ABOUT
Comprised of four long-time music lovers, The Hook Brothers were born out of a common passion for channeling heartfelt emotion into song. It all began one warm summer afternoon when Dala Records founder Billy Aukstik invited his three closest friends to his home studio in Brooklyn and fired up his tape machine. Before he knew it, they had instruments in hand and were writing up a storm! With influences ranging from old soul to 70’s rock & roll, The Hook Brothers strive to compose songs with contagious grooves and honest lyrics. Individually, members of The Hook Brothers have performed and recorded with acts such as Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Antibalas, Mark Ronson, & The Roots. As a result, these four “brothers” are able to bring unique experiences in all genres of music to the table. With Billy Aukstik on vocals, trumpet, keyboards and percussion, Steve Garvin on vocals and guitar, Freddy DeBoe on drums, bass and saxophone, and Ray Mason on keyboards and trombone, this unit is built with the tools to succeed both in the studio and onstage.
Recorded and mixed on an 8-track tape machine, Watch What You Say b/w In the Park showcases The Hook Brothers’ versatile songwriting and performance skills. Watch What You Say conveys a simple universal message while an infectious rhythm track simmers underneath. Utilizing such instruments as the Maestro Rhythm King drum machine and Arp Omni synthesizer, The Hook Brothers conclude the song with a dramatic, horn-heavy outro that might have been a lost Wings b-side. In the Park reveals the group’s pop tendencies as they use simple repetition in the vocal as well as the horn section melodies. If you listen closely, you’ll hear the lead vocal duties being traded between verses one and two exactly how the song was composed in Aukstik’s apartment on that fateful summer afternoon.
