Middle Brother: Indie-rock bands come together

The last few years have seen the return of a musical phenomenon once thought to be extinct: the supergroup.

In 2009, Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Jim James of My Morning Jacket formed Monsters of Folk.

Last year, James Mercer of the Shins and Danger Mouse created Broken Bells.

This year’s indie supergroup is Middle Brother, which features the lead singers of the indie-rock bands Delta Spirit, Dawes and Deer Tick.

Middle Brother’s self-titled debut album offers something for fans of each band, combining Delta Spirit’s anthemic rock with Deer Tick’s rootsy folk and Dawes’ melodic pop.

amNewYork talked with Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith.

Why don’t you like being called a supergroup?
It’s not accurate. I think you can say that with established artists — we’re coming from three un-established bands. We look at it as a chance to show fans of each band who the other bands are.

Which of you plays the role of older, younger and middle brother?
The different brother roles jump around from show to show or night to night. Sometimes I’ll be the guy wrangling everyone; other times, I’ll be slacking off and John [McCauley of Deer Tick] is doing that.

So where did the name come from?
It was about the nature of this project in the relationship to the rest of our bands. It’s something that’s important to us, but it’s not the main priority. If people wind up looking forward to a Middle Brother record more than our other bands, our intention will have failed.

If you go: Middle Brother is at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday at 9 p.m. Sold out. 66 N. Sixth St., Brooklyn, 718-486-5400

The band is at the Bowery Ballroom on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. $22, 6 Delancey St., 212-533-2111