Music is a family affair for York-based folk trio, the Pick Brothers
A cozy Aurora home with high ceilings, hardwood floors, lumpy loveseats, and framed family portraits—this is the recording studio of the Pick Brothers, a York University-based folk trio.
The three-piece plays keggers in the Village and frequents venues like the Opera House and El Mocambo, but their favourite place to play and record is the family home they grew up in. Over a weekend, Jeremiah, Casey, and Gabriel Pick recorded their upcoming nine-track album Pink Lemonade, to be released in the spring, in their living room.
“As weird as it sounds to say, [the album] feels like our house,” says Casey, the 20-year-old double-bassist. “One producer who we spend a lot of time with said it sounds like [we] captured the vibe of the weekend. That’s pretty high praise, because that’s what that weekend was all about—the feeling in the house, the energy.”
As the brothers finish up “Venice,” an adventurous, earthy number filled with woodsy harmonies run through with whimsical threads of mandolin, they glance at each other, smirking.
“Everyone has music-isms, and being brothers, you kind of catch on to those music-isms,” says Jeremiah, the 23-year-old guitarist and lead vocalist.
They switch gears for the slower “Pink Lemonade,” Jeremiah and Casey hanging back to let their youngest brother, 17-year-old mandolin player and backing vocalist Gabriel, take the lead with mournful, breaking vocals.
Jeremiah says their home recording sessions started happening “by accident” when the trio became fed up with the various recording studios they were using to record their album.
“It was really slow,” says Jeremiah about the new process. “We were doing one song at a time, just sort of stripping the songs down and talking about different directions for the songs.”
They resorted to recording the album in their living room. For their upcoming album, they called in a sound engineer, a family friend, to set up in their living room for the weekend.
“It was such a fluid process,” says Jeremiah. “Any idea that we had was immediately put into action. So it was just really easy to get into it and to move forward. Once it was recorded, it felt so good.”
When it comes to their passion and their success as a band, the Pick Brothers swear by playing in a comfortable, familiar space. Gabriel says his idea of a perfect lifestyle is rolling out of bed and playing all day.
“For four days, we did that,” he says. “We would wake up, have a 16-hour day of just recording, go to sleep for a little while, and then wake up and do it all again. I got a little taste of what I hope to be the rest of our [career].”
The Pick Brothers grew up in an environment where music was always playing. Because they were raised by a musician father, the music of The Band, Van Morrison, and Steely Dan shaped their folky, harmonic sound.
In addition, many of their family friends were musicians, hosting backyard parties where they gathered to play Appalachian folk, blues, country, and rock n’ roll.
“We all learned to play, or particularly I did, so we could jam at these parties,” says Jeremiah.
The brothers all agree that when it comes to their chemistry as a band and their individual dispositions as musicians, they owe more to their upbringing than they do to talent.
“Since birth, I’ve constantly been surrounded by music,” says Casey. “I think it would have been impossible to grow up in a manner where I did not play music.”
Jeremiah says the “you-have-it-or-you-don’t” factor is not talent, but exposure to music.
“I think some people are fortunate enough where they’re able to engage in music growing up,” says Jeremiah. “I think it’s also to do with wanting it. If you really want to play, you will.”
When asked if the constant togetherness makes them get on each others’ nerves, they immediately extinguish the notion.
“We fight, but we never seem to fight about creative decisions,” Jeremiah responds. “The fights are always stupid. They’re never about the music.”
For now, the Pick Brothers are playing cozy venues with modest crowds, with their last gig taking place at the Horseshoe Tavern. While the next step is getting onto as many festival bills as possible for the summer, such as NXNE, POP Montréal, and Hillside, the trio fancies themselves a solid folk getup. They thank their deep connection to each other.
“We’re on the same page,” says Casey. “When something feels really good, it tends to feel good for all of us.”
Leslie Armstrong, Editor-in-Chief
