Blogging the Bluesfest: Brothers Chaffey

Brothers Chaffey have been playing together for more than a decade. They recently worked with Ken Friesen (Tragically Hip/The Jayhawks/The Sadies) to produce their latest album Bloodlines. Channeling roots, blues, and alt country-rock, the group has been experimenting more recently with a neo-soul sound and they’re looking forward to playing an acoustic set this Sunday. With slide guitars, electric guitars, and a steady backing beat, Brothers Chaffey sound like the sound track to some sort of alternate reality Tarantino film.

Take note! This may be one of the last times you’ll have a chance to see Brothers Chaffey play Bluesfest – the group will be launching their new band The Split in August.

How would you describe your sound?

Today our sound is all about soul. We’re calling it neo-soul ’cause we’re trying to stay away from the nostalgia thing. Vintage soul is where we get a lot of our influences from but don’t necessarily want to copy. We are also experimenting a little with more modern sounds and effects to create something new and of our own.

How did the band start?

Well, the Brothers Chaffey started because my brother and I were to the two last men standing after a few band break-ups.  Nothing bad, just different life directions. So we headed to Toronto to cut a record with some great blues players in that city. Turns out those musicians were also great roots rock players. When we were finished we headed back to Ottawa to put together some musicians to help support the finished product for touring.

What can we expect from your Bluesfest performance?

Acoustic! This year we are performing acoustically to showcase the raw versions of some of our new neo-soul music to come.

Which actor played the best Bond?

Dirty old Sean Connery.

Brothers Chaffey play the Rideau Centre Stage on Sunday July 15 at 12pm.