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What's There To Dig About The Gaines Bro's??
Life Full Of Music
The Gaines Brothers are exceptional artists and accomplished musicians who have been honing their craft since childhood. They write, arrange, produce and mix their own music, with an eclectic musical style that can be called Indie, but is actually difficult to classify, as it is a culmination of all of their musical influences, including classical, R & B, jazz, gospel, funk, rap, hip-hop, and trap. For 20 years, the brothers have taught themselves how to do everything involved in musical production, including lyric- and song- writing, composition, transcription, mixing, and recording. The Gaines Brothers formed their music production company in 2014, and have released all of their music under their own brand. Lamar plays keys and is located primarily in Phoenix, AZ, while Will is a vocalist and electric bass player residing in Denver, CO. Although they collaborate and perform together, both of them also travel nationally and internationally as independent touring musicians.
The brothers’ musical concepts and possibilities were definitely shaped by the Cleveland neighborhood where they were raised and educated by parents who were both music professionals. Their mother was a music educator. Their father was a successful self-employed musician, whose example was foremost in the development of the brothers’ intense desire to be the same. At an early age, they learned how to play and perform on their instruments, and began their exploration of the music business. After high school, they left Cleveland with nothing but their instruments, cars with invalid plates, and the clothes on their backs. Established musicians in Cleveland because of their father’s influence in the Cleveland music scene, the brothers experienced a culture shock when they hit Phoenix, as they had nothing and no one to support them except their own resources. They slept in their cars until they could no longer afford them. Park benches then became their beds, and they survived by eating grapefruits off of the plentiful citrus trees. They worked every type of day job to get and keep themselves off the streets, and, at the same time, still found ways to foster and keep alive their dreams of making a living playing music.
Lamar, having been inspired during his school years to learn how to mix and record his own music, kept nurturing the goal to be able to purchase professional-quality equipment for his own studio. The brothers knew at that time that this would be the only possible way for getting their music produced. To be able to afford the equipment, Lamar drove huge semi-trucks across country and packed his keyboard in the cab so he could practice every night when he finished his drives. This routine became a very important part of his musical journey. At the same time, Will was building his contacts with the leading musicians in Phoenix, forging an avenue for Lamar to be able to come off the road and solely play music professionally. Continuing to save his money, Lamar gathered his studio piece-by-piece for at least 8 years, until he and Will were finally able to start the recording of their own music in 2013. They released their first album, and jazz project, in 2014. Lamar has been expanding on his knowledge and expertise with many production projects since then. He has also made a living and travelled the world playing music, another of his major goals accomplished.
Will, after his initial struggles to survive in Phoenix, decided to pursue a certification in massage therapy at Pima Medical Institute, at which time he also decided the best way to support himself through school was to do what he knew best -- playing bass. Coming from homelessness gave him the drive and determination to establish himself as an elite musician outside of Cleveland. He relentlessly pursued relationships with the established club-owners, touring artists, and prominent musicians in Phoenix, which eventually opened doors to other national musical opportunities. He also laid the groundwork and foundation for his brother to be able to come off the truck to play music full-time.
Will was born a singer, humming the inner French horn parts from classical movie scores before he played instruments, and he always knew that he would eventually perform as a vocalist. While growing up in Cleveland, he had been greatly influenced musically by the R & B group Boyz 2 Men, where a particular song of theirs that featured prominent hip-hop artists introduced him to a blend of music that he had never heard before. At the same time, Will learned piano, then trumpet, and soon developed a desire to play bass like his father. Knowing that bass was a complement to the piano that his older brother was playing was also a big motivation for him to fully pursue the bass, so that he could play with his brother. Will’s first attempt at song- writing was an impromptu studio session in high school where he was asked to write a song and lyrics over a beat produced by his brother. Watching musical trends in the early 2000s, and the domination of hip-hop over R & B, directly influenced Will’s musical direction. He found that he would be limited if he only sang melodies. He decided to explore other avenues of lyrical expression, including poetry, spoken-word, preaching, rapping, and MCing. When he arrived in Phoenix, he shifted his focus from being an instrumentalist and vocalist, to being a lyricist. Subsequent life and musical experiences have only expanded his abilities to express himself through his lyrics and song-writing. Will’s present goal is to be able to express himself freely and independently, and to challenge the boundaries of current ways that music is classified into genres