The Mallett Brothers Experience

Photo by Timothy Reidy

By Charla Earney.

I was first introduced to the Mallett Brothers Band almost two years ago. At the time, I had never heard of them. I didn’t know what genre they played, what songs they were known for, or where they fit in the ever-growing world of Americana music. I was at Music Bingo at UNIHOG when I noticed their name on the list of upcoming shows. I thought, Mallett Brothers… huh? Jasen, who I later learned was one of the people behind UNIHOG, noticed me looking at the sign as he walked by. “It isn’t a show you’re gonna want to miss. They’re awesome.” I didn’t know him then, but there was something whimsical and lighthearted about him, so I listened. I was already looking for an excuse to go. As far as I was concerned, it was a sign. So I went.

Several Mallett Brothers shows later, I can confidently say … I got hooked. The Mallett Brothers Band grabbed me in much the same way artist Matt Maeson did: honest lyrics, clean tones, beautiful harmonies, and songs that felt real. Trying to fit them neatly into one genre doesn’t really work. Country, blues, bluegrass, Americana, alternative, roots rock, and straight-up rock and roll all find their way into the mix. Sometimes they’re polished. Sometimes they’re backwoods hillbilly. Sometimes they’re just rock and roll. I love all of it. The first album I really dove into was “Gold Light.” Why that one? Because I liked the cover best out of aaaalllll the choices.

The artwork, “Of What Remains” by Morgan Cameron, first looked to me like a smudged painting of a buffalo. Only after really studying it did I discover the woman hidden within the image. I still stand behind my original opinion. It is my favorite Mallett Brothers album cover. For me, the artwork represented something unexpected: the delicacy that true masculinity can stand behind. Then I listened. To me, “Gold Light” became a love story. Not necessarily because that’s what every song was written about, but because before I knew the band’s stories, I attached my own. At the time, I was learning how to fall in love with myself. That album took me on dates. It walked me through the park. It reminded me to keep wearing my hats. Those songs have stayed with me ever since. Seeing them live clears my mind.

UNIHOG on July 17, 2026.

Crooked Letter John opened the evening with Jake Blouch on lead vocals and Andrew Crawford sitting on guitar. They took the heat and direct sunlight like champions, warming up the crowd with steady rock and roll before handing the stage over to the headliners. I’ve been following Andrew Crawford’s journey as a musician, so it was exciting to see him guesting with another group and playing some new gear. There was a pretty good trade story behind it, too. I love a good trade.

Then the Mallett Brothers Band walked onto the stage. One thing I’ve noticed since that first show is that I’ve changed the way I listen. I’m not just listening to songs anymore. I’m listening to arrangements. I’m listening to how the instruments talk to one another. I’m listening for what the band is trying to say. Luke and Will Mallett have an easy chemistry that only comes from years of making music together. Neither brother seems interested in competing for the spotlight. Instead, they trade vocals and guitars effortlessly, allowing the songs to become the center of attention. Andrew Martele’s fiddle, I feel, smiles as much as he does. He doesn’t sit in the background waiting his turn. He weaves through the songs, answers the vocals, soars over the guitars, and, when it’s right, he completely steals the show. Sometimes it sounds joyful. Sometimes haunting. Then there’s Nick Leen on bass. He kicks it down! His playing gives every song weight and motion. While everyone else is painting melodies, he’s quietly connecting them to the foundation underneath them, the drums. It’s the kind of bass I almost didn’t notice until I realized it was the glue. Brian Higgins keeps everything anchored behind the drum kit. His grooves never feel rushed or forced. He gives the rest of the band room to breathe, making even the biggest arrangements feel whole. That’s one of the things I appreciate most about this band. Nobody seems interested in showing off. They just do. They love making great music together. There are still plenty of songs I don’t know. That’s part of the fun. The Mallett Brothers Band now has eight studio albums stretching from their self-titled debut in 2010 to “Higher Up in the Hills,” released in 2025. Every time I see them live, I discover another song that I haven’t had time to hear. It isn’t the band I am bingeing. I am savoring the albums. Hearing an older song live is brand new music to me.

The July performance became another one of those nights where listening simply wasn’t enough for me. At some point, I found myself dancing on top of a shipping container. Yes … a shipping container. The lights were pretty intense even though we were outdoors, but from up high they weren’t nearly as bad. The music vibrated through the air. UNIHOG sits alongside active railroad tracks, and I know trains were rolling by that evening. I never heard one. I was having far too good a time. Discovering a new band in real life remains one of the purest sources of joy I know. There is something different about hearing a song for the first time while standing in front of the people who created it. No algorithm. No playlist. No one telling you which song you’re supposed to love. You simply hear it. Then you decide. That’s exactly how the Mallett Brothers Band entered my life. I didn’t research them. I didn’t know their history. I didn’t know their catalog. I simply went to a show. Then another. Then another.

I’m still learning the songs. I’m still listening to the arrangements. I’m still discovering them.

Not long ago, I stood in Unihog at Music Bingo, staring at the words “Mallett Brothers,” and wondering if I should take a chance on a band I’d never heard before.

A man walked by and simply said, “You don’t want to miss this one.”

Thank you.

You were right!