Description
Los Angeles-based power-folk duo, Thee Holy Brothers, has persevered through a series of life challenges and are readying the release of their eagerly anticipated second album, High In My Balloon. The critically acclaimed duo features two stalwarts of the L.A. musical community, Marvin Etzioni and Willie Aron.
Etzioni is a singer, Grammy-nominated songwriter and record producer, and founding member of country-punk innovators Lone Justice. As a producer, he has worked with acts such as Counting Crows, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Stephen Stills with Judy Collins, and many more. Etzioni recently produced Viva Lone Justice, released on Fire Records.
Aron is a respected singer, award-winning film/TV composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He serves as the keyboard player with psychedelic supergroup The Third Mind and has appeared with such artists as The Dream Syndicate, LOVE featuring Johnny Echols, and many others. Aron is also a founding member of indie-folk combo The Balancing Act. He recently served as producer of singer-songwriter Milo Binder's latest album, The Unspeakable Milo Binder, which has received rave reviews. Thee Holy Brothers' debut album, My Name Is Sparkle, was the inaugural release on Etzioni's Regional Records label. The song cycle revolves around an androgynous character named Sparkle, who endures a series of hardships on an existential search for the divine. Etzioni wrote all the songs on the album.
Upon release, My Name Is Sparkle MOJO Magazine likened it to "Tommy as if directed by Leonard Cohen."
During the recording sessions for High In My Balloon, Etzioni was diagnosed with cancer, while Aron's spouse passed away from the disease. The resilient pair turned to music and each other during this difficult time, which strengthened their collaborative partnership and friendship.
When his oncologist declared him cancer-free, Etzioni said "I was so elated at the news, I felt like I was levitating, like I was high in my balloon. I did what I always do, I wrote a song about it."
Paralleling Marvin's journey through cancer treatment, High In My Balloon, the second album of a trilogy, chronicles the Sparkle character's travails while dealing with the very same disease. One of the standout tracks, "Sunshine In My Veins," is an upbeat account of the chemotherapy that courses through Sparkle's body. An animated video of the song by acclaimed cartoonist Bill Plympton will be released, as will a video of another key album track, Guru Honk. The song features mellotron by Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee.
