While living on a houseboat in Amsterdam in 2020, two of the Brudi Brothers, the Seattle-based trio of siblings, Johannes, George, and Conrad, recorded their debut album, See You Soon. Recorded by brothers Conrad and George, while Johannes remained in their hometown of Seattle, the album marked the beginning of their next journey together, with their sound becoming whole once they united.
“Since we reunited, our sound has become fuller with three-part harmonies and the addition of Johannes’ lead lines on the guitar,” Conrad Brudi tells American Songwriter. “Sonically, we have shifted back into something that feels more complete to our ears.”
The brothers’ international pilgrimages began earlier. Born and raised in Seattle—where they’re known and perform as street poets and still busk when not touring—growing up, the brothers also spent time living in Germany with their grandparents, later hitchhiked through Europe, and found themselves performing for Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.
Since forming in 2020, everything has fallen into place as it should for the Brudi Brothers, a direct byproduct of their desire to create and play, wherever and however. Shortly after signing to Mom+Pop earlier in 2025, the Brudis released their single, “Me More Cowboy Than You,” a tongue-in-cheek jab at the “cowboy craze” and its subsequent poseurs, which went viral, reaching more than 1.4 billion views and 60 million streams.
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On their folkier “Motherland,” the Brudi Brothers detour through a nostalgic recollection of the days when love was freer, meditations on how time is fleeting, and a reverence for the souls who have come and gone, held by their interwoven harmonies and guitars.
My friend, you sit there reminiscing while happy couples nearby kissing / Remind you of all the people you’re missing that died and moved away / Both fates seem to seduce you, to throw yourself beneath the hooves, or carry saints your parents knew / You’ll meet them all someday, sings Conrad wih all three sharing the chorus Don’t leave home / Save those bones / Motherland.
In between recording a new batch of songs they’ve been working on for the past five years, the Brudi Brothers will kick off the next leg of their tour on July 25, supporting roots artist Sierra Ferrell, and join Wyatt Flores in the fall, along with a series of headlining shows.
Conrad Brudi spoke to American Songwriter about how their international roots molded the Brudi Brothers’ sound, writing as a three-piece, and why they’re still busking.
American Songwriter: Your background has to be one of the most worldly, with the European hitchhiking, playing for the Queen of the Netherlands, and your musical influences. How have these experiences shaped the Brudi Brothers’ sound?
Conrad Brudi: It was shaped in part by the desire to represent our traditions and culture. We grew up hearing and trying to play folk music from a variety of countries; as Americans living and traveling abroad, we felt the need to understand and connect with the local musical scenes while remaining “exotic.” It’s funny to be back in America and still be playing the exotic card while playing cowboy tunes.
AS: Sonically, what has shifted since releasing See You Soon?
CB: See You Soon was recorded by George and me in Amsterdam. We were living and recording on an old gravel barge while Johannes was back in Seattle. Since we reunited, our sound has become fuller with three-part harmonies and the addition of Johannes’ lead lines on the guitar. Sonically, we have shifted back into something that feels more complete to our ears.
AS: How did “Me More Cowboy Than You” piece together?
CB: “Me More Cowboy” started as an inside joke with Greek folk musician Eleni Govetas. We would joke about people being a “me more cowboy” type of person whenever we met someone who was clearly posturing as working class. I wrote the song while busking and bumming around San Francisco, and Johannes and I worked out the harmonies when I returned. The first time we performed the song was the night that the viral video was filmed.
AS: What surprised you most about the tremendous reaction (views) around the song?
CB: The reaction was a complete surprise. I held back from performing the song because I feared it was too obscure. I didn’t realize that so many people struggle with similar resentments. Many people took offense, and the debates that followed gave the song another level of meaning. AS: Has “Me More Cowboy Than You” taken on a different meaning for you now?
CB: To us, the song’s meaning remains the same. We love to see people singing along as loudly as they can. The thing that changed is that we have all halted our labor jobs to record and tour. We’re the posers now, cursed forever to make fun of ourselves for not continuing to break our bodies in order to survive.
AS: Along those lines, how are you addressing the business side of music now while keeping that balance with playing music for fun?
CB: We still busk now that we are off tour. The business has definitely been a new challenge, though. Getting wined and dined by industry people was a nice perk, though, given food prices in Seattle. (laughs). It was always hard to find time to play music after work. Now music business is the thing getting in the way of actually making music. It’s a very confusing problem, but we really have a great partnership going with our label, Mom+Pop.
AS: Since the release of See You Soon, how has songwriting changed within the band? Do songs still come together in the same way for the three of you?
CB: Since See You Soon, we have done a number of projects with larger groups that have never been published. With time, I have come to appreciate the approach of songwriting for a smaller group. Each band member carries a greater responsibility, and the nuances of each musician’s input are more evident to the listener. The biggest change we have made has been adding Johannes to the process.
AS: What do you think of this representing this “emerging genre” called “Country Cool’?
CB: We don’t read enough to have heard of “country cool.” In Seattle, people have been calling the scene “fast c–t” or “Crumb bop” (the meaning of this term is possibly in reference to the comic artist Robert Crumb’s American roots aesthetic).
AS: Are you ever tempted to reach out to other musicians in the industry to get an idea of how to stay current and avoid being a one-hit wonder?
CB: Other musicians don’t want to give away their tricks. We’ll just have to hope that people like our next single, “Motherland,” and the following album. If not, we’ll be “the buskers that had that one song that one time.”
Photo: Georgia Gray
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