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An Interview With Steve Lee Phelps Of Brilliant SunPosted on January 9th, 2009 by Simon Barrett in Interview, Music Reviews, ReviewsRead 270 times.
There are so many bands out there today that it is impossible to keep up with them all. I gave up trying to follow them all years ago! I sit surrounded by music, a couple of years ago it was just wobbly piles of CD’s, today it is wobbly piles of large cardboard boxes full of CD’s!
I have to admit that I have become somewhat picky about who I listen to (well hell I am in my 50’s I can be picky if I want to be)!
New bands hit the scene all of the time, but, sometimes the band maybe new, yet the musicians qualified. That indeed is the case with Brilliant Sun.
The glue behind Brilliant Sun is Steve Lee Phelps, a guy with a long history in not just making music, but also writing about music. As a journalist in England he interviewed Sir Paul McCartney. As a musician he has played with the best of the best.
Steve graciously agreed to be a guest on our Week In Reviews radio show. A better guest I could not wish for, eloquent, knowledge, and informative. A rare beast indeed in todays music scene!
Brilliant Sun have a very beatlesque sound to them, they specialize in light almost pop oriented arrangements, and songs that tell a story. People that know me also know that I am no fan of The Beatles, in fact I have never owned a single record by them. But that is not to say that I do not appreciate their contribution to the music world. Brilliant Sun, and Steve Lee Phelps as their main songwriting force have created a wonderful brand of music.
The debut album, bearing the not too surprising title of Brilliant Sun is testament to their great abilities. Just because a song has a light musical sound does not mean that it is not well crafted.
Interestingly enough Steve got his big recording break back in the 80’s when he was playing with The Shout. The label was the infamous punk oriented Mystic Records out of LA, a far cry from Brilliant Sun!
Steve was my guest on Blogger News’ Week In Reviews radio show, you can hear the entire interview, and get to listen to a couple of tracks from the new album here.
Simon Barrett
http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com
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Loading ...1 user commented in " An Interview With Steve Lee Phelps Of Brilliant Sun " Follow-up comment rss or Leave a Trackback keithnmarcy said,in January 13th, 2009 at 11:18 am I had the fortune to play with Steve a couple of years ago. I new he was a special talent then. I’m glad to see him be acknowledged here! Rock on Steve!
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CD Review: Brilliant Sun by Brilliant SunPosted on January 7th, 2009 by Simon Barrett in Music Reviews, ReviewsRead 317 times.
These may be new kids on the block, though by no means new to the music industry. While certainly well known in the Seattle music scene they are beginning to gain traction in other markets, I have it from a reliable source that a batch of CD’s is currently on route to Japan.
Their first single from the self titled CD is track one Perfect Girl, and recently achieved some playtime on the CBS affiliate station KIRO. In todays ever shrinking radio market that is quite the achievement.
Brilliant Sun certainly has an eclectic sound, some might call it Beatlesque, ballads with a rock maybe even verging on pop feel about them.
Leader of the pack, is Steve Lee Phelps, a man with a resume so long it would take a book to adequately do it justice, Playing guitar since he was the tender age of 10, at one time or another he has played with such artists as The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction, to the Jackson 5 and Alice Cooper, he’s also played with The Thompson Twins, The Bangles, Oingo Boingo, and the Cramps. Steve knows his way around the music industry, that is for sure.
Joining him to form Brilliant Sun are Dino Mattelli another Seattle-area bass player and songwriter with more than 25 years of experience, and Jeff Reiner Songwriter, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and Keyboards player (now thats what you call an all rounder!)
There are arena bands, and there are intimate small venue bands, Billiant Sun belongs in the latter category, their compositions at first seem very light and superficial, however they are superbly crafted with some very elegant wordsmithing. This is certainly a band that I plan on trying to catch live, I suspect that they are delightful on stage in a small venue.
Brilliant Sun are one of the growing number of bands that have found the power of the internet and their web page does have some streaming audio to let you try before you buy. A vital tool in todays music world.
People can order CD’s , posters , baseball caps , magnets via request on their website www.myspace.com/thebrilliantsun or email requests to thebrilliantsun@gmail.com
Simon Barrett
http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com
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Loading ...1 user commented in " CD Review: Brilliant Sun by Brilliant Sun " Follow-up comment rss or Leave a Trackback » An Interview with Steve Lee Phelps Of Brilliant Sun - Blogger News Network said,in January 9th, 2009 at 3:32 pm […] New bands hit the scene all of the time, but, sometimes the band maybe new, yet the musicians qualified. That indeed is the case with Brilliant Sun. […]
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Discography
New debut release titled Brilliant Sun is available. The Cd has been getting airplay both locally and nationally and has sold units in Europe as well. The first single is entitled Perfect Girl. Streams of full songs and streams of radio interviews and song play are available at www.myspace.com/thebrilliantsun
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Bio
Right on the heels of the release of their self-titled CD and being highlighted by Seattle’s own KIRO radio as one of the top 5 new bands in the Pacific Northwest, Brilliant Sun is putting in place its spring and summer tour schedule. This follows a series of very successful nationally syndicated radio interviews with many syndicates.
Brilliant Sun consists of 4 of Seattle’s most seasoned players, finally all together in one powerhouse band. Brilliant Sun delivers intelligent Rock ‘n Roll with Jazz and R&B undertones and a rock steady beat and the musicianship that only these 4 veterans can deliver.
The band consists of Steven Lee Phelps (guitar/ lead vocals)
Dino Matelli (bass guitar/vocals)
Jeff Reiner (lead guitar/vocals)
and Paul Kollman (drums/vocals).
Steven has had successful bands in LA and England and is well-known in the business as a strong singer/song writer and guitar player. His music has been called 'Beatleseque,' with many influences covering a broad spectrum of musical styles. Delivered with relevance and honesty, his lyrics tell memorable stories throughout his unforgettable songs: A well woven tapestry of lush sounds. He has played with the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, Alice Cooper and The Thompson Twins.
Dino Mattelli is a Seattle-area bass player and songwriter with more than 25 years of professional musical experience. With a diverse background in pop, jazz and progressive rock, Mattelli focuses on ensuring songs provide musicians and listeners an uplifting dimension. Professionals have dubbed him "a true music man" with an ear for production, arrangements, and melody.
Jeff Reiner is the amazing lead guitar player and also a songwriter who adds a distinctive sound all his own to the band. Besides being a perfect fit for Brilliant Sun, he has opened shows for The Police, Missing Persons, The Motels, Oingo Boingo, Gordon Lightfoot, and Richie Havens.
Paul Kollman is the solid drummer behind the rhythm section. He has played and recorded with many Seattle-based projects and has recently joined Brilliant Sun after a year with Shelly and the Curves. He is both versatile and exciting and is a welcome addition to the band.
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