Anyone listening to The Cactus Blossoms' debut album, You're Dreaming, might possibly think they are, in fact, dreaming -- dreaming of The Everly Brothers, an earlier brotherly duo adept at heavenly harmonies who successfully combined the sounds of bluegrass, country and rock 'n' roll.
"I totally get it," says Page Burkum, one of the Blossoms along with brother-who-changed-his-name Jack Torrey. "We have heard that before."
The Cactus Blossoms
8:30 p.m. today, Stickyz Rock ’n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 107 River Market Ave., Little Rock
Admission: $10
(501) 372-7707
Unlike the Everlys, these brothers are not products of the South. They were born in Nebraska, but moved to Minneapolis as young children. It turned out to be a fortunate move, as the brothers now record for Red House Records, the respected folk-oriented label based in St. Paul, Minn. Red House released the duo's CD Jan. 22.
Fortune smiled on them when they began wondering who would produce their album. They had opened a show for renowned Oklahoma singer-songwriter-guitarist, JD McPherson.
"We were so honored that he would offer to do that," Burkum says, "plus he took us out as his opening act in Europe and on the West Coast."
As for the name of the duo, Minnesota is probably short on cactus blossoms, Burkum admits.
"Up here, about as close as we get is some native prickly pear," Burkum says. "I just liked the idea of our name. It fit our band in some way, I guess, thanks to our interest in country and Western music. Most of our shows are about our original songs, but we might occasionally do a cover. We do Merle Haggard's 'Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down,' for example.
"We were influenced by our fellow Minnesota musician, Bob Dylan. Before we started playing together, we were into his music. Anyone playing music is influenced by him. He's one of the guys who paved the way, for sure. We saw him once, playing in Milwaukee with Merle Haggard as his opening act."
Though the Blossoms have played in Fayetteville before, tonight's show will be their first in central Arkansas. Burkum plays acoustic guitar, Torrey plays electric guitar and their sound will be supplemented by a bassist and a drummer.
And while they have been compared to The Everly Brothers, they have not added any Everly songs to their sets. They have, however, been learning a Kinks song, "Who'll Be the Next in Line" (without, he says, realizing the Kinks' lineup featured a pair of brothers, Ray and Dave Davies).
Weekend on 06/16/2016