Music
Press
"Layered harmonies drive infectious chorus melodies over guitars and piano...the evenhanded sincerity of the songwriting adds a vital element that separates the group from other acoustic acts." - Travis Smith, The Boston Metro
"With acoustic guitars blazing and lush three-part harmonies, "Stay" emerges as a timeless statement. " - Tom Semioli, Minor7th.com
"The Brightwings have a classic charm lost in the present day world of glamour and pretense. The album is timeless, catchy, and completely radio friendly...harmonies that could make a church choir jealous." - Sherri Prunier, TheWigFitsAllHeads.com
"Anyone who has ever liked bands like the Eagles or CSNY is going to find something they like about the Brightwings. Every song is catchy." (4 out of 5 stars) - Mike Farley, Bullz-Eye.com
"Through all of the harmonies and acoustic based progressions, it's really the multi-part vocals and well-written lyrics that help The Brightwings shine" - Highway Boots, Rock-Is-Life.com
"The harmony vocals are as professional as anything done by The Eagles." - Kaj Roth, Melodic.net
The Brightwings are talented rock n' roll soldiers whose knack for crafting, indeed sculpting a pop-rock song is daunting" - J-Sin, Smother.net
"Takes us back to the good old days of rock with good melodies, harmonies, and good musicianship" - Chris, Parx-e.com
"With an acoustic folk-pop-rock vibe that's upbeat and moving, The Brightwings are poised to take flight from their Boston home." - William A. Huffman, Conway Daily Sun
"If you grew up listening to the classic '70's relationship songs, you will L-O-V-E love singing along with this album. If you weren't born until the early '80s but like catchy melodies and three-part harmonies, Stay's production is modern enough that you won't know the difference." - Curt Hauff, HardRockHaven.net - Various Sources
July 26, 2007
Boston Herald
By Michael Marotta
The Boston Herald
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Brightwings are giving arena and stadium rock a whole new meaning.
The Boston-based pop-rock quartet, which plays the Paradise Lounge tomorrow with the Pete Kilpatrick Band and Jesse Dee (9 p.m., 18-plus, $10), has been building a reputation in the Baltimore-D.C. area by performing the national anthem before professional sporting events.
A performance at a Wizards-Knicks NBA game last season landed them views across the country on YouTube. That helped the band score a gig at Baltimore's Camden Yards before an Orioles game. The band also has gotten invites to sing before a University of Connecticut Huskies basketball game as well as a Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden.
Feeding off the buzz from their song "All I Need," which was heard on MTV's "Real World: Denver," the Brightwings entry into the sports world came from a friend in the Wizards organization who asked them to do the anthem before tip-off.
"We're a rock band, but we've always been into singing harmonies and working on vocal arrangements," said Brightwings bassist and vocalist Matt Rafal. "We performed it in four-part harmony, and popped it up on YouTube. It kind of took off from there."
The band now plans tours around its anthem gigs.
"We love to sing harmony, we're all sports fanatics, and the teams usually hook us up with great seats to the games," Rafal said. "It's a fun way to get our band's name in front of a lot of people."
The Brightwings also boast some die-hard Red Sox fans. As fate would have it, the Orioles are scheduled to play the Sox the night the band next sings at Camden Yards.
"I'm sure someone will be wearing Red Sox boxer shorts or something," Rafal said.
Let's hope temperamental Orioles owner Peter Angelos doesn't catch wind of that. - Boston Herald
Discography
"Stay" debut 8 song ep, released in January of '07
Photos
Bio
Based in Boston, The Brightwings consist of three singer/songwriters: Matt Rafal, Dave Dombroski and Dan Holden. Jayme Tardiff rounds out the line-up on drums. Their name is taken from an episode of the television show "The Wonder Years," which was set in the late 60's and early 70's. The Brightwings are influenced by that same era, hinting at the honest and simple sounds of The Eagles, CSNY, Tom Petty and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band incorporates this nostalgic vibe into their songwriting, creating modern songs with a classic rock feel. Three part vocal harmonies, acoustic guitars and heartfelt lyrics are all key elements of the Brightwings sound.
Together for less than two years, The Brightwings have shared the stage with Matt Nathanson, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Nada Surf, The Damnwells, The Alternate Routes and Braddigan of Dispatch.
The Brightwings' music can be heard on various television shows, including:
CW's "Life Is Wild" (All I Need)
MTV's "Real World / Road Rules Challenge" (All I Need)
MTV's "Real World Denver" (All I Need)
MTV's "Real World Sydney" (All I Need)
E's "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" (Far From Shore, All I Need)
MTV's "NEXT" (Mallory, All I Need)
FOX25's "Morning News" (All I Need)
The band's love of harmony vocals led to various performances of the national anthem at pro sporting events in the past year. This included The Boston Celtics, The Washington Wizards, The Uconn Huskies, The Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.
The Brightwings debut album, Stay, is a self-produced gem of eight songs that let the bands vocal and musical talent shine through. In addition to the four regular members, David Lamoureux of the band Augustana played keyboards on Cant Stand Me.
Quotes about The Brightwings' "Stay":
"Layered harmonies drive infectious chorus melodies over guitars and piano...the evenhanded sincerity of the songwriting adds a vital element that separates the group from other acoustic acts." - Travis Smith, The Boston Metro
"With acoustic guitars blazing and lush three-part harmonies, "Stay" emerges as a timeless statement. " - Tom Semioli, Minor7th.com
"The Brightwings have a classic charm lost in the present day world of glamour and pretense. The album is timeless, catchy, and completely radio friendly...harmonies that could make a church choir jealous." - Sherri Prunier, TheWigFitsAllHeads.com
"Anyone who has ever liked bands like the Eagles or CSNY is going to find something they like about the Brightwings. Every song is catchy." (4 out of 5 stars) - Mike Farley, Bullz-Eye.com
"Through all of the harmonies and acoustic based progressions, it's really the multi-part vocals and well-written lyrics that help The Brightwings shine" - Highway Boots, Rock-Is-Life.com
"The harmony vocals are as professional as anything done by The Eagles." - Kaj Roth, Melodic.net
The Brightwings are talented rock n' roll soldiers whose knack for crafting, indeed sculpting a pop-rock song is daunting" - J-Sin, Smother.net
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