Banking on brothers: Tunes at Twilight enlists the brothers Henry for season opener

Records are made to be broken.

Last year the summer Tunes at Twilight concert series smashed them to pieces.

Attendance over the entire series: About 2,500 according to estimates by Old Town Cape. That's double the number who saw the series the previous year.

Single concert attendance record: 500 for Boston bassist Kimberley Dahme's solo act. That's hundreds beyond any single concert attendance that came before.

As the 2006 series gets ready to gear up, organizers are hoping to continue the record-breaking trend with a lineup that includes names both familiar and unfamiliar.

"It seems to pick up a little momentum every year," said Larry Underberg, talent booker for the series. "We'd be overjoyed if it continued at the level it did last year."

Since Tunes at Twilight's extremely humble beginnings -- in its first year attendance was sparse, and that language is diplomatic -- the series has become somewhat of a Friday evening institution in Cape Girardeau.

And as usual, Underberg and Old Town Cape are counting on a strong slate of varied musical talent to keep Tunes in the spotlight. No doubt the people will likely show up in throngs for Dahme's Aug. 11 show and local Steve Schaffner's Aug. 18 performance.

But for the concerts before the series' July break, organizers are banking on the sounds of newcomers to Cape Girardeau -- some of which carry impressive credentials.

Opening the series at 7 p.m. May 19 is the band Brother Henry, a Nashville-based act that labels itself "pop-rock."

Fronted by twin brothers Ned and David Henry, Brother Henry has its roots in the town that produced one of the most famous pop-rock groups ever -- Athens, Ga., home of R.E.M.

With four albums -- three studio and one live -- under its belt since 2001, the four-piece Brother Henry has drawn comparisons to Michael Stipe and Co., among many, many others.

"You can't grow up in that area and escape from them," Ned Henry said of R.E.M.'s massive influence.

Other names that have been thrown around when talking about Brother Henry: the Byrds, Crowded House, Barenaked Ladies and the Everly Brothers. Pretty good company.

The main difference between the brothers and the others -- brother David has ditched the typical rock gear for something much more geeky, a cello and a mandolin.

"It's basically a pop-rock band, and we have this cello," said Ned. "Then we have this family-harmony kind of thing going on, which people tend to like."

The four-piece's tongue-in-cheek pop songcraft differs from most Tunes acts in a big way -- a drum kit. Unlike most acts in the series who just rely on guitar and voice, Brother Henry brings the thunder of a drum set, albeit a bit more subdued than the massive rock thumping of a Keith Moon or John Bonham.

With connections in the music industry for David Henry's days as a producer for bands like The Cowboy Junkies, Brother Henry also counts among its friends people like Ben Folds and the members of Guster -- a band that brought Brother to Bonnaroo.

The brothers aren't the only Tunes performers booked on the first half of this year's season with big name ties. Chief among them is Jim Reilley, known best for his work in the late '80s and '90s with The New Dylans. Underberg said Reilley is a musician who has the unique ability to appeal to fans of folk, alternative music and the classic singer/songwriter.

Kevin Gordon is another. A rockabilly songster, Gordon has rubbed elbows with the immortal (literally) Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, even writing a song for a Richards solo album and performing a duet with Lucinda Williams on his debut album "Down to the Well."

The variety, said Underberg, should keep the crowds strong in the 2006 season.

"We're all over the board in terms of genres here," said Underberg. "All of them have what ought to be a real general audience appeal."

The success of the Tunes series has made it a popular attraction for independent acts coming through the area. In the second half of the series two concerts combine two separate acts. Underberg said the performers agreed to this arrangement just so they could play the series.

"Everybody that's played here wants to come back," Underberg said.

One of the big attractions for the audience -- the concerts are free thanks to the sponsorship of the Coad dealerships, Capaha Bank and sound support from Shivelbine's. And following last year's experiment with food, each show will be catered by a different Cape Girardeau restaurant.

For more information on the Tunes at Twilight series call Old Town Cape at 334-8085.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182

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TUNES AT TWILIGHT

Series one schedule:

• May 19 -- Brother Henry
• May 26 -- Claude Bourbon
• June 2 -- The Laws
• June 9 -- Jim Reilley
• June 16 -- Kevin Gordon
• June 23 -- Dana Cooper

All shows start at 7 p.m. at the Common Pleas Courthouse gazebo. Alternate rain site is Garden Gallery at the corner of Broadway and Pacific Street.