Bringing country to the capital

Bear Creek Brothers tap into Nashville sound on its new EP

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With a little twang and a whole lot of heart, Bear Creek Brothers are growing a new crop of Lansing county fans. With 94.1 flipping the switch from alternative rock to classic country, the duo seems to be hootin’ and hollerin’ at just the right time and place.

Fusion Shows hosted the band’s debut EP release party at the Loft on Friday. An energetic crowd scuffled across the Loft’s dance floor, line-dancing skills on full display.

Dylan Wright, of Leslie, and Kevin Vermillion, of Bath, call themselves brothers, despite no blood relation. While the two have known each other for several years, they became a band in February 2014.

“I was in a pop-punk band called Way to Fall,” said Vermillion, 22. While the band still occasionally plays together, he’s keeping busy with Bear Creek Brothers. That’s not to say any all traces of pop punk are completely wiped clean though.

“I guess we keep it pretty country, but in some of our original stuff, some of it can be pretty poppy,” said Vermillion. “You can definitely see a little bit of pop punk influence in it.”

Wright, on the other hand, was born and raised on the Judds and a steady diet of classic country and rock staples.

“I draw from a classic, Southern rock kind of feel,” Wright said. “Lynyrd Skynyrd, CCR, Eric Clapton, that kind of thing. I’m a big fan of all music, but as far as my influences, it started with country.”

Singing didn’t start for 26-year-old Wright until about 7 years ago.

“I didn’t know I could sing until I was probably 19,” he said. “From there, I just started doing karaoke and as I started winning contests and stuff, I thought, ‘I must be good if I’m winning.’” The duo put together an impressive lineup of musicians for its self-titled, four-song EP. While in Nashville, it worked with producer Chris Latham and some big-name studio musicians — musicians who have recorded with Reba McEntire, Frankie Ballard, and Blake Shelton, just to name a few.

“Different musicians play on the record than play with us live in Michigan,” Wright said. “The reason why we went that route instead of using the guys who play with us here is because we really wanted to learn. If you’re ever going to take country to the next level, you’ve got to eventually travel to Nashville. We wanted that learning experience, so that’s why we traveled down there to do it.”

“Bear Creek Brothers”

EP Available at: soundcloud.com/bear-creek-brothers

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