“Our musical mission is to bring people together and remind us all of the shared truth, beauty and value that make us human,” says Joshua Lubben, one-third of Gallatin-based folk band The Lubben Brothers.
That musical mission formed early. The Lubben Brothers, made up of triplets Joshua, Michael and Tommy Lubben, describe growing up on a goat farm in Iowa, where stories and music were central to family gatherings.
The proudly eldest triplet, Michael, says, “At harvest time, our dad and uncle would build a huge bonfire and spin wild stories for us and our cousins using characters they created and developed over years of telling stories.” He says those childhood experiences developed the love of story at the heart of the music The Lubben Brothers create today.
Between the family storytelling influence, growing up with rich Irish, Welsh, Scandinavian and Nova Scotian folk traditions and being “pretty much forced to get along and do things together,” per Tommy, the dream of making music together began to take shape.
The brothers fine-tuned their unique folksy sound and compelling storytelling. At first, the musical endeavor felt like a hobby, but eventually their craft began to take on an undeniable life of its own as the brothers landed paid gigs in late high school. That is when they realized the music they loved could turn into a career.
Joshua Lubben remembers the turning point, sharing, “Playing music together was always the dream, though getting to do it for a living is really such a gift. I think what really solidified it is when we started writing songs in earnest: not just songs for anyone to play, but songs that fit our band like a glove. From that point on, we had a mission, a calling to bring these songs of hope and purpose to whoever would listen.”
Today, The Lubben Brothers have made appearances on television and radio shows, had the song “Holly Jolly Christmas” from their 2020 album “Snow” featured in the Netflix movie “Love Hard” and have just released their latest album, “American Storytellers.”
Michael, who also took on the role of producer for this album, describes it as a “culmination of years of writing, touring and growing into our calling as ‘Folk Revivalists.’”
The landmark album puts The Lubben Brothers’ storytelling mission of bringing people songs of hope and purpose on full display. Joshua says, “A number of the songs from this album are thematically heavy, but each song finds the redemption throughline that allows us to move forward as a community and face the future with hope and resilience.”
The Lubben Brothers are touring from coast to coast this fall and winter. Locally, the brothers will be at Honey Rock Books and Cafe on November 21 from 4 to 5 p.m. for a pop-up concert and book signing for Tommy’s newly published book, “Folk Revivalists: Stories from the Most Famous Band You’ve Never Heard Of.”
The Lubben Brothers will also be in La Vergne on Sunday, December 20, to celebrate the season with a one-of-a-kind folk Christmas concert featuring holiday classics and newly written Christmas songs.
Joshua says on behalf of all the brothers, “We’re proud to be a Gallatin-based band, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the support of this incredible community!”
The Lubben Brothers | @thelubbenbrothers
Follow along on social media for the latest tour dates and releases from Gallatin’s favorite triplets. Stream their album, “American Storytellers,” or ring in the season with the album “Snow.” For a glimpse into the life of The Lubben Brothers, purchase Tommy’s book “Folk Revivalists” at Honey Rock on Nov. 21, on Amazon or at TheLubbenBrothers.com.