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For those not in the know, Other Brother Darryl is, as they call themselves, a “Boston-based alt-country supergroup,” made up of players who have been part of the fabric of the local Americana scene for years – Dan Nicklin (vocals, harmonica, percussion), Nate Leavitt (vocals, acoustic guitar), Dan Cederholm (drums), Chad Raleigh (multi-instrumentalist), Derek Feeney (acoustic guitar), Dave Lieb (keyboard, vocals), Jim Collins (bass, vocals). There is a lot of experience in that line-up, and it shows in the quality of the songwriting and the polish in the production. “The Ballad of Joni and Graham” is inspired by Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash, and the brief late-60s romance that itself inspired CSNY’s “Our House” and possibly Mitchell’s “A Case of You.” OBD’s lyrics are stuffed with references to that story, nodding to a telegram Mitchell sent to Graham (“Time goes by like sand in your hand”) and Graham’s lyrics (“two cats, the yard, the home”). The thing that sticks is the beautifully-rendered longing, starting with the words and enhanced by slow bounce of the groove and sweet harmonies. It should be noted here that the band credits beloved Rationales frontman David Mirabella, who sang and played on the demo of this song released as a b-side of OBD’s debut single “Until I Do” in 2022, with “spiritual guidance” for the band in general. Mirabella passed in 2022, but you can still hear him, literally and spiritually, in Other Brother Darryl. (Nick Zaino)