So much of it is about expectations. People that grew up enthralled by the folk music of the 60's-as I did-identified with the music and the people who made it. People who come to a Brothers Four show these days as far as I can tell get their expectations met. We are four guys who take the music very seriously but not ourselves. We like each other and at that moment there is no place else we want to be.
A lot of times people will come up and say something like "do you remember when you..." and I will smile and say yes and they will smile back and there is a connection of sorts made to a time for them that at this time I simply represent.
My favorite of that type was when someone came up to John Paine (in the late 90's) and said "Do you remember playing at the University of Tennessee in 1962?" John kindly said he did (though he didn't remember.) She went on "Do you remember crowning the homecoming queen?" I think John nodded. He did say "Was that you?" She said yes it was me. "I just couldn't remember whether it was you guys or the Four Freshmen."
The group laughs to this day about that delightful encounter.