Oisin Leech and his musical sibling Mark McCausland comprise The Lost Brothers. They are touring in support of their critically acclaimed new release, ‘Halfway Towards A Healing’. The recoding was produced by Gabriel Sullivan, and it stands on the basics.
When your harmonies flow with such beauty as naturally as the wind, the simple can become quite complex. The duo is smart enough to know where their bread is buttered. The harmonies stand as strong as the Rock of Gibraltar, and they require no fanciful adornment. They sing like a beautiful woman who needs no make-up.
Beatles Magazine caught up with Brother Mark McCausland on the tour trail, and we picked his brain on Halfway Towards A Healing, the tour, and the Fab Lads from Liverpool. The Brothers promised to check back in after the extensive tour is completed.
Beatles Magazine: Please tell us about the new release, and where fans can find it?
Mark McCausland: The new album is called Halfway Towards a Healing. We recorded it in Tucson Arizona with our good friends, Howe Gelb and Gabriel Sullivan. You can buy the vinyl or cd directly from us on our website, www.thelostbrothersband.com, or you can buy the digital format from all the usual on-line outlets.
BM: What are the inspirations behind your harmony, maybe a little John and Paul?
Mark: I learned anything I know about harmony by growing up singing along to the Beatles records. But rather than the melody, I always found myself singing the harmony parts, my ear was just drawn to them. But to me it’s not really a harmony part, it’s more like a double melody. Take the middle section in songs like Try to See It My Way, or Ticket to Ride. Which part is the melody and which part is the harmony? It’s the same as the Everly Brothers, or the Louvin Brothers or even Simon and Garfunkel. Where each part is as important as the other. Two melodies that are made to fit each other.
BM: Who is your favorite Beatle, and why?
Mark: It’s impossible to pick. As Paul says, they are like four corners of a square. Without any one of those corners, it all falls apart. Solo-wise, I adore McCartney’s first two albums, McCartney and Ram.
BM: Which Beatle songs are your favorite, and might you be doing any covers of the lads?
Mark: We cover In Spite of all the danger. We recorded it on a mini album of ours called “The Bird Dog Tapes”, where we cover some of our favourite tracks. This song is unique as it is the only composition ever written by McCartney and Harrison, when they were about 16!
BM: Do you remember when you first heard the lads, and what was your reaction?
Mark: I first heard them as a toddler. My uncle used to play Strawberry Fields for me and my brothers. Then many many years later as a teenager, I heard it again and it was like a dream. From that moment on I was a Beatles fanatic!
BM: Where will the upcoming gigs be, and where can fans follow your comings and goings?
Next up is New York, Texas and Tucson Arizona, followed by Australia and then a bunch of festivals in the summer.
We have just come back from a tour around the uk and Ireland which went really well. We were actually back in Liverpool, where we used to live. I had a flat just around the corner from Arnold Grove, where George used to live. Oisin and myself would write songs in my place then go and sing them outside George’s house, to let the songs soak in some of the magic. Liverpool has a mystical magic to it that reawakens the soul. It still feels like home to us, probably the only place that ever will.
By Bob Wilson