Coming soon to Grand Forks will be the Wiitala Brothers, fraternal twins hailing from Chicago. Described by iTunes as alternative indie rock, Christopher and Trevor Wiitala will perform alongside Micah Doebler and Cody Qualley at a free concert at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Ember (Freedom Church), 8 N. Third St.
The Wiitala Brothers, who sound like a mix of Coldplay and the Black Keys, say they are musically influenced by U2 and Bob Dylan. While they do not have politically based lyrics, Christopher said their album "Bad Blood" (now available on iTunes) was written and inspired by his struggle with Hepatitis C treatments. The album, which took five years to complete, came from constant hospital visits and treatments associated with this disease.
The brothers travel alone with the exception of Christopher's wife. They're touring through November, with 12 shows in 19 days, including a visit with relatives in Grand Forks, which is what will bring them to this show in Grand Forks. At this time, they're not signed to any label.
They do have day jobs, but they're able to travel with their music, in part because of a lenient boss, Christopher said.
While they are only a two-man band -- Christopher plays the guitar and sings, and Trevor plays drums -- they use other forms of musical tracks played by their computer.
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To learn more about the Wiitala brothers, see pictures and download their music, check out their website at www.thewiitalabrothers.com .
McLane is a UND student in the communications program.
