Archive for the ‘Artists’ Category
The weekend on the farm in Manchester was bubbling with insanity and music galore.
We asked you, the Brite fan, to take some photos of where you were and who you were seeing and share them with us.
Through the power of Twitter and the almighty hashtag #BriteBonnaroo, we got some great shots of some even greater shows. (Even meeting Donald Glover?!)
So whether you are driving back to civilization or reveling in the fact that you don’t have to worry about a drug test today, take a look at some of our favorite user pics from Bonnaroo 2011.
Official interviews and articles from our team are on their way soon!
Special thanks to super Twitter photographers @DylanCarver & @Seleneducoudray! You guys ROCK!
In Order:
Freelance Whales / The Decemberists / The Head and The Heart / The Strokes / Neon Trees singer, Tyler Glenn (Pants on & off) / Best Coast / Twitter user @SeleneduCoudray with rapper/actor Donald Glover / More The Strokes / Deerhunter
Posted by Troy on June 13th, 2011 in Artists, Everything Else, New Music 0 Comments
I just returned from a small restaurant in East Nashville called Thai Phooket. 
I am full of food, you could say. Full of it!
It was quite an experience. I may or may not have had sour coconut milk soup. The “may or may not” is meant to be emphasized on how sour the milk actually was. (Seriously.)
Completely unrelated, right at this moment I am listening to Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes‘ new album, Civilized Man. They just released it this last week with well-deserved acclaim. And all of us here at Brite, along with Daniel and The Great Lakes, began to offer a free stream of their album with two free downloads. The entire record is an enjoyable trip for your senses. The guys know how to put just the right dab of sugar on the tongue.
Perhaps where Phooket and Daniel join up in sensory matrimony is that they are leading me onto the highway of an incredibly enjoyable and relaxing weekend; filling up both stomach and ears with warm fuzzies. (Not literally.) ((Really?))
So, this weekend, after that last time card is punched, don’t forget that Saturday evening, the place you should be is Exit/In. There, Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes’ are planning total pop/rock takeover with their album release show. It will make you feel good, inside and out, and all of the insinuated.
Natalie Prass & Peter Groenwald will open the set.
9PM, $5 or $10 (with album included)
PS: Don’t forget. If you bought tickets to the SOLD OUT Fleet Foxes show, you may just want to be at The Ryman, TONIGHT.
PPS: Thai Phooket is actually amazing, whether or not you are keen to coconut soup. (Sour or not.)
www.briterevolution.com/daniel-ellsworth
Posted by Troy on May 13th, 2011 in Artists, New Music 0 Comments
At a loss for what to do this weekend?
Well, don’t you worry yourself any longer. We’ve scoured the local venues for what we think might be your ticket to a fun night all through the weekend! So you can then write Prince William and Princess Kate and tell them what all sorts of goodness they missed on their honeymoon.
Friday, Friday, Friday:
- 12th & Porter: A rip roarin’ show with Eikon, celebrating their CD release // also featuring The Hollywood Kills // 9PM // $7
- Mercy Lounge: Mr. Jeremy Lister’s CD release show // pulling out the stops featuring Brite member Andrew Belle, Daniel Tashian (The Silver Seas) and more // 9PM // $15
TGIS…or you call it Saturday:
- 3rd & Lindsley: Brite member, The CO join Nathan Angelo for his CD release show// 9PM // $10
- Ugly Mugs: The Shakespeares, who we proudly introduced to you a few months back, play an early set at the best East Nashville shop // 7PM
- Mercy Lounge: Those Darlins are such sweet gals…come see them play! // also on the bill, Trophy Wife and Heavy Cream 9PM // $10
So, there you have it! Don’t come back to us on Monday morning saying how your weekend didn’t rock.
You have more than enough opportunities to go out for some great music.
Let’s get on with it!
Posted by Troy on April 29th, 2011 in Artists, Everything Else, New Music 0 Comments
The music world can sure be a zoo at times. And by zoo, I mean all of the bands that link themselves with the animal species. I’m sure you could name some off the top of your head.
Animal Collective … Fleet Foxes … Panda Bear … Gorrilaz … The Eagles … Lady GaGa … wait, scratch that last one.
So, today we add one more to the mix with Tigers That Talked. Fresh from “across the pond”, these guys quickly make me think if they were a part of the pack, they would be the ones with the biggest claws.
