Brothers keep it in the family

For many of us, performing songs with our siblings is something that stops after primary school when we rebel against parents and the videos they film and threaten to bring out at our 21st birthdays.

Famed bluegrass act the Davidson Brothers however, never seem to have received such a memo, with brothers Hamish and Lachlan performing together now for more than 20 years.

“There are tensions when you work with family, but nothing you can’t work through,” laughed younger brother, Lachlan Davidson.

“I mean we’ve been working together for years now and its great fun, we have similar goals as well, which helps.

“In our early years though, we did compete against each other in eisteddfods and contests.”

Born into a musical family, with parents that played bagpipes and took them to folk festivals, the boys are now one of Australia’s most prolific bluegrass exports, touring Europe and America and even hitting the stage in Nashville.

“There have been a handful of standout moments so far,” Lachlan said.

“At the moment we’ve been doing shows with the Black Sorrows, a pretty big Melbourne rock group, but being asked to present an award in Nashville was a huge highlight for us.”

The boys will notch up another mark on their resume this week when they venture to the South West to headline this year’s Manjimup Bluegrass and Old Time Music Weekend from September 30 to October 2.

Presented by LiveLighter, the family-friendly event will offer a number of performances from visiting and local acts, including Ash and Andy, Jacob McGuffie, Louis Gill and Jeremy Marcotte, who will all play alongside The Davidson Brothers.

“We’ve been for short visits out west before, but have never brought out the whole band, so it’s going to be fun and we are looking forward to it,” Davidson said.

Always willing to lend a helping hand, the boys started a bluegrass scholarship in 2011 to encourage singers and musicians who demonstrate talent, dedication and leadership in the genre to continue striving towards their passion.

They are looking to continue such altruism when they come to Manjimup, inspiring and emboldening up-and-coming artists.

“We are definitely looking forward to meeting local musicians and helping them learn and grow,” Davidson said.

“We were teenagers when we first started, so to help those that are younger than us and give them something positive and something they can strive for is fantastic.”