Brothers Char and Robby Rothschild of Round Mountain filled Linnaea’s Café last Thursday night-not only a plethora of musical sounds, but a spirit of harmony and oneness with nature.
The small venue provided the perfect backdrop for what was truly a diverse and spectacular display of musical ability, meaningful lyrics, and catchy beats from their newest album, “Truth and Darkness,” as well as music from their first album “Round Mountain.”
Positioned under the picturesque backdrop of a window looking out to the lush greenery from the garden patio, Round Mountain was poised perfectly to convey its lyrics to the intimate audience looking on.
The Rothschilds have been playing music together for most of their lives, and it is evident when they are on stage. Each movement and sound was perfectly balanced between the brothers, radiating a feeling of complete effortlessness and creating a seamless performance throughout.
The name “Round Mountain” pays homage to a place the brothers explored as children in their hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico, as well as their belief that mountains are sacred.
To put Round Mountain in one musical category is impossible. The brothers switched instruments constantly and at times would play two at once. Char seemed to have two minds; one for focusing on the trumpet he was expertly playing, and one for the accordion that his fingers moved over with ease.
The sounds could be labeled as Balkan and West African mixed with traditional Appalachian music. The brothers collected many techniques and ideas when traveling the world, and have formed a patchwork quilt of melodies sewn perfectly together. If you ask the brothers how they would describe it, they might have to ponder for a moment.
“We are the worst people to ask about that,” Char said with a grin.
“We call it traveling music,” Robby offered.
“Because music has always traveled,” Char added. “The way that light travels from the stars to the earth, it takes a long time for the light to arrive, and it has taken all of us a long time to arrive here on earth. We like to think that it would be good to hear in the car, because the beauty is in the transitions.”
With a strong folk base to all of the songs, it was at times not far off to compare the two to Simon and Garfunkel. That is, if Simon and Garfunkel incorporated international derivations and an Irish bouzouki into their music.
The brothers attribute their love for music to listening to their mother singing, and participating in singing circles with their family and their parents’ “folkie” friends.
The opening song of the night was titled “Venus in the Tower,” and displayed quickly that this show would not be typical. The opening notes were reminiscent of something that would be in the background of a Spanish bullfight, and quickly transitioned into an uplifting beat pouring from Robby’s fast hands on the drum.
With a story to tell about the meaning of each song, the audience quickly connected with the music, nodding in tandem to the band’s explanations. Soon the coffee house was brimming with curious onlookers, as those sipping coffee on the patio swayed to the enticing rhythms.
The third song of the night, “Burn it Down,” was dedicated to Robby’s daughter because he said it was her favorite. It was easy to see why this song could become anyone’s favorite as the room seemed to fade away and only the intense and meaningful lyrics and graceful guitar picks remained.
The lyrics paint a unique quality to the music that transforms it into more than a song, but rather a communication and dance with nature. The brothers write the words themselves, and find their inspirations in their surroundings, as well as dreams and mythology, with Char applying pieces that will connect to peoples’ circumstances, and Robby focusing more on nature as a means of imagery.
“I tend to write things deriving as much as possible to talk to people with what I’m saying, almost to try to take a conversational tone, but then I like for that to slip into poetry, to go deeper-to evoke an essence,” Char said. “Our favorite kinds of musical gigs are when we can all meet, and really communicate to the audience and share something.”
“We feel like we and the audience are all sort of assembled around this fire that was the music. That’s the best kind of feeling,” Robby said. “Everything I write has nature references in it. I seem to feel so much inspiration from where we live in New Mexico, we both have a huge connection to it.”
The brothers said they enjoyed playing at Linnaea’s because it provided the mellow atmosphere of a coffeehouse, with the attentiveness of a theater.
As the songs continued to pour into the small room, the paintings on the walls seemed more alive than when the place was littered with random chit-chat an hour prior. The music was danceable; delicious. Melody after melody, the vibrancy of the sounds stayed true, never becoming predictable.
Two separate times, Round Mountain requested the participation of the audience with clapping out a beat, and then by singing a chorus. The crowd complied and in a moment everyone in the room was connected.
A long-time fan of the band, Capri Glidden of Los Osos, said that what she loves most is its heart.
“I’m always blown away by their music,” she said. “They are probably some of my favorite people, and musicians.”
At the end of the band’s two-hour set, Char and Robby lingered in the coffee house chatting with fans, and thanking people for attending. They were off to another show in Los Angeles in the morning, the third-to-last stop on their tour.
You can check this band out on myspace.com and prepare to see the world in a different light. Sometimes catchy, sometimes soothing, always enlighteningly beautiful, Round Mountain is proof that you don’t have to be mainstream famous to produce a musical tour de force.