BROTHER CHUNKY

funky bluesy roots music

Brother chunky looking down his guitar.

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Updates and stuff

New Brother Chunky album “Dig Deeper” Now Available on all Major Streaming Platforms.  Vinyl LPs are in process.

Salt Lake City Weekly: Buzz Blog - Emilee Atkinson - 3/17/23

Brother Chunky: New single “All That Rage” out 3/24
Utah based singer/songwriter/guitarist Brother Chunky is hitting listeners with a new single called “All That Rage,” a track that takes a departure from his usual work. “I usually do funky, bluesy, roots music, so this one is different,” he said. While the new song is atypical for him, it’s still a quality song that will keep you coming back for more. This down-home rock track feels like cruising down the highway. It has a lightness to it that’s infectious, but at the same time is lyrically solemn. Brother Chunky sings about how rich he’d be if he was able to bottle up all his rage and sell it, and boy, is that relatable. Brother Chunky’s bluesy roots music is great, but seeing more like this from him in the future would be a real treat. “All That Rage” is out everywhere March 24.

SlugMag- Singles Roundup - May 2022

Brother Chunky
“You Better Run”

Self-Released
Street: 02.17
Brother Chunky = David Crosby + Gordon Lightfoot + R. L. Burnside

Brother Chunky’s new single, “You Better Run,” is a swamped-out, muddy blues march about the reaper, the devil or our own inner demon. “Don’t you buy what he is selling / Don’t you listen to the stories he’s telling / once he gets you down to that place / You won’t come back ever the same.” Brother Chunky blossoms out of “You Better Run” with a classic, guitar-picking folk ballad that plays out like the Mississippi Delta. The pace of “You Better Run” stays steady with a wicked tone that never waivers. Michael Barclay Jr., the man behind Brother Chunky, delivers a delicious treat that can’t be consumed all at once: The folk part of the track may intrigue you, the blues might scare you and the funk Barclay sneaks in will have you shimmying in your shoes. “You Better Run” is a warning, but the only thing to be afraid of is a blues-fueled party you may want to stick around for. –Russ Holsten

SLUGMag Review of “Down Low”

by | August 17, 2018 | Announcement, King, Press, Quote | 0 Comments

BROTHER CHUNKY
DOWN LOW

Self-Released
Street: 02.10
Brother Chunky = Gary Clark Jr. + Taj Mahal

Local singer-songwriter Michael Barclay creates and takes the stage as Brother Chunky. While technically a solo artist, Barclay collaborates with a group of musicians to bring the depth of his musical visions to life. The multi-genre and dynamic “chunky guitar riffs” are especially prevalent on the newest album, Down Low, a 10-track album that lures listeners with the wailing blues and storytelling lyrics.

The album opens with an electrically charged blues track, “Chunky Boogie,” jumping right in with short spurts of lyrics between power high-note picks and chords on the electric guitar—in a “Purple Haze” kind-of-way. What first feels like rock n’ roll subtly shifts toward the blues as the electric guitar fades among the bass, drums and harmonica, lyrics clear and easy to hear. The song is upbeat, full of instrumental variation, and sets the boogie-or-bust standard for the rest of Down Low.

The title track is a funky dancing blues track, that opens with a rolling drum rather than the guitar. The track fuses funk, rock and blues with a simple riff that pauses with the bass in all the right places for Barclay to sing and stop. While the electric guitar maintains the rhythm, Barclay sings, “Do what you’re told … And you’ll be fine.” When Barclay sings, there is an almost unnoticeable deep and low backup vocal. Something so subtle runs the risk of going unnoticed, yet it adds to the complexity of the track and the staple fullness and bellow of the blues.

Brother Chunky often emphasizes the “electric” in electric blues on tracks like “Enlightenment Blues” and “Resignation Letter,” while on tracks like “Shut Your Mouth” and “Things We Seek,” the harmonica stands out, leaning more heavily on the pillars of classic blues. “Things We Seek” begins in unison with the guitar and a noticeable harmonica playing the same two-stepping riff, the instrumental foundation of the track. Between the narrative lyrics and Barclay’s characteristic cowboy “Mmhmms,” plus backing vocals by Morgan Whitney, they sing, “Sometimes / That’s just the way that it goes.” A dramatic pause and a harmonica solo backed with the guitar gives the song the space to jam like the blues are meant to do.

Every note, lyric, transition and genre overlap on Down Low is  thoughtfully constructed without seeming too rigid or staged. From backyard parties to late-night jams, Down Low is the summertime boogie soundtrack carelessly spreading a case of rhythm and blues one track at a time. –Lizz Corrigan

 

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New Album is DONE !

by | January 30, 2018 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

GREAT NEWS !! The new album “Down Low” is done. CDs are made and the online distribution is set up. Official release date is February 10, 2018. Digital downloads will be available on iTunes, Amazon, CDbaby, Bandcamp, etc., physical CDs can be ordered from the Brother Chunky page on CDbaby. Cheers !!

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NEW Brother Chunky Album !!

by | September 23, 2017 | Announcement | 0 Comments

Good NEWS !! We started recording the new Brother Chunky album !! We are taking a break from performing live as we focus on making a killer album full of “chunkyfunk”

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Brother Chunky Band voted #1

by | July 2, 2017 | Press | 1 Comment

“Brother Chunky Band has been voted #1 in the ‘Best Jazz/Blues Band’ and #2 in ‘Best Party Band’ categories of our 15th Annual Daily Herald BEST OF UTAH VALLEY Reader’s Choice Awards! Congratulations! (May 07, 2017)”

Best of Utah Valley Reader’s Choice
Provo Daily Herald

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