That’s us!'” He continues, “I don’t know if I ever sat down and envisioned myself playing on Austin City Limits. I guess it certainly was a hope, but to find it come true was really cool.”
The Band of Heathens were a part of this year’s sold out 33rd Ann Arbor Folk Music Festival, and they will be returning to Ann Arbor to play The Ark on March 13th. With one foot on the ground and an eye toward the unknown, we think they’re moving in the direction of the spotlight. | RDW
The Band of Heathens • 3/13, 8 p.m. • The Ark • 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor • 734.761.1451 • theark.org • $15
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