The first noticeable thing about the Wheeler Brothers was that most of them were barefoot on stage. The next was their dance tunes, which literally had people on the floor by the end of the night. Everything about the performance from these five Texas boys oozed old-fashioned rock roots—with some small twists. Not wanting to be contained to one style of music, the Brothers brought in a slew of instruments, ranging from a xylophone to a slide guitar.
As their set progressed, I became increasingly comfortable with their music. Listening to them play made me feel like I was welcoming home an old friend. The band’s energy was infectious, and as they said, “The world will keep going if you get out of your seats and two-step with us.†The floor quickly filled up with twirling and stomping couples after this little bit of coaxing from the band.
The 20-hour drive from Austin couldn’t kill the roots vibe of this band, and they were rewarded with a unanimous call for an encore. For that encore, they whipped out an a cappella piece as they formed a small semicircle on stage. The Wheeler Brothers are family, and they tried their best to bring the audience into that family, even if it was just for one night.
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