Today’s entry in our Spotlight Series features SoCal folk-rock outfit The Brevet, who will be headlining the final concert of the 2019 Levitt AMP Carson City Music Series tomorrow night in Carson City, NV! The band’s sound, which they describe as “epic Americana,” is an expansive musical experience perfectly suited for a late-summer performance on the Levitt stage.
Riding the neo-folk wave that crested in the early 2010s, The Brevet’s initial releases combined hard-strummed acoustic guitars, a steady kick drum, and poetic lyrics to evoke the sounds and scenery of a bygone era of American History. Clearly influenced by fellow revivalists Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers, and Of Monsters and Men, the band’s early lyrics made liberal use of literary allusions and Civil War references — the band’s name even comes from an honorary military rank that was frequently bestowed on union soldiers during the conflict. One critic described the old-meets-new sound as “equal parts Kings of Leon and Bruce Springsteen.”
The Brevet’s most recent album, Legs, pushed their music into new territory, with much of the acoustic instrumentation swapped out for effects-laden electric guitars and traditional pop beats. Vocalist Aric Damm tackles “perception and identity in the digital age” in a lyrical outing that is far more introspective than previous releases.
Amidst a crowded field of similar-sounding bands, The Brevet stand out for the “cinematic” feel of their music. While studying theater and film at UCLA, Damm, also an actor, began making music with The Brevet to accompany his friends’ film projects. Music licensing groups soon took notice, and began finding the band placements in commercials, films and television shows. The Brevet’s music has been featured in 90210, American Idol, Ashby and more. Damm’s connections to the filmmaking community have also led to some incredible multimedia collaborations — award-winning director Sarah Wilson Thacker has directed all of the group’s music videos, providing striking imagery to accompany their music. Check out her short film set to the song “All You Need to Know” below, and catch The Brevet live in concert at Levitt AMP Carson City tomorrow night!