Photo via The Neverly Brothers
Tribute acts? Even if you think you’ve seen them all before, give The Neverly Brothers a try. They don’t just cover the hits of any one artist or era but perform a tribute to the first 10 years of rock and roll. Given the rapid sonic revolution that leaped from “Johnny B. Goode” to “You Really Got Me,” it’s a magical history tour indeed.
Two of the three Neverlys are actually Kevin Giragosian (guitar) and Kegham Giragosian (drums). Mike Bradburn (bass) rounds out the northern Illinois trio. Like the Everly Brothers for whom they’re named, they feature great harmonies.
As Kevin describes their show, the venues where they play are a virtual tour bus, “the audience members are the passengers and we are the tour guides. The tour starts in 1957 America and ends in 1965 England. It illustrates how rock was first created in 1950s America, how it died in 1960 and how the 1964 British Invasion bands resurrected rock by initially re-recording their favorite American artists—and then writing their own songs influenced heavily by their favorite American music predecessors. The entire show is a timeline of rock from 1955 to 1965.”
A Neverly Brothers’ concert consists of two sets. The first is focused on the ‘50s and structured as a trip across the U.S., “mentioning the artist who recorded or grew up in that city or town, their significance, some background—fun facts, music history trivia on the song we are about to perform as well as the British band that re-recorded their song in 1964-65,” Kevin says.
The second set jumps to the U.K. in the ‘60s and is similarly constructed, mentioning the hometowns of the bands and commenting on the American origins—the original artists—of many British Invasion hits.
The Neverlys minimize the musical frills while emphasizing the narrative. To stay in character, they change costumes. “We wear matching suits in both sets just like a classic 1950s or 1964 rock ‘50s rockabilly-style suits with western string ties,” Kevin explains. “In our second set we dress similar to The Beatles 1964 Ed Sullivan show look—but in a general way that most of the 1964 Brit Invasion bands did. We even wear actual Beatles boots purchased from a manufacturer-seller in Liverpool.”
The stripped-down lineup and the background of the musicians—the Giragosians started together as an original rock band, The Wombats—gives the music a different energy level than is usual among tribute acts. “Unlike many oldies acts that sound somewhat dull and old-fashioned, our renditions are played with the spirit and enthusiasm of the original recordings,” Kevin says. “We are not a cover band—nor a traditional tribute act that imitates one artist’s songs, look, speaking voice, etc. We are an original concept paying tribute to a two of the most important eras in rock history.”
The Neverly Brothers perform 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14 in an outdoor concert at the Les Paul Performance Center, 321 Wisconsin Ave., Waukesha.