There is a richness to their lyrics and a subtle enchantment that encases the violins of Glenna Larsen. Although Jamie Williams’ voice may sound like the prettiest tiger voice you have ever heard, it’s the humanity that is left in the fleeting moments when he is singing lyrics like “I’m losing all the sparks in my life / I didn’t notice when they went out / All I do is eat, work and sleep / Never any time in between / I got a nice car, nice TV / I got a nice flat, it’s where I sleep / All of these things don’t mean so much to me / Anymore.”
The beauty of the beast with Tigers is that they do not shrink away from the good and grim of what makes up our lives. They do not shy away from making one realize that there is much more than what is right in front of our noses … or snouts.
You have to stop and listen, today.
Posted by Troy on April 19th, 2011 in Artists, Everything Else, New Music 0 Comments
It’s tough to say what makes the songs on Matthew Mayfield’s newest release, Now You’re Free, so captivating, but whatever it is, it has me hooked.
There’s something about a night drive that makes the music listening experience more mystical than if the sun were shining. I was driving down 16th Avenue late last week, right around midnight, when Mayfield’s “Fire Escape” started to play over my car speakers.
Something happened.
You know that feeling when you first hear a new song? Time freezes … and forever you relate that moment to that track. It could be the way the wind was blowing through the cracked windowpane. It could have been that last fleeting smell of your girlfriend’s favorite perfume (or your boyfriend’s cologne, ladies) left on your favorite shirt from a goodnight kiss.
I remember vividly when Coldplay’s X&Y arrived in the summer of 2005. I was in India in the middle of nowhere, but I still felt the buzz around their album. All I could think about was trying to find out how I could get my hands on this record. All of my college buddies were talking about it over email with me; taunting me with their favorite songs on the record.
Then, in the middle of a hot, sweat-infested day, in a small store in a New Delhi mall, a jewel-encased copy of the record glistened, awaiting my arrival. The beauty of worldwide distribution in even the largest of third world countries, even in our digital age, is that there is always some way of finding major releases.
The rest of my time spent in New Delhi that day was a countdown to when I could pop that CD (yes, a compact disc) into the portable player. I just had to make it back to the hotel room.
That night, as I lay on top of the stiff, barely clean sheets, I let the ceiling fan put me in a trance as the album began to pulsate through my headphones. When “Fix You” began, it started with the low organ. I recall seeing the neon sign outside our hotel window flicker. It was right at Chris Martin’s last breath of, “And I will try to fix you …” that the now famous guitar riff started to swell with Will Champion’s rhythmic banter.
Something happened.
With the mystery of songwriting, there always seems to be embedded among the stanzas, the chord structures and the wavelengths—an emotion. Depending on how the emotion is conveyed, it can hit the listener several ways. It can be huge. It can be subtle. It can be life changing. Now, I’m not saying that sort of instance occurred with me that night in New Delhi with Coldplay, nor did it happen with Matthew Mayfield’s “Fire Escape” on my night drive. Yet, there is something to be duly noted: I will remember it.
And that changes everything.
Whether or not you’re listening to the latest hyped band that has risen from a pit of small-talk festivals, or the old vinyl collection your dad gave you, music is created to be memorable.
Matthew Mayfield may not have gone out on a limb to be the first at something, writing the music for his latest, but what mark he has left on me is a new memory.
Posted by Troy on April 12th, 2011 in Artists, Everything Else, New Music 0 Comments
The feeling of new music in your ears is something that is hard to compare. You know that we get a kick out of showing you the artists and songs that we do. However, you may or may not realize, it excites us just as much when we have the opportunity to stumble upon these acts ourselves.
That being said, here is what is currently in the ear buds, hitting the ear drums.
- “White Days”, The Lighthouse and the Whaler : This is one of the most feel-good songs I have heard all Spring. Whether it’s the sunshine that hits just right, or the fact that there is no more snow on the ground, this tune makes you want to get up and dance. When I first hit play, Michael LoPresti’s voice emitted an immediate static of attention. His voice is never over-bearing, yet, never underwhelming. These guys have drawn a fine line between stepping on the brim of folk music, as well as breaking into a new wave of pop infusion amidst the strings and bells that grace this record.
- “Super Grand Master”, Slow Motion Centerfold : Slow Motion Centerfold are the epitome of what Nashville has been fueling up for in the last few years; an epic music reinvention. You won’t find one tinge of twang in “Super Grand Master”. Alex Hall bounces up and down with the hook of the song singing “I can’t change”. For the record, Alex, I don’t want you guys to change, either.
- “Mullokian”, FOUND : Any song that comes with an accent immediately gets a few more “cool points” in my book. Although FOUND can’t help it, there is a gravity that is brought on by their Scottish flair in the way “Mullokian” comes about. Even though this is a live take from The Toad Sessions, the boys of FOUND beautifully invite the listener in; creating an intimate setting that completely surrounds you.
