Band of Brothers
Tennis Doubles Champs and identical twins Mike and Bob Bryan combine a passion for music with a love of the game
There’s no denying that twins have a special bond. They can finish each other sentences, have a good idea what the other is thinking, and have been known to sense if something bad happens to their sibling, even if they are miles apart. Brothers Mike and Bob Bryan are no exception to the twin clichés and folklore.
Born two minutes apart, with Mike being the older of the two, the brothers do just about everything together—that includes winning seven men’s doubles Grand Slam titles, a bronze medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, sharing the top doubles team spot on the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour, and playing in a rock ‘n’ roll band.
The Bryan Brothers Band, featuring friend and vocalist David Baron, officially formed in 2008, but the two tennis champs have been playing music since their childhood. There was plenty of encouragement for both tennis and music from parents Wayne and Kathy, who owned a tennis club in Camarillo, California, and were both professional tennis players. “My dad didn’t let us watch TV. He took it right out of the house. So when we got home from tennis, we had a lot of time to practice,” says Mike.
Wayne, who had played with a few members of the Beach Boys when they were all students at Hawthorne High School, taught his sons to play their instruments—Mike the drums and Bob the keyboard. Musical education from Wayne consisted of learning hundreds of classic rock songs like “Johnny B. Goode,” “My Girl,” and “Louie Louie,” which Mike and Bob memorized without really understanding music theory. “My dad wanted us to have fun with music and build a passion for it,” says Mike. “He taught us how to play songs right off the bat, which was cool for us.”
Wayne played local street fairs, where he would call his sons up on stage, asking if they wanted to play a kid’s song like “Jingle Bells.” “No,” Mike and Bob would reply, “We want to play rock ‘n’ roll.”
This little music act planted the seed, which later grew to a lifelong dedication to music and the formation of the Bryan Brothers Band, despite the extreme time commitment they had already made to their professional tennis careers.
"Tennis is still number one right now and we devote most of our energy to doing that, but we have a music room in our house and we spend four to five hours a day in there,” says Mike. “It really helps take our minds off the stress of tennis and is a great complement to our lives,”
In college at Stanford University, the brothers continued on track to a professional tennis career and also started filling in the gaps of their music education by learning more about reading music and theory.
Equipped with a better understand of music fundamentals, the Bryan brothers continue to play music every day, and even bring their instruments on the road—40 weeks out of the year—when they compete in tennis tournaments. The instruments provide a respite from the physical side of tennis and bring a little bit of home abroad. Mike brings a travel guitar that he plays around with and Bob brings a little keyboard along, plus recording equipment to capture any song ideas that may arise from their regular jam sessions. “It’s fun to do it together,” says Mike. “We are our own little band. We can make pretty good music for just two guys.”
While the two-person band was working for the brothers, at a certain point, they realized they needed a vocalist and guitar player, which is where David Baron came in. The brothers met Baron at a tennis tournament, where Baron had a gig on thegrounds. They invited him to come over and jam with them. Eventually, the trio ended up writing
and recording four original songs for their album Let It Rip. The songs incorporate elements of the brothers’ lives, which includes a lot of court jargon. However, the themes are universal—subjects like love, perseverance, and taking chances.
All three members of the group contribute equally to the creative process. Mike says writing sessions involve a lot of "ping-ponging” ideas off one another. Although the Bryan Brothers Band is starting to play more gigs, like the Mercury Lounge in New York City, and the famous Viper Room in Hollywood, Mike and Bob still appreciate how relaxing playing a musical instrument is.
"My brother and I are close,” says Bob. “It’s an activity that’s fun and I enjoy that bonding time. It’s fun getting lost in something besides tennis. I can play music all night and not be tired.”
Posters of music icons like The Doors and Dave Matthews Band, alongside tennis photos, t-shirts, and memorabilia, cover the walls in the brothers’ music room in their Mediterranean- style villa in Camarillo, close to their childhood home. The room, filled with keyboards, drum kits, and mikes, is where the brothers spend hours winding down from tennis practice, by playing their instruments.
Music, like sports, requires a certain element of cohesion and harmony between players and the Bryan brothers’ wordless communication on the court demonstrates their uncanny ability to read what the other one will do. This type of unspoken mental connection helps their music too. “Just from being with Bob my whole life we have this great communication so I know what he’s thinking,” says Mike. “We need that on the court; reacting and anticipating works the same for music.”
The connection between the sport of tennis and playing music is a strong one for the twins. Even though they find music the more relaxing of the two, both activities bring a lot excitement to their lives. “I think both of them give us that adrenaline rush,” says Bob of tennis and music. “When you’re in front of the crowd on the court or on stage you get a rush, which is a lot of fun. With both you hit a point where everything is clicking and you’re not having to think too much—it’s flowing and it’s just beautiful.”
Mike and Bob, 31, hope to continue their professional tennis careers as long as they are healthy and winning. Although tennis is one of those sports people can play into their twilight years, the level that the Bryan brothers compete at won’t be feasible forever. “We are so physical on the court, pounding our bodies, so it takes hours in the music room to regenerate,” says Mike. “Tennis is physical and music is creative and relaxing, so we can do it forever. That’s the beauty of music for us—it’s a great thing to have in our lives.”
