Growing up in an English steel town, Henry and Rupert Stansall were raised on the preferred music of their dad: The Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and The Everly Bothers. The boys began rehearsing rock music in the family's kitchen and looking for weekend gigs.
Creating an amalgam of their names - RUpert and hENry - as a stage name, the brothers were playing local pubs and clubs by age 12. They began writing music after college and would test their demos by syncing them to trailers for Quentin Tarantino movies.
As the brothers built a fan base, among them was producer Rick Rubin, founder of American Recordings and former co-president of Columbia Records.
"I liked that their songwriting seemed like it was from another era," Rubin is quoted in online interviews. "It's making something new again with these traditional influences."
That mix of old and new music will be on full display Friday, May 24, when the Ruen Brothers headline Nightfall. The free summer music concert takes place in Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. The Jason Lyles Band will open the show at 7 p.m., followed by the headliners at 8.
Rubin produced the brothers' 2015 EP, "Point Dume," and returned for their first studio album, "All My Shades of Blue," released in summer 2018.
It features Henry on acoustic guitar and Rupert on electric and acoustic guitar, harmonica and bass. Their music on the album is supplemented with the talents of Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on drums, The Killers' Dave Keuning on strings and Faces/Small Faces' Ian McLagan on keyboards.
"We're very lucky in the sense that we've been able to do whatever we've wanted musically and had it all recorded to the best quality with the best musicians and collaborators. In today's industry, you don't usually get that freedom," says Rupert.
"If nothing else, we're making the music we want to make and that's enough for me. Hopefully people will appreciate and enjoy it as much as we do."