Porch Brothers & Co.
Come on down and settle in as Ott & Hunter’s cozy cabaret room becomes a front porch under the stars, as the Porch Brothers & Co. roll in with their signature blend of West Texas and West Coast country-folk Americana. Expect dusty harmonies, heartfelt storytelling, and a musical journey that stretches from desert highways to coastal breezes. It’s Americana with a view, and you’re invited.
Porch Brothers & Co deliver a sound distilled from music rooted in West Texas folk and country blended with West Coast Americana, The South Whidbey Island group brings strong vocal harmonies supported by complimentary guitar styles to tell the stories in the songs they share, both originals and covers. Songwriters Russell Clepper and Rob Harris create the distinctive fusion of these two regional variations of Americana music. Both have many decades of experience writing songs and performing in public.
Russell Clepper played solo and with a variety of bands in his native Texas as well as on Whidbey with the acoustic folk duo the Muse & eye and alt-country group Rusty Fender and the Melody Wranglers. He has toured and played in venues all across Texas, through the Midwest, the Northeast, Quebec, Oregon and Washington. His daughter Emilie Clepper recorded The Family Record, a collection of Russell’s songs, that was nominated for Country album of the year by an independent music organization in Quebec where Emilie lives, and where the album was recorded.
Rob Harris played in the Kunkel and Harris duo with Bruce Kunkel, one of the founding members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. They performed for many years in California and released a cd of original tunes, named after their duo. Rob also performed for years throughout the Bay Area with the group Bluegrass by Default. His musical roots has led him to develop a sound that he calls “Eagley-Everly-Beatley-Browne.” Rob plays a variety of instruments and brings his producer skills to help refine the Porch Brothers & Co distinctive style.
Christine Wallace recently joined Porch Brothers & Co on bass. She also contributes fine lead and harmony vocals. Christine has performed in rock, pop, new wave, and punk bands since the 80s, primarily in Seattle, but also around the Reno and Lake Tahoe area. Her eclecticism is reflected in her musical influences which range from Bonnie Raitt and Ani Defranco to GBH, from Edie Carey and Steel Wheels to Tom Petty.
Since it’s beginning, Porch Brothers & Co has been joined at virtually every performance by special guest vocalist Sarah Dial Primrose. She has performed with Russell in the duo the Muse & eye for more than fifteen years, touring in the Southwest, Northeast and Canada. Born in New York City into a deeply musical family with roots in West Virginia, she was exposed from childhood to genres of all kinds. Audiences everywhere appreciate her lovely voice and dynamic stage presence.
