Named for an area of New Orleans near Marigny, Faubourg’s hit song “All Tried Up,” is a strong statement to both simple musicality and technical musical production. The smooth sounds of a skillfully played acoustic guitar serve as the base on which a mountain of soulful vocals, sharp percussion and modern synth techniques are layered. Despite the complexity of the track, at no point does the music begin sounding over- whelming or overworked – instead, it creates a balance of tradition and technology.
The Alexandria natives have the kind of spirited camaraderie between them that only comes from growing up together. They finish each other’s sentences and playfully tease one another, while laughing at old inside jokes and trying to remember the names of hometown venues. They are both lighthearted and passionate, smiling as they tell stories of their childhood. They could pass for twins. They speak in identical Southern drawls, with the same easy cadence to their words as one another. They are clearly close and say they have been their entire lives.
“I would call him while I was at Berklee and be like ‘Dude, I’m playing with the guy who played with Herbie Hancock!’” Jacob says.
“And I’m over here like studying for my Step 1 exam and trying to pass my tests!” Wesley retorts.
As they reminisce about their time apart, it becomes obvious how happy the pair is to be reunited.
The youngest of four, the two spent most of their time as children together. They even became interested in music at 11 at the time, started toying around with the guitar.
Wesley nods in agreement.
“He was good,” he says, “but drums are annoying. So we think our parents wanted to make sure it was really something he was into before letting him have it.”
“We wanted to work together so badly, but we just couldn’t get it right.”
The duo attempted to record 10 different albums, but claims each time the sound was wrong. “I’m just now getting to the point, production-wise, where I feel like I’ve got everything figured out, and I think that really shows in our music.”
All it takes is one listen to a Faubourg song to know that Jacob is absolutely right; their music is all at once inviting and mysterious, soulful and polished, warm and sharp. The duo have figured out exactly what to do to create a uniquely Johnson brothers’ sound – and that sound is something worth hearing.
