Country super-star brothers, Christopher and Taylor Malpass, will perform on Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Culp Center.

ETSU’s Country Pride Band will be the opening act for the brothers. The pride band is made up entirely of ETSU students in Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies.

“I always knew I wanted to get into music,” Christopher Malpass said. “I started as a kid, probably around  8 or  9 years old. My granddaddy owned a little honky tonk and he played guitar and sang a little bit and he would bring home records. I’d get into his old records and listen to them and I knew as soon as I started listening that that’s what I wanted to do.”

Malpass started singing locally when he was about 10 years old, but he didn’t start a band until he was about 14.

During their performance at ETSU, the brothers plan to sing traditional country, covers of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, as well as their own original music.

“Some of my biggest influences were the Louvin Brothers and Charlie Pride, both American country singers,” Malpass said. “It’s just so real and pure, to know those guys were really singing without any computerized help and something about the sound, it just hooked me.”

Forming a band seemed very natural for the brothers.

“We didn’t really talk about it, it just sort of happened,” Malpass said. “I played guitar and sang and my brother [Taylor Malpass] decided on the mandolin. We just sort of did it a few times and it took off and we’ve been doing it ever since.

Thankfully, the brothers also had parents and family continuously supporting them.

“Our parents never pushed us to do anything, we just fell into it,” Malpass said. “They have been very supportive; before we could drive they drove us everywhere and they did all the booking for years. My dad played bass with us and still does.”

The brothers have big plans for November playing at the Big Blue Grass Festival at Myrtle Beach on Thanksgiving weekend.

“We just want everyone to come and have a good time. The show is for the crowd, it’s not just for us,” Malpass said. “We you get on stage and you get into the moment and you’re making the music you heard your heroes make and it sounds like what they would have done and you know the crowds enjoying it, it’s such an adrenaline rush.”

 

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  • MC Kelly

    A native of Chattanooga, MC Kelly has been a staff writer and photographer for the East Tennessean for two and a half years. She is a journalism major with a minor in Photography who hopes to work as a freelance photographer after she graduates in May 2016. In addition to her passion for photography, she loves interacting with children and being outdoors. When she isn’t at the gym working out she can be found spending time with her two cats Mowgli and Scuddles.

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