There's a new sound heard in the bars of Arlington and DC these days: Brother Shamus . An original blend of plucky funk, southern rock and singer-songwriter guitar strains, Brother Shamus is danceable and fun, with smart lyrics that make you want to learn the words so you can sing along. Their second show on August 21 was played to a packed house at Ragtime, where people made room to dance to the high energy tunes put forth by this group of extremely talented musicians.

The band's lead guitarist and singer-songwriter Todd Miller is brand new to his role as a front man. Todd stepped out from behind the drum kit to begin writing songs for this project back in January and was joined by percussionist James Main, who has played with Todd for over eight years in various projects ( LAMONT , Lucky Dog ). Brother Shamus hit the ground running with fellow musicians Eddie Hartness ( Eddie from Ohio ) on drums and bassist Rich de los Reyes ( Lucky Dog , Electric Larry ), who have known each other since elementary school but have never worked together on a music project. They were joined on Saturday night by guitarist Lenny Stevens ( Mary Ann Redmond Band ), whose soaring solos and slide guitar were vaguely reminiscent of the late Jerry Garcia and lent a free-flow feel to the two hour-plus sets played that night.

With over 20 original songs and a smattering of smartly chosen covers, Brother Shamus has something for everyone. From the fresh vocals and playful percussion of "Jezebel," "Come This Far," and "Just In Case You Didn't Know" (which is actually a slowed-down cover of a LAMONT song), to the sexy, swingy feel of "Loathing Boulevard" and "Less than Overjoyed," Brother Shamus reels you in from the start. You can practically feel the pulse of the band as they jam on the hot beats of "I Like You" and "When It's All Said and Done," and their cover of Jack Johnson's "Sexy Plexi" is delicious. They hit the softer side with "Here In This World" and the country-inspired "Weathervane." The crowd just loves it when they play "Man of Constant Sorrow," that delightful song from Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? to close out the second set. By the end of the night, you feel honored to find out you have just celebrated a birthday with the band, as percussionist James Main turned, well, another year older that night doing what he loves: playing music with some of the most talented people in the area.

 

Brother Shamus will be playing their next show on Saturday September 16 th , which is a benefit show for the American Heart Association in Honor of Ryan Demare.