Band sets out to broaden horizons at O'Hooley's

by Megan Kortemeyer
For The Post

With a sound reminiscent of The Eagles, The Short Brothers Band wants to deliver an evening full of classic rock 'n' roll when they take the stage tonight at O'Hooley's Irish Pub, 24 W. Union St.

"We prefer to do mostly original songs, which range from rock 'n' roll to country, with a little bit of bluegrass thrown in," bass guitarist Chuck Wilson said.

The band, which has been together for seven years, consists of Wilson, brothers and vocalists Greg and Luke Short, guitarist and sax player Paul Burger and Bill Harding on drums.

"When we first met we were a bunch of musicians in different bands, and after all talking for a while we realized we had similar goals and aspirations," Wilson said.

The most important of these goals is their desire to perform original music.

"Singing our own music is probably the biggest thing for us. We currently have three songwriters in our band (Greg and Luke Short and Burger) so we are able to write almost all of the songs we do," Wilson said.

In addition to comparisons to groups such as The Eagles, the group has several other strong influences.

"Our biggest influences would have to be Marshall Tucker and The Allman Brothers," he said.

The band originally is from Terra Alta, W.Va., which is about one hour southeast of Morgantown, W.Va. This will be their first show in Athens.

"We're just now starting to emerge into other states," he said. "I walked into O'Hooley's and talked to the people about who we were and what our sound is. When we are deciding where to play, we usually look for a place with a listening audience and good beer. I think O'Hooley's has that covered."

Aside from playing a number of shows in West Virginia, The Short Brothers Band has received exposure from a number of other places, including TNN and CMT. They also have opened for the Oak Ridge Boys and Hank Williams, Jr. III.

While the band will be in town only tonight, interested fans can choose from any one of their four CDs.

"We've already released three CDs and we just released our newest one last month. It's called Sacred Fire," Wilson said.

The Short Brothers Band plays at 10 p.m. tonight at O'Hooley's. There will be a cover charge.