The Dewars Return Home to West Palm Beach

The phone interview with Anthony Dewar, one-half of the twin-brother lounge-rock band the Dewars, started off kind of stilted. Midway through the conversation, Anthony explained why: "We're filming a documentary about the tour. Kevin [a filmmaker] is filming me being interviewed right now." Suddenly I, the interviewer, was also feeling a little self-conscious about what words came out of my mouth.

The documentary features the Dewars and New Orleans band Room Thirteen as they tour Florida. Anthony says it has already had its interesting moments. "We filmed a tight basketball game, secrets told over a campfire, drama over a truck breaking down, lots of snoring, and financial stresses. We wanted to film us going on a hot air balloon but couldn't afford it." He's hoping a homecoming show at Respectable Street tonight will be one of the highlights. "We grew up in West Palm. Home is still there. It gave us that suburban sound and that South Floridian identity crisis. I think our music sounds like West Palm."

The most recent evidence of that West Palm sound was their last album, 2015's All a Part of the Show. It is a cynical Beatles-esque romp that grabs your attention from the first chord. The only part of that description Anthony was offended by was being compared to the Beatles. "I don't think we were that influenced by them. The past century, give or take a couple decades, is our influence. We had a keyboard and got crazy with the violin setting. Our harmony aspect was rooted in the sixties, so that could be the Beatles sound."

The latest Dewars record, which Anthony said is slowly coming along, will be a little different. "I want to do a psychedelic workout album called Lactic Acid Trip." He was unwilling to clarify whether he was being earnest or just trying to get laughs for the documentary. What he's actually excited about is that the Dewars are no longer just a duo with Anthony on guitar and his brother Zach on bass. Now, they are a five-piece rock 'n' roll group with a drummer, keyboardist, and second guitarist. Based in Gainesville, the Dewars think South Florida will be pleasantly surprised with what they're bringing home. "As a five-piece, we maximize our sound. Hopefully, we get a nice homecoming crew and I can wish everyone a happy Christmas, New Year, and Hanukkah."

The Dewars. 11 p.m. Thursday, December 15, at Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach; 561-832-9999; sub-culture.org/respectable-street. Admission is free.