- “Where I Want You”, Tyler Bryant : Tyler Bryant packs a mean punch with “Where I Want You”. Tyler has the lung capacity that could keep any float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade up between the skyscrapers; even more, the band could electrify any packed house at Madison Square Garden. Roll the windows down and turn this up!
- “Preacher’s Son”, Concerning Lions : My feet almost immediately start tapping as this song ensues. I have a hard time explaining the feeling of listening to Concerning Lions other than that I lose my breath a lot. Between the intricate arrangement of banjo, guitar, cajon, mandolin and lush vocal harmonies, there really isn’t much room left to breathe in and out. Brian Beise and Jonathan Durham’s gift of writing brings these guys front and center to a time in which listeners are recognizing the beauty in the cherished tact of songwriting that paints a picture and draws out meaning.
(From left to right: Concerning Lions / Tyler Bryant / The Lighthouse and the Whaler / FOUND)
Posted by Troy on April 6th, 2011 in Artists, Everything Else, New Music 0 Comments
I flew to India when I was first getting my hands around playing the piano. I had decided to go, at first, on a whim. I was just a boy turning 19, looking out, and realizing there was someone else out there.I landed on a quiet night in New Delhi in mid-June of 2005. The air was thick with urine and overflowing trash cans; a yellow moon hung above that whispered “midnight”.
I took a rickshaw with my friend to a hotel in Delhi. We woke up the next day and took a train out to the mountain ranges. We passed by slums, trash bag rooftops, and dark-skinned boys and girls digging amidst the rubble of week-old garbage.
They were digging for treasures, half-used; looking for supplement. I slowly stepped off the train. The sleeplessness in my eyes got blurred and burned out from a hot, hot sun.
Around us were more rickshaws and more taxi cabs. All along the roadway were sporadic traces of rotted mangoes, stray monkeys, and cow dung.
We stopped in a small town just underneath the aura of the Himalayan range and loaded up on a scooter. I held on to my friend on the back of the bike; skirting around guard rails that didn’t exist. Rampant pieces of old bus crashes were nestled in between the pine trees and crags; nag champra floated from the Hindu temples on the side-streets. We stopped to take a break from the ride and all around us were children playing cricket in the street.
The group of kids wore a mix of torn orange, purple, and gray sweaters; some had one shoe off, one shoe on. They ran around careless, carefree; not downtrodden or any sense of feeling unlucky. They were just simply unaware.
At that moment, for me, something happened.
Not everyone gets the chance to experience India the way I’ve been able to, now, the last three times that I have been. What I do know, is that it is no excuse to overlook what detrimental things are occurring there. Past the Oscar award-winning film, past the henna, past the glamor, there is a lot of hell going on. People are getting killed, mocked, taken advantage of, pushed into slave and sex trafficking…having their lives ruined, torn, ended; even more surprising, many just do not know that it is going on.
Dalit Freedom Network, an organization that many bands like My Cousin The Emperor, The CO, Eddie Cohn, and Caedmon’s Call proudly support. Dalit Freedom takes instances like those mentioned above and seeks out to take a stand of advocacy for those who do not have a voice. They are the Dalit people of India.
Simply being human beings on this earth, at some point we must stop working thinking just for ourselves and look outward.
I have, and it was because I felt the need to. I felt a pull.
…
This weekend in Nashville, Dalit Freedom will be joined by Brite Revolution artists The CO, Andrew Osenga & Concerning Lions for a benefit at 12th & Porter.
You can find ticket info here.
Posted by Troy on March 25th, 2011 in Artists, Everything Else 0 Comments
The funny thing about music is that it seems to go full circle these days.
Upon first loading up my iTunes with one of our new Brite additions, The Naked Hearts, my first impression of them was something that rang a bell in the vein of the indie rock band, The Strokes. It’s nothing new these days, in casual conversation, to describe the newest band you’ve discovered to someone and compare them to one they may already know of.
Why is that, though? Do we lack in vocabulary? Is no one that original enough anymore? Is everybody already doing it?
I do not think that’s the case at all. Music of all genres has always seemed to have a melting-pot effect on me. Each artist bleeds into another. We all breathe in the same air, but we all breathe it out differently. A lot of that was spoken clearly at this past year’s GRAMMY Awards. You had more than half the nation asking, “Who is Arcade Fire?” All around the blogosphere, people were in an odd outrage because for once, a band not yet discovered by the masses had won the crown of the GRAMMYs. They had single-handedly dominated album-toppers like Lady GaGa and Justin Bieber. Someone noticed something.
