Press Release
The “Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank” will take to the Backus Community Center stage in International Falls tomorrow (March 5) at 7 p.m.
Brothers Teague and Ian Alexy wrote their first songs together as young kids in the South Jersey bay town of Somers Point.
They devised a plan and quickly went to work—each penning their own original song and presenting them to one another.
Years later, the Alexy brothers, better known as Minnesota-based troubadours “Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank,” use that same approach on their new record, “American Shuffle” (2015).
It is the follow-up to their critically-acclaimed “Number One Contender” (2013).
“Timeless songwriting chops,” raved the Star Tribune. “Easily one of the best Minnesota-made albums of the year.”
A brotherly bond, a common love of American roots music, and the desire to make a living as songwriting musicians brought Teague and Ian together to form “Hobo Nephews” in 2005.
Like the travelling workers, or “hobos,” of the Depression era, the Alexy brothers use travel as means of making a better living for themselves.
They have recorded five full-length albums and performed more than 1,000 shows covering 42 of the lower 48 states.
Musical improvement
“Touring all around this country has made us better musicians, and heightened our awareness and instincts in playing together,” noted Teague Alexy.
“We’ve been able to see the country, meet the people,” he remarked. “We’ve played the rich man’s weddings and the poor man’s barbecues.
“We learned the blues in the back woods of Minnesota, and took it down south and all around to be sure we had it right.
“And we became American writers along the way,” Alexy added.
The “Hobo Nephews” sound has been a part of the Upper Midwest’s American roots music resurgence for the past decade.
Their blend of folk, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll is uniquely their own, and celebrated by an ever-growing grassroots fan base.
National attention
Their song “Old Number Four,” from “American Shuffle,” went viral, with stories about the song on CBSSports.com, ESPN, The Jim Rome Show, and other national sports outlets.
Tickets, which cost $12 for adults, $6 for students, and $25 for families, are available in advance at Betty’s in Fort Frances, as well as Backus and City Drug in the Falls.
They also will be available at the door.
A backstage bistro featuring homemade pizza, fresh salad, and cookies will be available starting at 6:30 p.m.
