Ellington

Last summer, the band e.company, which featured brothers Joe and David Shirley, went on an infinite hiatus. Their older brother, John, decided that it seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to make a brothers' trio.

"I didn't want to see them continue on with gigs that they didn't really care about. So I thought we could make something and make some music together," John says.

Cardinal Sons is made up of drummer David, 23; organist and synth player Joe, 25; and guitarist John, 28. Joe and John, who are the main songwriters for the band, cite the Beatles as a major and obvious influence. That general music era of the 1960s, especially psychedelic rock, has acted as a guide for the band's musical direction.

"We're not as psychedelic as we want to be, but we're definitely influenced by the melodies and instrumentation of the era for sure," John Shirley says, although psychedelic is one of the very first words that he mentions when describing the music he loves to listen to and play. "The whole aim is to get weirder," he says, with a laugh.

Personally, however, he finds trouble trying to fully describe his band's music. "We're indie-rock music with pop hooks. We try to layer in a lot of synths and a lot of organs. It's pop music, but we play it very loudly," he says.

Based in New Orleans currently, the three brothers all grew up in Jackson, attended St. Joseph Catholic School, and then went to college at Loyola University. After graduation, they just ended up settling in the city, which has naturally become part of the band's sound. 
 "We're influenced by New Orleans," Shirley says. "I don't think our sound takes too much from it, but we're inspired by it in that we're trying to be less player-centric and be more song-centric. ... Rather than the sound of New Orleans being our greatest influence, I think it's really the attitude and culture of the place that's more influential than anything."

During the band's first months of existence, the brothers did things a bit backward. The first goal they tackled was releasing a four-song EP, called Cardinal Sons "Make an EP," in November 2012. Later that month at Martin's Lounge, they had their debut performance. The band has also shot and released two music videos, for "Underdressed" and "October Rolls." The guys are working on a video for "Young Guns," set for an April release.

"One description of the EP is that it's kind of like the base level of what we can do," Shirley says. "Pretty much everything was recorded live, so it's really basic. I think where we want to go next is a little bit out there, I suppose, where we have a little bit (of) different instrumentation rather than just the three instruments each of us play."

A listen to the (approximately) 17-minute long demo does not hint at the fact that it was recorded in less than two days with minimal rehearsal beforehand. While the songs aren't particularly intricate, they nevertheless evoke polish. Still, Shirley insists that Cardinal Sons did not reach its full potential on the EP.

Partly to make up for this, the band hopes to produce a full-length album this year. "Not only do we have enough material for it, but we want to make a true statement," Shirley says.

Cardinal Sons performs at Hal & Mal's (200 S. Commerce St., 601-948-0888) on March 15 at 9:30 p.m. Admission is $5 at the door. Visit cardinalsons.com to name your price and download "Make an EP."