Brother Derek - Parade Rest

Having committed his 4 string talents to bass guitar by the early ’90s, he co-founded or had stints in a few bands caught up in the 90’s Chicago signing frenzy that, either in spite of or due to their unabashed pop sensibilities, fizzled out. After stumbling upon a promising new set of songs in the early 2000’s, Derek then started Recent Photo, a genre-malleable art pop band that established itself in Chicago’s small club circuit then splintered in 2007 following the relocation of half of the band to LA.  With a tip of the hat to other song-focused, genre-exploratory acts like The Beatles, Blur, and Twenty One Pilots, Derek continues to indulge subtle stylistic diversions, drawing from his deep well of rhythmically dynamic tunes ranging from new pandemic-era workouts to open mic-tested anthems that were crafted over the decades but never saw a proper release until 2019’s MurderNite EP, followed by the late 2022 arrival of Brother Derek’s noise-pop opus Parade Rest, which classic pop curators in-the-know welcomed as “a true gem” (Glide).  Helping bring the songs to life in the studio and on stage is Derek’s long time friend and multi-instrumentalist Guy Corl (Roarmen, Dynamos). Recently joining for live gigs is Derek’s friend and former bandmate Barry Bennett (Peep, Grape Juice Plus, MilkBaby) on drums, as well as another old friend and bandmate Rich Frye (Rich Experience, Mant, Food).

“The song cycle, named after the military drill and ceremony stance “parade rest,” chronicles heartbreak, hate, cynicism, love, and hope, and tries to forge a kind of peace with the madness, a repose.  It’s a mix of newer pandemic output and recently-completed versions of songs I’ve enjoyed performing over the years at open mics, with simple bass and voice presentation.  When I got acquainted through friends with Alex Kercheval and learned he was the maestro behind the OG occult metal act Coven’s second coming as a recording artist and international touring act (including as producer of their new material), and that his Postal Recording studio partner Tyler was a member of one of Indiana’s premiere indie rock acts Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s, I knew I had in Alex and Tyler a team with the chops to breathe life into my melodically-dynamic and often rhythmically complex songs.  I think they – and the constellation of assembled players (including my compatriot Guy Corl) – did a bang-up job of it. I hope you’ll listen to it and agree!”