The Carter brothers, Danny and Tim, came to Key West right after Hurricane Georges blew through for their first gig at the Hog’s Breath Saloon. The talented duo grew up in North Carolina and recently moved to Nashville, where they write and now call home.

“We love to play in Key West because the people who come to the Hog’s Breath, come to listen to us play,” Danny said.

“The Hog’s not a club where we have to play one kid of music,” brother Tim added.

The brothers play the outdoor stage at the Hog Monday through Aug. 22, playing the 10:30 p.m. gig.

And that’s a good thing since the brothers consider their writing and performing talents go in many directions.

While Tim was attending college in North Carolina, Danny was playing in a blues-rock band that performed in North and South Carolina. Danny likes to play the rock ‘n’ roll, blues and a bit of British rock, while Tim likes to add a little folk and blue grass to the mixture.

As the brothers began touring together they found their own sound, the same mixture of music that makes them so popular in Key West. Together they are the Carter Brothers, but when touring outside Key West they have a band and are the Carter Brothers Band.

“The band sometimes gets together in Key West,” Danny said. “We all enjoy playing here because the locals come for the music, so we get a chance to play a variety of music and that’s good.”

“Our music is unique,” Tim added. “Folk music is growing in popularity and so are the banjo and mandolin and they fit into our style of music just fine, even our rock ‘n’ roll.”

The unique style the brothers talk about has made them a popular attraction in Ireland, where they attend many Irish music festivals. They said the banjo and mandolin fit in well with traditional Irish music.

As a band, the Carter Brothers also tour Europe and many cities in the United States

Another uniqueness about their music is their use of original instrumentals tunes on stage. Tim writes the music and Danny the lyrics to their original music.

“We tour a lot,” Danny said, “but Key West is the only place you can find us playing 14 days straight. We wouldn’t do it anywhere else.”

“It’s like a paid vacation,” Tim added. “The open mind ness of Key West draws us here. We leave everything behind and kind of recharge our batteries when we’re here.”

The brothers said they also enjoy the many things the island offers, like time on the water and feel welcomed when they arrive.
“We could make more money playing other gigs,” Danny said, “but we want to be in Key West and we couldn’t think of any better place than the Hog’s Breath to be playing.”

The Carter Brothers newest CD – Cracks in the Floor – features fiddle legend Vassar Clements. For more information check out www.Carterbrothersband.com.

Click here to read about the Carter Brothers Fury Sunset Sail