Band Profile: Bright Young Things
Today we will be posting band profiles on Bright Young Things & Wembley, two great North Carolina bands that will be playing at Saturday’s Rock & Shop Market. First up, Matt from Raleigh’s Bright Young Things:
Tell us more about your sound & influences:
Wow, let’s see. This is always such a difficult question to answer. After listening to our band, I think one thing is pretty obvious: we like the ’60s. It was a much more innocent time, when bands like The Beatles and characters like Brian Wilson were “pushing the limits” so to speak. It’s incredible, the amount of thought and work that went in to making some of those records, but they’re still catchy, they still appeal to the common listener and 40 odd years later, we’re still talking about them… It sometimes feels as though the modern music industry is in quite the funk, ever since Eddie Vedder (no offense to Pearl Jam fans) invented the “man voice,” “edgy” rock music sounds like something that was written in 1996, discovered in 2000, and re-released by fan-boys last year… Pop music is getting stale, and I guess this is where our “sound” comes in to play. Far be it from me to say that we’re the fresh new sound of the future, in fact, we’re quite the opposite. We try to focus on the songwriting, asking ourselves, “What makes a good song?” We write rock songs that are sometimes in major keys, but in no way are they sugar-coated. They merely harken back to a simpler time. They cut through without the use of huge distorted amplifiers and screaming vocals.
Who are your favorite local bands?
Honestly, there are so many good bands to choose from in the area. It’s really nice to be able to say that without it being some sort of platitude. I recently discovered a band from Asheville (that still counts right?) called The Floating Action, they’re really ripping it up. Some friends of ours from the Chapel Hill area are doing some great things. Jeff Crawford, Nick Jaeger, all the boys in Max Indian, that’s one thing that’s so unique about the scene here, things are so intertwined. We end up with a million different projects involving the same 20 people. It’s a very collaborative and uplifting feel. Megafaun are also doing some new and exciting things, they definitely know how to jazz up classic sounds, taking them straight into the 21st century.
What other music is in constant rotation?
Of course the classics: Beatles, The Band, Dylan, Stones, et al. As for current music, I tend to like just about anything that seems like it was well thought out…
What is happening around North Carolina that excites you?
I sort of referred to this earlier when talking about local music, but I feel as though it applies to art in general. There seems to be a real renaissance happening here, and it’s collaborative. People are deciding that they do care about the future of the arts, and the best way to move forward is to support each other. I couldn’t imagine trying to do my thing in a more cutthroat environment; it’s almost impossible to foster any sort of growth that way. Everyone around here has been extremely encouraging, and I think it’s going to lead to something great coming out of North Carolina.
What current projects are you working on?
Currently, Bright Young Things are in the studio, working on what will either become an EP or LP. We’re long overdue for an official release, and should have something to spread around by the end of summer, so get ready!
great band by the way