Christopher Brothers, La Cañada natives, rising to popularity

Things are getting weird for the Christopher Brothers, a teenage band that aims to do for La Cañada Flintridge what you-know-who did for Liverpool.

Of course, that’s a giant goal, but 18-year-old drummer Cameron, 16-year-old guitarist Charles and 13-year-old bassist Ethan are blowin’ up so fast, it’s getting hard to keep track. At press time, they had 318,627 Facebook likes and counting, a globe-wide fan base spreading like a grass fire. Random people have been spotted on the street wearing Christopher Brothers T-shirts. Walgreens is playing their EP. And a few big-time agents even dropped their cards into their tip jar while the boys were playing their regular gig on the Santa Monica Promenade.
Just the other day, in fact, outside the Whisky a GoGo, a passerby saw them and said, “You guys look just like the Christopher Brothers.”

Things are getting awesome.

Not bad for some local kids on the green side of very juvenile. Still, it didn’t happen overnight. As young as they are, the boys have been working hard, for six years now already. Charles picked up the guitar while older brother Cameron was still mostly into baseball. Then, one day, Cameron tried to jam on baby brother Ethan’s toy drum kit — an abandoned Christmas present — and he inadvertently destroyed it. Only one thing to do: Ask Mom for a real drum kit.

“Finally, I just said, why don’t you three play together,” says Lydia Christopher, their warm, doting mother, who also happens to be their manager.

“We were like ‘ehhhh, maybe’,” Charles laughs.
“But then we went to the guest room,” Cameron says. “There was no bed in there and it was very cramped.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” Mom remembers. “It took them fifteen minutes to learn ‘Black Magic Woman.’ Five minutes later, they were a band!”

They were on their way. Ever since, the Bros have been paying adult-sized dues, playing everywhere and anywhere. They jammed at the elementary school they all attended, Paradise Canyon. They also performed at a fundraiser through La Cañada High School called the TACH BASH (Teens for the Advancement of Children’s Hospital). They even gigged St. Bedes Church. They could also be seen playing from a truck at the La Cañada Memorial Day Parade.

Then came the light-bulb moment: the boys got the inspiration to cross town and fire up their instruments at the Santa Monica Promenade, to Bring the Music to the People, as it were. Well, the Promenade has turned into a four-year-plus run, fueled by battery-powered amps and adoring crowds. But it isn’t just fun and games. Like some other groups you’ve heard of — the Beatles and the Stones, for instance — the Christophers are working their chops to the bone, practicing a repertoire of over 100 classics along with their originals. It’s turned out to be the perfect testing ground — audiences age 3 to 93 are there to scrutinize, including plenty of tourists from all over the world.

And competition on the Promenade is stiff.

“It’s every man for themselves,” Cameron laughs. “Charles jumps out of the car with the suitcase to save a spot, like, up to two hours ahead.” Then after playing for two hours, the boys have to move their gear 120 feet, those are the rules — two hours per spot. “We play 6 to 8, then 8 to 10, and we’re home by 11.”

“If we’re next to the break dancers, that’s tough,” Charles admits.

“The piano guy has been there, like, 20 years,” says Cameron.
And how about Ethan, the youngest, the quiet one. “He’s crazy on stage,” his brothers chime in unison.

“He steals the show,” his mother confirms, nodding knowingly.

If the Promenade was their Cellar Club, they’ve passed the test with flying colors. The Christopher Brothers have since gone on to headline the Whisky, the Roxy, Legoland, and more. They even won a competition to play Six Flags Massachusetts which sent them on their first US tour.

“We drove cross country in a suburban,” Charles says. “With all our equipment.”

“We were totally crammed in there, like road warriors,” Cameron says.

“Well,” Mom clarifies, “technically, I drove. They don’t have their licenses.”

Of course, there are sibling bands and there are sibling bands. There are Allmans and Isleys and Van Halens. And then there’s Jonases and Hansons. There are pop families like the Cowsills and rock families like Oasis. One of the interesting things about the Christophers is that they’re sorta both and neither-nor. Infectious originals like “The Girl Next Door” and “Somebody Just Like You” are caught in the nether-zone between rough garage band glory and ultra-clean Top 40, channeling the Buzzcocks by way of Green Day and Lennon-McCartney via Blink 182.

And speaking of brother bands, their first EP is titled “Smile : )” – but it’s not to be confused with the Beach Boys’ unreleased masterpiece… because this one’s got a smiley.

Like many sets of real brothers, the three boys do seem to form a perfect unity of opposites. Cameron is the eldest and the born leader, the steady beat. Charles, the guitarist, is the cool one, easy and effervescent behind dark shades and an easy smile. And Ethan is the boy wonder — the shy kid who goes wild when the music starts. They finish each other’s sentences. They all sing in harmony. They’ve got a collective crush on Audrey Hepburn. And best of all, they’re completely uncynical about music. They’ve opened for everyone from Spyro Gyra to War, and have even played for parties of “middle-aged people.” After all, they’ve mastered more than 100 retro classics. But what they call retro might not be what you’re thinking.

“Green Day’s American Idiot,” Charles says, “that was, like, one of our first albums, way back when.”

“And Savage Garden,” Cameron adds. “Mom had that CD in the car forever.”

“But for originals, I write most of the lyrics,” Cameron points out.

“I arrange them usually,” Charles says, adding that “it comes out really good.”

“Oh yeah,” Cameron laughs. “His big ‘changing it’ is making it fast or something.”

The boys all laugh.

“I used to play the songs for Mom, first,” Cameron admits. “Because Charles is really a pain in the neck.”

“Yeah,” Charles says. “I’m the slave driver.”

“I’m the slave driver,” Mom says and the boys all laugh again.

In fact, Lydia Christopher seems more like a benevolent car driver than stage-mom slave driver. She’s clearly tickled by the boys’ success, but as a former ballerina, she knows the rigors of show biz. “I did tell them,” she recalls, “if you wanna do this, you’re gonna have to work really hard.”

That’s just what they did. And with the release of their first full-lengther, “Dog Daze,” the sky could be the limit for these dedicated kids. But what does the imagined future look like to them?

“My dream is to have a diamond record,” Charles says, laughing.

“Ten million copies!” Cameron adds.

“Even Taylor Swift doesn’t have one of those,” Charles protests.

“Naw, I think she’s got one,” Cameron says.

“Oh man,” Charles laughs. “Now we have to get one.”

Mom smiles, shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “So wait a minute — we’re competing with Taylor Swift now?”

“I want to play Staples Center,” Cameron adds.

“Or Madison Square Garden,” Charles says.

“How about Dodger Stadium?” Mom asks.

Suddenly, soft-spoken Ethan, the 13-year-old with the chubby cheeks and Cheshire grin who has barely uttered a word up until now, says, “Like… I’d like… like, being a legend. Like being remembered as, like, you did something that’s, like, really great.” He smiles serenely. “That’d be really cool.”

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DANIEL WEIZMANN is a regular contributor to Marquee.