Get to Know: Brighten Up
When times are tough, all you need is Brighten Up.
Brighten Up didn’t start their band in the most traditional sense. Justin Bean moved to Chicago from Orlando, Florida to pursue a career, but still desired to make music. Dan Smith also moved from the south suburbs of Chicago around the same time. How would these two star-crossed musicians meet? Craigslist. Smith replied to Bean’s posting on the website and the two hit it off right away. The two started jamming and soon ideas began to form. Dreams of electronic loops and synthesizers started floating around. They traded in their traditional instruments for a strange assortment of keyboards, pedals, drums and other strange electronic an average music lover would never figure out. With Bean on vocals and percussion and Smith on keyboards, Brighten Up officially began.
Although they only formed in June 2008, the band has made their rounds around Chicago pretty quickly; playing some great small venues in the big city. Brighten Up may have an overbearing set-up, with Bean and Smith hidden behind stacks of electronic equipment, but it never overshadows their intense performance. Both members move around to the rhythm of their own music and captivate the audience with their energy rather than using a crazy light show. It may not be the most accessible type of music to the average Joe, but seeing them live and hearing their music makes all the difference.
Brighten Up expects to record professional sometime early this year, but their live recordings are good representations of the type of band that they are. Their song “Fond,” from their Empty Bottle show this past year is a good example. Brighten Up creates an atmosphere through lyrics rather than relying on them to tell a story. In “Fond” you can hear the movement and flow that comes through their composition.
Posted by Amy Dittmeier on Jan 21, 2009 @ 7:00 am
