If you’ve ever wandered into the Capital Complex and heard a rockin’ country band with a punk-rock feel and a hipster style, you probably were listening to The Hypochondriacs.
The Fredericton-based band is about three years old, and with their first full-length album coming out in April and a headlining gig playing the Shivering Songs festival’s Sunday Brunch, they say they are still in their infancy.
The Hypochondriacs are lead by brothers Josh and Aaron Bravener, singer songwriter/guitar and drums/vocals respectively. Bass player Jamie Guitar and vocalist Justine Koroscil complete the group.
Taking inspiration from classic country greats like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and Roger Miller, the band says they have taken it upon themselves to bring real country music back to Fredericton, and drop the stigma pop radio country music has given the genre.
“When you talk to anybody about country music and you ask them, or they ask you, what kind of music you like and you say country music, they give you, they kind of turn their nose up at you, thinking you’re talking about the pop country that’s on the radio now. And as country music fans, that’s something that bothered us. Because we love country music and we love playing it,” Aaron said.
Josh agreed, saying he thinks country music was the original form of punk music, with lyrical themes of hard-living, law-fighting and going against the grain, which he says are elements of both punk and country music.
So comes the descriptor “cow-punk” to describe The Hypochondriacs’ sound: a bluesy, twangy, punk feel with undeniable country roots.
The storytelling of classic country song writing is something both brothers say brings a realness to their songs.
“They are relatable to all those old country tunes that they are about my own hardships within my own life, whether its girls, or mental illness, or being broke or drinking too much,” Josh said.
“I usually have a line, that I think of anywhere, I could be walking down the street or be talking to a server at a restaurant.”
Josh himself is a hypochondriac, which is what inspired the band’s name. Their logo is a cartoonish drawing of a steely-eyed cowboy with a surgical mask, which Josh, Aaron, and Jamie all got tattoos of after a tattoo artist designed the image as part of their merchandise.
After making a name for themselves in the province, the band is looking to build their fan base outside New Brunswick.
And opportunities like taking over Shivering Songs festival’s traditional Sunday Brunch show is just one small step in that direction.
Brendan MaGee is co-producer of the annual winter folk-festival. He says the Sunday Brunch has been an iconic part of Shivering Songs from the beginning.
Previously played by Alan Jeffries, MaGee said the festival is “really excited to get The Hypochondriacs in there, [since] they just played at Harvest for about 2,000 people for the big free show there [and are] very popular and used to a big crowd.”
The Sunday Brunch show is a buffet-style brunch set up inside of the Fredericton Boyce Farmers’ Market.
“The stage is sort of at one end, we have really long tables – it’s a community hall style kind of layout,” MaGee said.
The Shivering Song festival runs from Jan. 19-22. A kickoff film screening of Gord Downie’s film Secret Path will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Fredericton Playhouse.
Also new to the festival this year is its library programming, which includes smaller cheap or free concerts and other events in the Fredericton Public Library.
MaGee also said students should check out the shows at smaller venues like the Capital Complex for the best deals on the festival.
