The Corner Brothers

Story/Video posted December 7, 2015 in News by Jillian Bohenek

Loading...

 

Music means something different to everyone.

For some, it is a simple interest – for others, it’s a passion. For Matt and Tyler Greer, not only is
it a passion, it is also a brotherly bond.

They call themselves The Corner Brothers – an alternative, modern and folk acoustic rock duo.
Matt and Tyler were always into music, whether it was singing in the car when they were kids or playing music together just for fun. But just five years ago, they began playing music together for other people.

It wasn’t until then that they came up with the idea and decided to pursue it by taking it outside of their State College home.

“We started playing on the bench by PNC Bank,” Matt said. “And then when we felt more confident, we migrated to The Corner Room corner.”


VGhlIENvcm5lciBCcm90aGVycyBwZXJmb3JtIGFsbCBhcm91bmQgRG93bnRvd24gU3RhdGUgQ29sbGVnZS4gQnV0IHRoZSBiZW5jaCBvdXRzaWRlIG9mIHRoZSBQTkMgQmFuayBvbiBDb2xsZWdlIEF2ZW51ZSB3YXMgd2hlcmUgdGhleSBmaXJzdCBzdGFydGVkIHRvIHBsYXkgaW4gcHVibGljLiBQaG90byBieSBKaWxsaWFuIEJvaGVuZWs=The Corner Brothers perform all around Downtown State College. But the bench outside of the PNC Bank on College Avenue was where they first started to play in public. Photo by Jillian Bohenek

They continued to play, receiving feedback on their performances from the public.
It has become a big part of their lives, playing in places like Rotelli, Bill Pickle’s, Café 210, Allen Street Grill, The Darkhorse, Kildare’s, and PJ Harrigan’s. But a bench in Downtown State College is where it all began.

The brothers got good feedback, but they also had some that was negative.

But it’s not necessarily about being “good” that makes them want to play.

“It’s something that me and my brother share,” Tyler said. “With me being a full-time student and [Matt] having a full-time job, we don’t have a lot of time together.”

The Corner Brothers aren’t just your typical singing and guitar-playing band. They use other instruments like the tambourine, harmonica and cajon (kuh-hohn), which is a wooden, Caribbean box drum.

Matt and Tyler say they try to play music that appeals to everyone, so they typically adjust their song list depending on where they are performing.

The Corner Brothers are no strangers to the stage. Both brothers were involved in theatre in grade school. Matt is still involved, participating in shows with the State College Community Theatre.

In addition to The Corner Brothers, Matt plays with another band, Sons of Resonance, who also plays around State College.

Sons of Resonance performs more often and has been around longer than The Corner Brothers, but by association, it gave Matt and Tyler more of an opportunity to play in locations with an audience.

“We never really had the opportunity to get into places, and through that other band where I was, it kind of facilitated that better,” Matt said.

Both brothers said that Matt’s time with Sons of Resonance has its ups and downs, but they make it work well and are able to balance it.

They have performed some original music in the past, but found that the recognizable songs are more popular.

Of the songs that The Corner Brothers typically play at a gig, Tyler’s favorite is “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel, and Matt’s is “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. But they agree that the song that gets the biggest response from the audience is “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker.

Matt says the goal for The Corner Brothers is to play in more places and someday perform original music.

Matt has a full-time job in State College, and Tyler is a student at Penn State.

 

Video: The Corner Brothers|The Worst Song
 

Matt and Tyler have many songs that they enjoy playing for their audiences. They came up with their song list through experimentation, choosing songs that they perform well, as well as songs that get a good response from the audience. There are, however, a few that they will not play. They talk about one in particular.