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Amiri and Rahiem Taylor, the twin brothers behind psychedelic rock band Blac Rabbit<\/a>, joined host Kenneth Womack to talk about going from busking Beatles<\/a> songs in the subways to backing Lenny Kravitz<\/a> and much more on the seventh season premiere of \u201cEverything Fab Four<\/a>,\u201d a podcast co-produced by me and Womack (a music scholar who also writes about pop music for Salon) and distributed by Salon.<\/p>\n \u201cSeize the Day\u201d by Blac Rabbit has served as our podcast\u2019s theme song since its debut episode back in 2020, and the band will be performing at the opening night reception of our inaugural \u201cEverything Fab Four\u201d Fest<\/a> this November in Asbury Park. The event will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the \u201cRubber Soul<\/a>\u201d album, which the brothers called \u201cthe moment that [the Beatles] grew up.\u201d<\/p>\n As for literally growing up themselves, Amiri and Rahiem explained to Womack that \u201cmusic does run in our family quite a bit,\u201d with a professional jazz musician for an uncle and a touring saxophonist for a grandfather. It was their grandmother, though, who was the gateway to The Beatles for them, having bought them \u201cThe Beatles: Rock Band\u201d game for their 15th birthday and then an acoustic guitar and bass when they turned 16. The brothers were familiar with the \u201cBeatles 1\u201d album and \u201cYellow Submarine<\/a>\u201d animated film as children, when they used to \u201cplay\u201d the songs on plastic toy guitars before deciding to do the real thing. The first song they learned together was \u201cAnd Your Bird Can Sing,\u201d and soon, they could play every single tune in their Beatles chord book.<\/p>\n LISTEN:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Taylors began performing impromptu shows in New York City subways and became international sensations in 2018 when a video of them playing \u201cEight Days a Week<\/a>\u201d went viral. As Rahiem said, \u201cAmiri and I were just projecting our voices over the loud subways coming in and out of the stations,\u201d not knowing at first that they\u2019d become famous. Soon, they were playing shows at the Bowery Ballroom and then overseas in such places as Berlin and Guatemala. They were even tapped to cover The Beatles\u2019 \u201cMichelle\u201d (from \u201cRubber Soul\u201d) for a Gucci ad featuring Harry Styles<\/a>.<\/p>\n What really resonates with the music for the two brothers, though, is the \u201cnice balance between [The Beatles] being these crazy wild producers, and then writing these songs with so much heart and humanity. They\u2019re complex but simple at the same time. There\u2019s something pure and childlike about them, too. It just brings you back.\u201d<\/p>\n Start your day with essential news from Salon. Listen to the entire conversation with Blac Rabbit on \u201cEverything Fab Four\u201d and subscribe via Spotify, Apple, Google or wherever you\u2019re listening. \u201cEverything Fab Four\u201d is distributed by Salon. Host Kenneth Womack is the author of a two-volume biography on Beatles producer George Martin and the bestselling books \u201cSolid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles\u201d<\/a> and \u201cJohn Lennon, 1980: The Last Days in the Life.\u201d<\/a> His latest book is the authorized biography of Beatles road manager Mal Evans, \u201cLiving the Beatles Legend,\u201d<\/a> out now.<\/p>\n Tickets for Everything Fab Four Fest are now available to purchase on <\/i>Eventbrite<\/span><\/a>. For more information, please visit the festival\u2019s <\/i>website<\/span><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n The post How two brothers turned their Beatles obsession into an international career<\/a> appeared first on Salon.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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