The Peterson Brothers

McGonigel’s Mucky Duck presents The Peterson Brothers.

Classic blues sounds of legends with their own unique blend of soul-infused inspiration. The only thing missing from the Peterson Brothers Band is the word “amazing” at the front of the name.

The talented teenage brothers – Glenn and Alex Peterson – hail from Bastrop and play old-school blues, soul and funk. They made their first splash as ‘tweens singing “Amazing Grace” at area churches and opening for legendary Pinetop Perkins at Antone’s in Austin.

It wasn’t just the cute novelty that set them apart as kids. It was the vinyl records they were listening to – Ohio Players, Kool & the Gang, Parliament-Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield and Freddie King – at such a tender age.

That’s old-soul stuff via their parents’ garage-sale record collection.

“We just kind of stumbled on it and decided we wanted to do it,” said Glenn Jr. “We just thank God we were able to find this kind of music. The first few records me and my brother ever heard were Earth, Wind & Fire, the Isley Brothers and B.B. King.”

Seven years down the line, Glenn Jr., 18, who plays guitar and percussion, is about to graduate from Bastrop High School; Alex, 16, who plays bass, violin and saxophone, is a sophomore taking driver’s ed. The band is rounded out with drummer Chris Mead.

They’ve performed at major blues festivals, shared stages with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Lisa Marie Presley, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Los Lonely Boys and Marcia Ball and are about to release their first album. The consensus is that they’re the bomb.

“We’ve been able to balance our schooling and doing music just fine,” said Glenn Jr. “Really, you can do both. There’s no reason why you can’t do both.”

Their mother, Deanna Peterson, describes the brothers as level-headed, respectful, good students, supportive and kind to each other. “They never fight,” she said.

They even cheer for the same sports teams (they’re huge Spurs fans).

“We don’t finish each other’s sentences,” said Glenn Jr. “But on stage, musically, we finish each other’s musical sentences. We’re out there having fun. It’s all smiles and jokes for us.”

Music writer and former Austin Chronicle columnist Margaret Moser is the person responsible for bringing the fledgling Peterson Brothers Band to the attention of Susan Antone. “What I saw was the future,” said Moser, who now resides in San Antonio.

It was the same feeling one got seeing the young Stevie Ray Vaughan or Charlie Sexton or homegrown guitarist Will Owen Gage. Austin fans have watched the Petersons grow up over the last three years at their residency at the Continental Club on Mondays.

Alex, who also plays in his high school jazz band, sees his role as laying a foundation “and help make it feel good.”

“Bass is an instrument that I was always attracted to,” he said. “When I first got my hands on it and played it a little bit, I loved it.”

Illinois-based record producer Michael Freeman, who recorded the group’s debut album for his Blue Point Records, first saw the brothers at Perkins’ 97th birthday party at Antone’s.

“Everybody was wowed by them,” he recalled. “They were just extraordinary. It’s absolutely the chemistry the two brothers have onstage. There’s something very special going on there, to see the joy in their playing.”

Freeman wants to “build that groundswell of real, honest fans and introduce them to new audiences, not just blues audiences.”

“They are fresh and new. They’re not just blues. They go into other areas as well,” he said. “They’re the new generation of African American artists that are tipping the hat to older musical forms but then taking it out into their own thing. Pinetop loved the boys.”

That’s probably because they’re so easygoing “and just keeping true to the style of music we’re doing,” said Glenn Jr.

About that no-fight rule: “The time that you spend fighting each other is the time that you could’ve spent going further with what you do,” Alex said. “It’s better for us to work together.”

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/PetersonBros