And you keeping it just the two of you in the band?
Josh: We don’t have other people in the band because it’s a hard role to play.
Ari: When we tour and stuff like that, we’ll bring a guitar player and keyboard player and a bass player. I think that that is actually great because you get to meet somebody and hear their interpretation of the music. For our thing, I think when it comes to the butting heads and writing and the actual core of The Upwelling, it’s always been me and Josh and it will always remain me and Josh.
Josh: You know I just thought of something that answers the last question. The songs pretty much always deal with duality: Happiness and sadness, blackness and lightness, those kinds of things. When you have two brothers in the band, the expression of duality that I think runs through all the songs is always present in the band.
Are you guys very different then?
Ari: We’re significantly different. I think when people spend enough time around us, they say usually…
Josh: They like Ari and they don’t like Josh. [laughs]
Ari: But they think that we have similar mannerisms sometimes, but…
Josh: We have a lot of the same expressions.
Ari: And we’re talented at finishing each other’s…
Josh: Sentences.
Ari: In general, we’re two entirely different people and most people generally describe us as polar opposites that sometimes have similar mannerisms just from being around each other all the time.
What do you foresee in the future that now you do have a label and had accomplished a lot thus far without?
Ari: I guess me and Josh have been operating this little circus for so long that it’s kind of difficult for us to give up the reigns to some degree. But I don’t think we have any sort of allusions of plans except for to make records that we really think are awesome and if people listen to them and think about them, that they love them.
Josh: I think we feel lucky to be doing something that we love. We definitely have a lot of people in our lives that aren’t this fortunate. I’m glad that we ended up in the band because having a relationship with my brother and building something with him has been probably the biggest blessing in my life.
Ari: Not to get too Hallmark-y on that. [laughs]
The Upwelling’s debut album, An American Stranger, is set to hit stores on Aug. 25. Catch the duo at the Mercury Lounge in NYC on Aug. 29 for their CD release show! For more, visit theupwelling.com.
