Despite what some musicians may spout, playing covers is not easy. You have to be good at your craft to pull it off well, and it does take a lot of work. If you’re writing an original, nobody can tell you that you played something wrong. The same is not true for covers.
As we’ve stated before, playing with other family members includes a bonus element that other bands don’t enjoy. It’s a little bit easier to vibe with people that you spend every day with and have known your whole life. Nowhere is that more apparent than with vocals.
Our selection this week is a success story in the making. This group of siblings started playing together around 2005 in the Philippines, and have grown into international stars with a catalog of incredible covers. Our Video of the Week is “How Deep Is Your Love” by the REO Brothers.
Not to be confused with the 80s band REO Speedwagon fronted by Kevin Cronin, the REO Brothers are four siblings ranging in age from 24-31 who were inspired by the music that their father loved; American rock from the 50s thru 70s.
REO Brothers are well known in the YouTube world; having amassed over a quarter-million followers and tens of millions of views. With over a hundred clips, these boys are already an internet sensation. But none of this was planned, and none of it was easy.
After the 2013 typhoon Haiyan struck their home in Tacloban, Philippines, the boys were penniless and without a place to live. Bringing only some clothes and their guitars, and subsisting on biscuits, water, and candy, the family eventually made it to Manila where they met up with some other siblings who provided them shelter.
The band has since built up an extraordinary catalog of cover songs; mainly by classic rock artists such as The Beach Boys, Dave Clark Five, The Bee Gees, America, and especially The Beatles. Even though they are all prolific instrumentalists, it’s the group’s breathtaking harmonies that carry each song.
We recommend that you check out their entire library on YouTube, but for our selection this week, we chose “How Deep Is Your Love” by The Bee Gees. With the recent success of the Bee Gees documentary, it seemed fitting to go with this song. It’s also clear that the guys love this tune since there are no less than five versions of it on their channel.
Check out the clip below…and share this article!
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Do you have a clip worthy of Video of the Week? Send an email to steve@coverbandcentral.com with a link to the clip (must be a YouTube video) and a brief summary as to why you should be chosen, and you could be our next selection!
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