As the crowd got larger inside the McDonald Theatre on Nov. 13 in anticipation for Blitzen Trapper and Dawes@@http://secure.mcdonaldtheatre.com/customer/home.php?cat=349@@ — two indie-rock bands that have enjoyed success on their cross-country tour — some folk melodies and catchy guitar riffs from their opening band started some heads bobbing and people dancing from the crowd.
The sound was coming from up-and-coming indie-folk band The Belle Brigade, and, as of late, the band has begun to grow in popularity.@@http://www.thebellebrigade.com/@@
The brother-and-sister tandem Barbara and Ethan Gruska@@http://thenextfamily.com/tag/barbara-and-ethan-gruska/@@ jumped on the latest leg of the other bands’ tour a couple months ago and has been opening for their tour ever since.
“It’s definitely the perfect match musically and crowd-wise for us,” younger brother Ethan said. “We just feel lucky, like it’s the best spot we could’ve gotten.”
The two started their band a few years ago after Barbara was drumming for other bands, and Ethan was trying to become a doctor. As the two continued to jam together, influenced by their film composer father Jay Gruska and their grandfather John Williams@@http://www.americansongwriter.com/2011/03/belle-brigade/@@ – arguably the most famous film composer of all-time for his work on “Jaws,” “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” to name a few@@AND HARRY POTTER!!@@ – Barbara finally asked her brother if the two of them should try and make it as a band.
The duo began to play local clubs around Los Angeles and scheduled as many shows as possible in the area.
“I think that everybody who wants to have some kind of career in music does everything that they can and takes every opportunity that they can, and that’s all we did,” Barbara said.
As the band enjoyed playing local clubs and gaining some word-of-mouth publicity, Reprise Records’ Matthew Wilder@@http://musicremedy.com/t/the-belle-brigade/album/selftitled-10164.html@@, a friend of their father’s, signed the band to record an album. Their self-titled first album was released earlier this year in April.
Since then, the band has been slowly acquiring more popularity.
The band performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the same day their album was released. Then the band received word one of their songs, “I Didn’t Mean It,” would be featured on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part One” soundtrack.@@http://www.thebellebrigade.com/news/d1bd65-the-belle-brigade-on-jimmy-kimmel-live-1114/ AND http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/11/soundtrack-review-twilight-saga-breaking-dawn-part-1.html@@
“We were stoked,” Ethan said. The promotion of the soundtrack even got the band another performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Nov. 14, the day after their performance in Eugene.
The band’s recent success has given the duo a lot of perspective when it comes to the music industry, especially since they’ve recorded their album.
“Specifically, I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that the way I used to think about it, before we had a record deal, was that (the music industry) was this big organization where all of these decisions were made really high up, and you never knew anything about it,” Barbara said. “Once we got involved, I realized that we have more control than I thought we would have.”
“It’s kind of indescribable how much I’ve learned,” Ethan added. “It’s just important, like Barbara said, to be respectful and to have a relationship with the people that you work with and to also stay true to your artistic ideas and to make sure you always fight for what you want.”
This artistic integrity is important to the Gruskas, who boasts songs diverse in melody, speed and tone. Their track “Losers” @@http://www.lyricsmania.com/losers_lyrics_belle_brigade_the.html@@has a slower melody and more harmonious combination of their voices, while their “Twilight”-featured track, “I Didn’t Mean It,” is faster and has an emphasis more on drums and electric guitar.
Their unique sound is influenced by Paul Simon, The Beatles and Joni Mitchell, but more personally influenced by local Los Angeles bands the Gruskas have come to call friends.
“I think that there is definitely the mystique with the bigger artists, where it’s like that untouchable thing,” Ethan said. “To have friends that are musicians that you respect, that you can just sit there and talk to them about it, play with them and watch them play in town — having a relationship like that is the big difference.”
Although aided by others on stage, the two siblings often switch to play different instruments during their live shows. Both provide vocals, but Barbara spends a lot of time on the drums and guitar while her brother plays the guitar and piano.
Despite the traveling hardships, the band says this tour has been their favorite. “It’s just the best. I love it,” Barbara said.
“I mean this is the first tour I’ve really done as a player … I was just realizing that there are sometimes moments in the van where you just feel very alive and very happy. It’s kind of incomparable to anything you can experience. And I’ve just got to say I just love traveling with Barb, you know we just keep getting to know each other better and better,” Ethan said.
Their album “The Belle Brigade,” as well as “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part One” soundtrack are currently available on iTunes.