The Mobros

“In a time when lots of music relies on an electronic or synth basis, it’s always refreshing to find a band that focuses on catchy, well-sung melodies and solid, consistent instrumentation. Basically, I like a band that has a distinct style and does it well. South Carolina band The Mobros, made up of two talented brothers, are on the rise as a rock band that takes things back to basics. No glitz or glamour is really necessary to make their songs stand out, which is the way music should be at its core.

With Kelly Morris on lead guitar/vocals and Patrick Morris on drums/vocals, I can’t help but find them reminiscent of the early days of The Black Keys. Everything sits on the foundation of the melodic guitar riffs and upbeat rhythms, and not much else is really needed. Kelly’s vocals have that perfect combination of roughness and clarity that is hard to describe. I wouldn’t say that his voice is smooth, but it is always easy on the ears, as contradictory as that sounds. And they have the kind of style that you can listen to whatever the circumstance, whether you want to dance or just sit back and enjoy. - The Village Recordist - Ansley Rushing (PAISTE)

Camden, SC duo The Mobros is, at least in numbers, a stripped-down outfit. But brothers Kelly and Patrick Morris conjure vast worlds of sound with their rootsy, rocking music, which hints at Delta blues and '60s soul without kitsch-ing too far down either rabbit hole. Much of the group's aural mass lies in its powerful but playful vocal harmonies, which it uses to near-perfect effect on its debut LP, Walking With a Different Stride. (The Mobros are no strangers to Athens; that album was tracked at Chase Park Transduction.) I'm inclined to say these fellas are the real deal. Like The Black Keys without the obsessive hero-worship, The Mobros offer a taste of yesteryear that still smacks pleasingly of today. - Flag Pole - Athens

The Mobros — Retro-cool way beyond their tender years, the Camden blues duo of Kelly and Patrick Morris finally released their long-promised debut album last month and promptly returned to the constant gigs that earned them fans both young and old. Classic soul, ’50s rock and Chicago blues vie for dominance in their energetic songs, and the guitar-drums instrumentation is fuller than that of many larger bands. - Kevin Oliver

The Mobros have been playing these parts so long that it’s hard to believe that this is their debut album. But this really is the first official full length from the duo of Kelly and Patrick Morris, brothers who were high school students in Camden when they first played a school talent show as a guitar-and-drums combo. They toyed with adding a bassist but settled on the duo configuration. Given these results, they made the right decision.

Much has been made in print coverage of Kelly’s voice — and the elder Morris brother does sound more like an old black blues singer than any skinny young dude has a right to — but the real story here is the way his guitar and Patrick’s drums pack this recording with wall-to-wall sound.

“My Baby Walked,” a live staple thanks to its relentless pace and fat guitar tones, comes on like a lost rockabilly side from Duane Eddy or Ritchie Valens. That ‘50s attitude soaks into many of these songs including the Buddy Holly-esque “Corrina” and “Pride and Praise,” with its unmistakable Bo Diddley-via-George Thorogood influence. But the performances are such that they sound fully contemporary and not nearly as stripped-down as one might expect given the limited instrumentation. [Full Review. www.free-times.com] - Kevin Oliver

It started with a high school talent show. Brothers Kelly and Patrick Morris can’t remember what the prize was — maybe $100? — but it was enough to motivate them to enter. Kelly, the elder by two years, was dedicated to the guitar, inspired by the likes of the Gypsy Kings and the King. Patrick, after trying a number of instruments, had settled on drums. The duo won the contest that year, and every year after that, until it just got embarrassing. But anyone who’s heard The Mobros would think twice before going head to head against them.

The band plays the Emerald Lounge Saturday, Feb. 1, as part of the launch for its new album, Walking with a Different Stride. The 20-plus dates make this the first real tour for the siblings from Camden, S.C. They’re no strangers to Asheville, though, having performed at CCX Music Fest and Jack of the Wood.