The Naked Hearts hit me that way.
Just last night, I got onto Amazon and downloaded the new album from The Strokes, “Angles“, loaded it up onto my phone, and sat outside in the post glimmer of the “super moon”. The album, mind you, is one that is excellently put together. It’s slick. It’s sexy. It’s lo-fi garage rock gold.
Then, it happened.
It might have been between tracks four and five, or somewhere else in the mix. It could have been the attitude. It could have been the swagger of Amy Cooper’s voice or Noah Wheeler’s bass lines travelling jaggedly, yet perfectly, with his drumming. No matter, it was encased in what the two were doing. It was a reminder to me that music is that of interpretation. That is where the creativity is; that is where one becomes “original”. You take what is there, floating around the atmosphere, and make it your own.
That’s why bands like The Naked Hearts and so many others on Brite are unique and the first to do what they are doing; they are continuing to create. That is what turns heads. That’s what supersedes any kind of chart or awards show. That’s what ultimately reaches a listener’s ear; it sticks.
Music will always continue to go full circle, but, more than likely, that circle is just going to grow larger and larger.
So, breathe in and breathe out.
Posted by Troy on March 23rd, 2011 in Artists, Everything Else, New Music 0 Comments
I am sitting in our offices at Edgehill and the sunlight is coming through the window in waves. Spring is definitely on it’s way. Nothing excites me more about this time of year than the idea that new things begin to grow and flourish. The sunsets begin happening later and later; a drink on the porch looks more and more enticing.
When I was younger, the more and more I think about it, the greatest of albums came out around this time…or at least that is when I discovered them. That was my first experience with Coldplay. There’s no better memory than listening to “Yellow” for the first time on the last day of your freshman year in high school. I still remember the floorboards of the old, creaky hallway. The way the sunlight danced with the dust in the air. The way it felt knowing the music pulsing through my ears was something only I heard, and was falling in love with.
Not much has changed since then. 
I still love the art and mystery of “discovery”, and this week has been no exception. Here at Brite, we have been so excited to dive into the worlds of bands like The Preachers, The Last Royals, and long-time running favorites of my own like Lovedrug and Richard Ashcroft. You may or may not know this, but Ashcroft was the lead singer of one of the biggest bands of the 90’s, The Verve. They released one of the biggest singles of the decade, “Bitter Sweet Symphony”, which I am sure many of you have fond memories of. Ashcroft has done nothing but amazingly evolved since then. Thus, I am having a hard time not listening to “Are You Ready?” over and over again.
The best thing about finding your next favorite band or anthem is that you are the one with the power. You are the one who knows what you love. So, instead of me even going further and further into why all of these bands we hand-picked for you this week are incredible finds, we will let you decide and take a step in.
After all, that’s what we are all about.
We love that you are on this journey with us.
It is a gorgeous, Brite day in Nashville.
Posted by Troy on March 17th, 2011 in Artists, Everything Else 0 Comments
Brite is very excited to bring you two great artists this week and we wanted to introduce them to you. The first artist is Brooke Fraser. This remarkable singer/songwriter is back in action after a restful break following a grueling three-year tour in support of the critically acclaimed album “Albertine”. Her new project “Flags” is getting some great feedback and we at Brite believe that it’s straight to the moon for this one. You can download two tracks off of the new project here. Fraser’s work is both heartbreaking and inspirational all the same. This phenomenal artist doesn’t stop short at just singing about the troubles of our world, but also aims to be the change. She currently is raising money for charity: water to provide clean drinking water for developing countries. Her aspirations of raising 50,000 dollars have already been completed, but there are a few more days to get involved. Click HERE to join in the effort and be a part of this worthy goal.
This second artist you might not have heard of stateside, but this group of indie electronica innovators from Portugal, are a force to be reckoned with. Though losing their lead singer almost immediately after achieving radio success in Portugal, Utter has powered on and created new hits all the same. Citing a wide range of influences from Sigur Ros to U2 this unique collaboration of styles creates a sound that is somewhat separate from their predecessors. You can download two free tracks from Utter as well by clicking here We at Brite want to bring you sounds from all over the globe and give artists the platform to promote in areas otherwise out of reach. It seems that this week is a case and point example of this, with Utter hailing from Portugal and Brooke all the way from New South Wales. I guess you might say this is the international edition of our weekly feature.
Posted by Troy on January 19th, 2011 in Artists, New Music 0 Comments
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