Ellington

While some bands these days slap on a guitar or two and find someone to play drums, Austin-based T-Bird and the Breaks realized it needed more to complete its sound. Boasting its own sax section, backup and lead singers, rhythm and bass guitars, the 10 members of the Breaks bring a brand of music to the stage that is not only refreshing, but an experience in itself.

Describing T-Bird and the Breaks is difficult; classifying them is nigh impossible. Combine James Brown with the Supremes and a trippy, more badass Bill Black Combo, and you might be in the same psychedelic-soul neighborhood as T-Bird and the Breaks.

"We never really sat down and were like, 'We want to have this style of this genre,' really," says Sam Patlove, who plays rhythm guitar and drums.

"It's what comes out of us. It's constantly evolving, really."

T-Bird and the Breaks' music is organic and familiar, as if the band were channeling the souls of bygone musicians. Although The Breaks have only been together for about two years, their live performance is full of raw presence, and it's hard not to go along with so many musicians onstage at once. Even their name eludes a precise definition.

"People call me T-Bird," says frontman Tim Crane with a coarse but animated voice. "The breaks could mean any number of things, like breaks in a beat or catching a break."

Crane's weather-beaten voice lends itself perfectly to the diverse group of musicians. Even over the phone, he sounds like an old bluesman who's spent most his life hollering in the microphone of a smoky dive bar. The soothing vocals of Stephanie Hunt, Jazz Mills and Sasha Ortiz provide a distinctive compliment to Crane's raucous but effectual vociferation. Where Crane goes muddy, the backup goes glassy. The result is a dulcet harmonization melded with a type of rough-around-the-edges validity.

One of the band's most popular songs is "Blackberry Brandy," which sings about "three dollar wine" and "tall boys and forties." One might infer that T-Bird is exploring the narrative of a poor person and his or her infatuation with cheap liquor, but musically, the song is catchy and possesses strong undertones of blues and inklings of ragtime. The song is a prime example of T-Bird's quirky method of writing.

"[O]ur songs are inspired by ... having a good time," T-Bird says.

T-Bird does most of the writing for the Breaks, although a few of the other members contribute. He says the emphasis on "staying tight" is crucial to the band staying together, perhaps because of its sheer size.

"Blackberry Brandy" also addresses the irksome issue of employment: "And I know I should be looking for a job/But it sound too much like work to me." It goes on to say: "Money in the bank, it sure come in handy/But it don't taste nothing like that blackberry brandy."

Despite the frank—and humorous—revelations in "Blackberry Brandy," cutting a gig check 10 ways can definitely take its toll on revenue for various members of the band. All of the musicians have day jobs, despite the monotony of work.

"I work as a courier," T-Bird says. "I deliver the goods."

Their music provides respite, however, and many consider playing in the band a true passion.

"I don't like getting up at eight in the morning and go do something I don't want to do," Patlove says. "I'd rather get up at 11 and go do something that I want to do."

While Ole Tavern on George Street boasts a good beer selection, it'll have to make room for a worth-the-money brand of blackberry brandy when T-Bird and the Breaks swing through July 23 at 10 p.m. Cover is $5.