Stride marks another first: The Mobros’ debut full-length release. But it doesn’t play like a novice effort. The guitar positively struts and, when you least expect it, rears back and strikes. The drums are equal parts aggression and flourish. The album’s 10 tracks range from the nasty slink of “Friday Night” to the aerobic jostle of “Trampstamp,” the grungy blues of “Pride & Praise” to the raw swing of “Corrina.”

“The thread throughout is soul and rock ’n’ roll with a Western thing,” says Patrick.
[Full Story @ www.mountainx.com] - Ali Marshall

Album Review
The Mobros have been around a long time to just be getting where they are as a band. Now, that might sound crazy to say about two young blues brothers that play music beyond their years and have already opened for one of their idols, B.B. King. Not only did they warm up the crowd for the blues legend, but they were handpicked by King himself to play two tour stops including one show in Glenn Allen, VA and one in Columbia, SC. Add this to the long list of high-profile festival dates and one-off concerts the band has played all over the southeast and that first sentence sounds even more off. It’s hard to believe they’ve done this before the release of their first album and without any touring.

For The Mobros, their show Friday at New Brookland Tavern might be one of the most important ones they’ve ever played. It’s the first show where they’ll finally be able to sell their début album Walking with a Different Stride. It also kicks off a string of dates that has them on the road through February. In one night they’ll put two more holes in their band to-do punch card.

“We’ve never been on the road for more than four days at a time, but this is exactly what we have been waiting for and we have never been this excited.” Patrick Morris, the younger of the duo doesn’t seem phased about some of the turn offs of tour life. “This is definitely where it gets real, no showers, no hotels (too expensive), the occasional stay with friends of distant cousins, the occasional stay with favorite aunts and uncles, peanut butter sandwiches, cold Chef Boyardee bought in bulk, and plenty of blankets.” [Full Review @ www.scenesc.com] - David Stringer

"With the trio's uniting factor lying in their Island roots - all three are half-Trinidadian - they offer a sound unlike any other that manages to bring together the most polarizing rhythms and beats to make something great. Their originals stay relevant and true to their lives, centering on romance and falling in love, but master a distinct signature sound and style way beyond their years." - Chloe Gould

" More people should be listening to The Mobros. That’s why Dan Riddick booked them for a prime spot at the festival. The Mobros follow Rusty Davis on the Broad Street Stage minutes after Bryan Lee and the Blues Power Band, a festival headliner, finishes at The Venue on Broad. “Kelly Morris’ guitar playing and especially his vocals are way beyond his years,” Riddick said. “They really have something natural. Also, they have done their music history homework and make what’s old sound new and fresh.” " - Otis Taylor Jr.

"There aren’t many singer-songwriters around town who can drop jaws just by opening their mouths. The Mobros’ Kelly Morris is one of them: Not yet out of his teens, his is a sweetly weathered voice that’s akin to that of a bluesman at least thrice his age, rich and soulful in its old-soul inflections. The Mobros belong to the same modern, urban indie-blues revival as The Black Keys, but The Mobros’ thickfreakness comes from an infusion of Latin rhythms and slick dips into funky calypso." - Patrick Wall

"The Morris' scope of music ranges from modern-day soul/rhythm and blues artists such as Seal to old bluesmen like B.B. King, Albert King, Sonny Boy Williamson and Muddy Waters. They also have delved into 1950's and '60s soul music artists such as Otis Redding, Ray Charles and Sam Cooke." - Tom Didato

"A funky blues-rock trio centered on brothers Kelly and Patrick Morris, The Mobros take their cues from a variety of similarly jam-inflected acts like North Mississippi Allstars and Los Lobos, but with a keen pop edge and garage grittiness that owes a little to The Black Keys too. All three members are half-Trinidadian, and as a result the music sometimes swings into Latin and calypso territory as well, leading to the kind of adventurous arrangements often absent from other bands in the genre. Given their youth, the group’s instrumental prowess and Kelly Morris’ powerful vocal presence will definitely rock a few worlds. Hans Van Rearick opens." - K. Petersen