This Band of Brothers

Matt and Evan Ferro hone their sibling chemistry as Roman Funerals
Words by Bobby Gulshan

When the guys from Roman Funerals arrived at the Bistro, the first question I asked them was how much time they had. If they wanted to just crank out this interview, I was prepared to do that. Alternately, we could order a few rounds, get some food and see where it led. They agreed to the latter, and the Scottish ale began to flow. Luckily, I remembered what the hell I was doing there in the first place and managed to get some of it on tape.

We started talking about a line from the band’s bio. Matt Ferro offered the following: “How do I know that 99 percent of musicians are scumbags? Dude, I have been playing and touring for a long time. I know they are scumbags. Hell, I am a scumbag.” It may seem like a callous generalization, but as our conversation continued, it became clear to me that neither Matt Ferro, nor his brother Evan, would indulge in any hostile posturing. “There are a few good eggs out there,” Matt continued. “But there is just something about music. Think of the expected rewards, like sex and drugs and money, it’s going to attract certain kinds of people.”

I am not sure if the Ferro brothers were ever those “certain kinds of people.” It seems hard to believe they could have been. Having spent nearly a decade in the seminal Sacramento band Bright Light Fever, the approach to their new project is built on a foundation of experience and maturation. This includes years of touring and exposure to the music industry, culminating in a brief dalliance with major label status. “We had our toes in with Island Records, and we got a taste of all that,” Matt said. And for all the “scumbaggery” out there, Matt stated unequivocally that his brother Evan is not a scumbag, and hence from the ashes of Bright Light Fever emerged Roman Funerals.

The Ferro brothers have been playing together since 2005 and have developed a close working relationship that Evan describes as “second nature.” In music, chemistry is everything, and to hear these guys tell it, being brothers almost gives them an unfair advantage. It comes through on the soon to be released EP, Six of Us. The sound of the record is generally stripped down and tight, with an underlying foundation of acoustic guitars and warm, two-part harmonies. It’s difficult to locate the music of Roman Funerals on the style spectrum, but there are hints of certain influences. “The way we put this record together was a little foreign for us. We wanted to make it feel a little uncomfortable,” said Matt, reflecting on the process of writing the EP. As a result, there are stylistic turns that may or may not be obvious, like my insistence that the track “Lineage” sounds like it could have been performed by an ‘80s New Romantic band. However, it’s clear that on some of the other tracks, the folk-y, almost country-like guitar parts drive the tunes. And as Evan explained, “it’s heavily influenced by The Byrds, and their record Sweetheart of the Rodeo.”

The best thing about interviewing bands is that on occasion, you will get to talk to someone who is as much of a music nerd as you. The Brothers Ferro are those kinds of guys, the ones who will drink and debate about “top fives” like characters from a Nick Hornsby novel. At a certain point in the interview, after beers and a couple slices of gourmet pizza, the conversation turned to black metal and black metal documentaries, and how Gaahl from Gorgoroth came out of the closet. If I wasn’t careful, I would forget all about the interview and start articulating my argument in favor of Dragonforce. Luckily, I remembered my notes.

I told the guys I spent the earlier part of the day listening to the EP. “Did it bum you out? I mean, it’s kind of a gloomy day,” offered Matt. It’s clear that Six of Us isn’t a summer party soundtrack. Despite the Ferros’ reverence for the jangly, country rock of the Byrds, the Roman Funerals EP is decidedly moodier. The record was produced by Robert Cheek of By Sunlight, a former Sacramento band now based in Seattle. The EP also features the services of the Alternative String Band, a prominent local string quartet. “Playing with the string quartet made us feel like legit musicians,” Evan said, as if their status was in question somehow. The EP, available on Nov. 16, features six songs that are brilliantly played and captured. Cheek’s production preserves the stripped down, folk-y feel and avoids excessive overproduction. Matt said that other members of By Sunlight, who also play in Roman Funerals, contributed to the production and performances on the record; a collective effort put forward to make manifest the musical vision of the Brothers Ferro.

Increasingly, digital technology and social media outlets mean that bands can do a lot of things that used to be the province of a dedicated cadre of professionals. I wondered what Matt and Evan thought about how technology has changed the way bands approach their craft, especially since these guys basically cut their teeth in a period that immediately preceded the Web 2.0 explosion.

“It’s a double-edged sword. You can immediately record and put something on the Internet, and it’s totally shit. But it allows you to do stuff like record the demos and stuff you’ve written without a lot of cost or complications,” Matt said. Furthermore, control over the business aspects of being in a band provide artists with complete control, and decrease the chance of being screwed over by opportunistic “scumbags.” And anyways, if you know some Web designers and graphic artists, you can always get by with a little help from your friends. However, there is another wrinkle in the social media phenomenon that troubles and intrigues, according to Evan. “You can’t just let the music speak for itself anymore, you have to explain yourself,” he said. “The mystery is gone; people can find out everything about you.” It’s the age of the voyeur and the exhibitionist. “Maybe we are at a point culturally where that is part of the game,” Matt said.

As the pizza disappeared and the glasses were drained, I started to wind down the interview. I promised to mention certain things in the final piece, like their waitress friend Courtney, and to keep certain other things out for the sakes of their parents. However, the conversation could have gone on. Matt and Evan are not only talented songwriters and musicians. They are bright, articulate and insightful guys. They may well end up filling that void in the local music scene, a scene in need of a focal point and a couple of really bright lights.