Minor Soul: Trending Up

Oasis’s Noel and Liam Gallagher should single-handedly discourage any brothers who want to start a band together. Fighting for the title of Most Unlikable Arse across the Pond, the British brothers have created such a notorious reputation of in-house rivalry and feuding that their public personas now overshadow their music. But on the other end of the spectrum, the Beach Boys—an example of how to capitalize on the unique bond of brotherhood and transform it into a successful artistic relationship.

Jack Wagner, a Duke sophomore and one-half of the band Minor Soul, seems to be aware of this possibility. “When brothers [are in] a band together, it’s usually quite difficult. My brother and I don’t fight, and I think it’s because we’ve been so democratic on the songwriting and singing.”

Jack and his younger brother Max, who is still finishing school in Hong Kong, began writing songs at a young age. After recording a 4-track demo in a Shanghai studio, the boys released the songs over the Internet and found an unexpected fan.

Former Eurhythmics member and current music producer Dave Stewart discovered Minor Soul’s music and began working with them to produce a full-length album that was completed last summer. Tentatively titled Escape, the album features two songs that are co-written by Stewart, who has since been acting as a mentor and guide for the band in its attempt to sign with a record label and release the album to the public.

For now, Minor Soul relies on YouTube traffic to build up its fan base, releasing two music videos titled “Beneath My Skin” and “Alice.” When watching the videos, Jack’s self-comparison to Simon and Garfunkel is somewhat evident in both physical appearance and musical styling. Jack’s flyaway curly hair conjures up the image of Art Garfunkel’s golden afro and, almost by default, his brother Max becomes the diminutive Paul Simon. And while Minor Soul does seem to be grounded in acoustic folk melodies and harmonizing choruses, their different vocal registers and incorporation of pop elements creates a more affective, uplifting sound.

While Jack acknowledges that Minor Soul probably won’t achieve the same level of fame as fellow Duke musician-cum-douchebag Mike Posner, he hopes to reach the niche of Duke students who share his taste in acoustic and indie rock. As for current plans: Jack will be taking a leave of absence from Duke to focus on promoting the band and searching for management. “For now, our plan for next year is to really focus on becoming big in New York and going from there.” Before settling down in the United States, Minor Soul will perform at the Music Matters festival, the Southeast Asian equivalent of South by Southwest Music Festival.