This must be the place
Hailing from the Green Mountains of Burlington, Vt., The DuPont Brothers have emerged as a breath of fresh air in an often stifling, suffocating music industry.
Consisting of Zack and Sam DuPont, the duo carries a torch of melodic beauty, one handed down from the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, Seals & Croft, America and Wilco. On the heels of their self-titled debut record, the DuPonts combine folk, roots and Americana music into a formula of their own.
Alongside a successful east coast tour in 2013, they also found themselves sharing the stage with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Howie Day, Ben Sollee and Langhorne Slim, to name a few. And yet, this is just the beginning for the brothers, who are as thirsty for musical innovation as they are determined to break through into the ears of the world.
Smoky Mountain News: What’s the songwriting/performance realm like when your musical partner is your brother? Are there any challenges with that?
Sam DuPont: It’s a mixed bag of emotions, with very few boundaries. We know each other better than we know ourselves at times, and that includes all of our strengths and faults. Those factors only bring us closer together as performers. The positives certainly outweigh the negatives of this relationship. From a writing standpoint, we almost know what the songs are about before we even sit down and play them for each other. That sibling connection is something that just simply can’t be replicated.
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SMN: When you’re onstage, and in the moment of a great show, what goes through your head? Where do you go in your mind?
Zack DuPont: I go where the song takes me, and it varies with every song. They all have their own story to tell, and I often lose myself in the stories as they unfold onstage. It’s like a meditation more than anything else. I’m the most satisfied when the focus is deep enough to really take me to another place. It’s a transfer of energy from us to the audience. I can feel them and vice versa.
SMN: How do you want to contribute to the music industry, or be different from it?
SD: We want to learn it inside and out as much as we can. We’re sponges when it comes to that stuff. We’re running a business, and if we don’t know anything about the administrative side of the profession, then we’re setting ourselves up for failure. Our move is the slow burn. We set realistic goals and expectations and relish in the small victories. First and foremost, we deeply appreciate any person who feels compelled to share that they were moved by our music. Those are the people we care about, and those are the people we want to work with.
SMN: Why should people care and support independent music, live music and musicians in general?
ZD: It’s important for this to be identified as a valid profession. Essentially, when people support an independent musician, they’re allowing the profession to exist. In many cases, the support that musicians receive from their fans can shape their careers. We’re in this together and we’re in it because we love it.
Editor’s Note: The DuPont Brothers will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.
Hot picks
1: “Rear Window” will be screened at 7:45 p.m. Jan. 17 and at 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Jan. 18 at The Strand, 38 Main St., in Waynesville.
2: Humps & The Blackouts and the Hooten Hollars play at 9 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Water’n Hole Bar and Grill in Waynesville.
3: “Smokey Joe’s Café” rock ‘n’ roll review will show at 5 p.m. Jan. 26 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.
4: The DuPont Brothers play at 7 p.m. Jan. 16 at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.
5: A reception/exhibit for artist Edward J. Bisese begins at 5 p.m. Jan. 16 at WCU.
