The Flood Brothers are a blues duo with a gritty, boogie-rock sound inspired by their experiences traveling the country and playing music. From being paid in drinks and bar food to driving 30 miles in a blizzard, the lead men, Gabe Meyer and Jake Best have earned their stripes.

Meyer and Best attended the same high school and were friends growing up in Hannibal, Mo. The two began playing together right before college in 2000. After performing in Wyoming, the duo was frequently featured at Packer’s Roost, a small bar in Montana where outsiders rarely treaded.

“They told us, ‘You can’t go to Packer’s Roost, they’ll eat you alive,’” Meyer says. “We walked in to screaming and mugs being shattered, so we screamed right back.”

After playing their first set in Montana, the guys became popular among the locals.

“We never got paid for any of those shows out there, but we could definitely order up a mess of chicken gizzards at 1 in the morning after every show,” Meyer says of the early gigs.

Upon returning to Missouri, Meyer and Best met Kent Burnside, grandson of Mississippi hills blues master, R.L. Burnside. Along with Dan Burnside on bass, they toured the U.S. extensively as Kent Burnside and the New Generation. One night, when performing at Legends in Chicago, they played “Champagne Blues” with club owner and blues guitar legend, Buddy Guy.

“We had Wes Martin on bass that night,” Meyer says, “So it was these three guys from Hannibal, Mo., and R.L. Burnside’s grandson, next to Buddy Guy in a purple shirt, a cowboy hat and a suede duster … it was an incredible moment.”

Playing at Legends also inspired their curious name: The Flood Brothers. Meyer credits the name to a Chicago trash company.

“I saw that on the side of a dumpster out back behind the bar, and I knew it had to be our name,” he says.

The Flood Brothers performed with the Burnsides for several years, until reverting to their two-man power duo. They recently released a first album, _Flood Type_, which is the culmination of 10 years of work. Meyer says it is a musical pinnacle.

“Every song is a different story in our lives, from a different time,” he says.

In Columbia, Meyer and Best have been working separate jobs and playing locally since 2008.

“Columbia is great,” Meyer says. “We played Mojo’s two weeks ago and are excited for Roots ‘N’ Blues this Friday.”

Meyers looks forward to future albums.

“We hope to have a second album out soon, and we really want to be touring by the end of summer,” he says.

With a decade of experience and a benchmark album, The Flood Brothers will boogie down this Friday alongside other greats, Al Green, Sam Bush and John Mayall.