JEFF the Brotherhood - Biography
JEFF the Brotherhood is a two-piece rock band consisting of brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall from Nashville, Tennessee. The brothers grew up playing music together and were influenced by their father, Robert Ellis Orrall, a successful producer/songwriter. In 2001, while still in high school, Jake and Jamin started performing together under the moniker JEFF. After high school they relocated to Illinois to pursue music full time while Jamin was attending Columbia College Chicago, but ultimately they ended up back in Nashville.
In 2002, with the help of pre-order funding from supporters, JEFF released their debut album, I Like You. With a heavy DIY work ethic, the band toured extensively throughout the early 2000s and released several "limited release" albums. In 2009, the band started to gain nationwide recognition with the release of their fifth album, Heavy Days. Subsequently this led to a collaborative EP release with Best Coast and a live recording for Jack White's Third Man Records. After several years of do-it-yourself touring, recording and self-releasing albums, JEFF the Brotherhood and their family label, Infinity Cat Recordings, partnered with Warner Music Group, signing a deal that would allow them to retain creative control and continue to release their albums on Infinity Cat.
JEFF the Brotherhood's seventh album and major label debut, Hypnotic Nights, was released on July 17, 2012. The album was co-produced by Dan Auerbach (Black Keys) and recorded at Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville in just one week (which is more than twice the time they normally take to record). 2013 has been a very busy year for the band. In addition to their own headling tour in March/April, they have been playing the festival circuit, including Australia's Big Day Out in January, Coachella in April and will be performing at Bonnaroo in June. They have also recently added two additional touring band members and are splitting their live shows between songs performed as the original two-piece and songs with all four musicians on stage.