“Turning negative emotion into positive art is what Paint Your Emotion represents to me,” says Charlie Ries.

He's talking about the title of the new album by The Ries Brothers, but in a broader sense, the duo's whole pay it forward approach to making music. “My brother and I have both had our fair share of struggles with anxiety and depression, so music has been a gateway to let those emotions out,” Charlie says.  “The thing that we really want to represent on this record and in our lives and career is finding healthy outlets for your emotions. Listening to music really gave me a sense of belonging. Even if I felt alone on a particular day, I was never alone because I had my favorite musicians in my headphones.  That's what I want to be for people, especially kids growing up. I want to be that voice in their headphones that they can listen to and feel better and relate to.”

Listeners will definitely relate to the ten songs on Paint Your Emotion, as each one opens a window on relationships and love gone both right and wrong. The lavender-hazed “Tennessee” and “Save You” breeze in, all crisp, perky strumming and irresistible melodies that accent Charlie's warm tenor voice.  “Recluse,” “Broadway” and the tight, funky “Take It Back” explore the frustration of missed connections and failed communication, with guitar textures providing chiming counterpoints. And the duo's ultimately romantic nature pushes through on the propulsive “Hold On,”  the wah-wah funky  “Troubadour” and what sounds like a future live show singalong, “No More Lonely Nights.” Overall, it's a brisk listen, and one that's bracing and upbeat.

The Ries Brothers – Charlie, 25 and Kevin Jordan, 21 – have been moving in a positive  direction since they were kids growing up in a musical family in St. Petersburg, Florida. Their roots run deep, as their grandfather's band opened for The Beatles in 1965 at Comiskey Park. By the time the brothers were in junior high, they were in their first groups and writing their own songs. “Music was a passion even before we started doing gigs,” Charlie says.

And early on, they hit upon their unique two-man band approach. Kevin Jordan says, “When we started, we had just left a band that we were in together alongside a few other kids our age. No one else was taking things seriously, so we decided to go our own way and just be a duo. But we needed to fill in the sound, so Charlie learned how to play bass lines on a keyboard with his left hand, while he played drums with his right hand and sang. That allowed us to sound like a full band.”

And while the idea of brothers making music together may conjure up the caustic sibling battles of Oasis or Black Crowes, Charlie says, “Like any band, we can sometimes bicker when we're on the road. But the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages, and it's great to have the family aspect on stage. We can follow each other easily, and we have a good dynamic and mutual respect.”

Early gigs at local beach bars led to an incredible break for the brothers. Charlie says, “One guy at a show knew someone who represented the band Chicago. They came to see us, and we ended up getting invited to open two shows for them and REO Speedwagon. We were fresh out of the bar scene, suddenly playing big outdoor amphitheaters. Learning how to work alongside bands that were so experienced and professional was incredible. I remember when we pulled into the backstage area of the first show, and we were unloading our stuff, Chicago's stage manager said, 'Okay, you guys have a fifteen-minute set. If you play sixteen minutes,  you'll never play with us again.'

“So that night we ended a minute early, just to be safe,” Charlie adds, with a laugh. “But after that show, we got two more southeast tours with Chicago. And we grew up a lot and became way more serious as a band.”

Those early tours have led to shared bills with G Love, 311 Cruise and Butch Trucks, as well as a rich diversity of festival appearances, including Reggae Rise Up, California Roots, SummerCamp, Big What? and Sweetwater 420.

Unlike a lot of artists who draw distinct lines between extensive touring and songwriting, The Ries Brothers have found a way to make it flow naturally. “We were constantly writing on the road over the last two years,” Charlie says. “We'd have a few weeks off here and there, and we'd go into the studio and get three songs done. Then go back on the road for a few months, then get three more songs. We were always tweaking, rewriting. And road-testing the songs in front of a crowd definitely helped us get an idea of what worked and what didn't.”

To help shape the sound of Paint Your Emotion, the brothers brought in acclaimed producer John Agnello, who helped the streamline their eclectic reggae-meets-blues-meets-pop sound. “When we put out our first record it was basically a compilation of all the stuff we'd been writing since high school,” says Charlie. “People liked it, but one thing we kept hearing was, 'It's a little all over the place stylistically.' So we wanted to define what The Ries Brothers sound was going to be moving forward.  We want to be clear what kind of band we are. You can still hear the reggae vibe a little, and some of the blues, but collectively, it's an indie rock record. That's what we really wanted to hone in on.

“And John was fantastic. We've worked with a lot of different producers over the years, and they were never quite the right fit,” Charlie says. “They always tried to make us into something that we weren't. With John, he had great ideas about how to improve songs, but he always let us do our thing as well. It felt like a team effort, just him, my brother and I in the studio. All the bands that he's produced, whether it's Sonic Youth or Dinosaur, Jr., they have the sound we wanted to go for.”

Though The Ries Brothers had been looking forward to a summer of touring and festivals in support of the new album, 2020 had other plans. “In the downtime, we're trying to take a moment to relax,” says Charlie. But not too much. They've remained very prolific, writing new songs and doing a weekly live streaming event. And even with the forced quarantine, they've managed to collaborate on two cover songs - “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths and “Don't Stand So Close To Me” by The Police -  in a video project with all-star friends, including musicians from The Lumineers, Gary Clark, Jr. and Steve Miller Band.

They're remaining hopeful about more roadwork ahead. “The majority of our shows have been pushed to next year so we still have them to look forward to,” says Charlie. “We'll continue doing at-home live streams, staying in touch with fans, but we hope to return bigger and better than ever in 2021.”