How Corner Brothers went from busking to Happy Valley music scene staples

If you pay attention to the Happy Valley music scene, chances are you’ve noticed acoustic duo Corner Brothers playing more and more shows around the area. The twosome composed of brothers Matt and Tyler Greer offer their own unique take on acoustic music by blending comedy and audience participation.

“My brother and I have some brotherly love/banter that goes back and forth at our shows,” said Matt Greer, who sings and plays guitar and harmonica. “Our shows are goofy, jammy, rocky and overall just a good time. People laugh, make requests, dance up and down and sway back and forth depending on what song we are playing or what comments rise from the peanut gallery.”

Tyler Greer, who sings and plays drums, compares the band’s live shows to a backyard barbecue.

“My brother and I are there to entertain the people,” he said. “We tell jokes that we may only laugh at and we try to be nothing more than ourselves. The Corner Brothers show is a unique laid back show and we want people to have fun and get engaged with us as much as possible.”

For years, the brothers played only in the privacy of their home. These days, you can catch Corner Brothers out and about at several local hotspots.

“We decided one night to try to busk on the street corners of State College,” Matt Greer said. “To our surprise, people actually dug what we were doing and tipped us, clapped, danced and sang along. We decided that — with that boost of confidence — it was time to put something real together.”

For Corner Brothers, it’s all about the audience. The young men both believe there’s nothing quite like entertaining a crowd.

“The most important part about music is its ability to connect people,” Tyler Greer said. “When a single song can make an entire room of strangers sway with their arms around each other, it’s truly amazing.”

Recently the band has begun to expand its musical repertoire to include original material.

“We are very critical of our own work and so our original tunes are mostly in the closet for now,” Matt Greer said. “The best way to describe our music would be ‘boom chicky, sad, real, acoustic rock sway feel good feel sad.’ Maybe a better way to put it is Blues Traveler meets Simon and Garfunkel meets Mumford and Sons — acoustic folk rock?”

When the band is ready, the brothers plan to team up with a local recording studio to produce their debut album.

“We would like to have our originals professionally recorded when we finish them,” Matt Greer said. “It would be great to travel and play some other places. Ultimately, my brother and I play music because we love it. Five years from now, we will still love it. Crowd or no crowd. Cash or no cash.”

The brothers agree that their show provides local fans with something different than other bands in town.

“I believe that the Corner Brothers offer a show that breaks the mold of current local bands,” Tyler Greer said. “We are not a heavy party band, and we aren’t necessarily an acoustic band. We are on the fence of both of those worlds, but mainly we want to provide an experience and not just a show.”

The brothers Greer play plenty of private parties, tailgates and weddings. You can also catch them every Wednesday from 9-11 p.m. at Cafe 210 West and Fridays from 5-7 p.m. at Champs Downtown, followed by another show at Cafe 210 West from 8:30-9:45 p.m.

This story was originally published September 28, 2017 at 11:09 AM with the headline "How Corner Brothers went from busking to Happy Valley music scene staples."