Brightblack Morning Light
Encyclopedia
Brightblack Morning Light was a band which formed in Northern California by Nathan Shineywater and Rachael Hughes, both of whom originally hail from Alabama
, Shineywater from Birmingham
and Hughes from just outside of Montgomery
. Shineywater plays electric slide guitar
, and Hughes favors vintage Fender Rhodes
pianos; they were accompanied by a varying group of musicians. The band has been "linked to a spirit of folky 1960's revivalism," and they were called a leader in the "freak folk" scene. Praised for their recordings, the band also organized a number of small folk festivals in Northern California.
The band eschewed commercial exposure, having chosen a relatively quiet and luxury-free life—they have lived in cars, tents, converted chicken-coops, and cabins, and have recorded music using solar power
. They have released three critically acclaimed albums. They were described as "back-to-the-land idealists and activists" who are influenced by such writers and activists as Edward Abbey
, Leonard Peltier
, Henry David Thoreau
, Allen Ginsberg
, and Carlos Castaneda
. Shineywater also cites Ram Dass
, Rachel Grimes, and Hamza El Din
.
, in an issue of National Geographic. He lived in California for a while and when he returned to Alabama reconnected with childhood friend Rachael Hughes. They formed Rainywood, and for the first four years were "a primarily underground--and live--phenomenon," calling themselves Rainywood. Their first show was in Alabama, for 15 people at a benefit for the Alabama Green Party
; living in the small folk scene in Birmingham
, they soon befriended Will Oldham
, with whom they went on tour three times. After the last tour with Oldham, in 2002, they moved to Lagunitas, California
, where they claim to have lived in tents and cabins.
, a music festival in England, at the invitation of the Kentucky band Slint
. That same year the band signed with Matador Records
and released their eponymous debut album
, which attracted European attention as well, thanks to their performance at All Tomorrow's Parties; In Belgium
, the album received a positive review as well, in the weekly HUMO
. The New York Times
called it "extraordinary" and praised it for its "mesmerizing, hollowed-out grooves."
In 2008, Matador released BBML's Motion to Rejoin
. The album was recorded in New Mexico
, where the band had moved after leaving Northern California; electricity for the recording sessions was generated by four solar power
panels. Motion to Rejoin received attention in the United States as well as in Europe, with reviews and press coverage in Belgium and Germany. In November 2009, the band also played in Germany.
, and have been organized in various locations in the area, including Big Sur
. Bands and artists invited to play have included harpist Joanna Newsom
, Will Oldham
, and Devendra Banhart
. In 2006, the line-up included Greenwich Village folk veteran Michael Hurley, members of the post-hardcore band Lungfish
, Vetiver
, and Jennifer Herrema
's band RTX.
At an early Quiet Quiet gig in Bolinas, signs appeared at road junctions directing those interested where to go. At the gig itself, held at Smiley's Saloon in Bolinas, locals mixed uneasily with hipsters there for the gig, and Shineywater could be heard repeatedly hushing the crowd so that the unamplified bands could be heard above the saloon din.
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Shineywater from Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and Hughes from just outside of Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
. Shineywater plays electric slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
, and Hughes favors vintage Fender Rhodes
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
pianos; they were accompanied by a varying group of musicians. The band has been "linked to a spirit of folky 1960's revivalism," and they were called a leader in the "freak folk" scene. Praised for their recordings, the band also organized a number of small folk festivals in Northern California.
The band eschewed commercial exposure, having chosen a relatively quiet and luxury-free life—they have lived in cars, tents, converted chicken-coops, and cabins, and have recorded music using solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
. They have released three critically acclaimed albums. They were described as "back-to-the-land idealists and activists" who are influenced by such writers and activists as Edward Abbey
Edward Abbey
Edward Paul Abbey was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. His best-known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental...
, Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier is a Native American activist and member of the American Indian Movement . In 1977 he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for first degree murder in the shooting of two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents during a 1975 conflict on the Pine...
, Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
, Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
, and Carlos Castaneda
Carlos Castaneda
Carlos Castaneda was a Peruvian-born American anthropologist and author....
. Shineywater also cites Ram Dass
Ram Dass
Ram Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book Be Here Now. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem...
, Rachel Grimes, and Hamza El Din
Hamza El Din
Hamza Alaa El Din was a Nubian composer, oud player, tar player, and vocalist.-Early life:Born in the village of Toshka, near Wadi Halfa in southern Egypt, he was originally trained to be an electrical engineer...
.
Rainywood
Shineywater, disappointed with the racial and cultural climate in Birmingham, Alabama, claimed he moved away from Alabama after seeing photographs of Humboldt County, CaliforniaHumboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
, in an issue of National Geographic. He lived in California for a while and when he returned to Alabama reconnected with childhood friend Rachael Hughes. They formed Rainywood, and for the first four years were "a primarily underground--and live--phenomenon," calling themselves Rainywood. Their first show was in Alabama, for 15 people at a benefit for the Alabama Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
; living in the small folk scene in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, they soon befriended Will Oldham
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
, with whom they went on tour three times. After the last tour with Oldham, in 2002, they moved to Lagunitas, California
Lagunitas, California
Lagunitas is an unincorporated community in Marin County, California. It is located southwest of Novato, at an elevation of 217 feet . For census purposes, Lagunitas is aggregated with Forest Knolls into the census-designated place Lagunitas-Forest Knolls.The first post office at Lagunitas opened...
, where they claim to have lived in tents and cabins.
Brightblack
In 2004 they reissued, under the name Brightblack, an album called Ala.Cali.Tucky, on Galaxia Records. The album was well-received, and praised for its vocal harmonies.Brightblack Morning Light
The band began calling itself Brightblack Morning Light in 2005. They gained exposure in Europe by playing at All Tomorrow's PartiesAll Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
, a music festival in England, at the invitation of the Kentucky band Slint
Slint
Slint was an American rock band consisting of Brian McMahan , David Pajo , Britt Walford , Todd Brashear and Ethan Buckler...
. That same year the band signed with Matador Records
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
and released their eponymous debut album
Brightblack Morning Light (album)
Brightblack Morning Light is the second full-length album by Brightblack Morning Light. The album was released on June 20, 2006 by Matador Records...
, which attracted European attention as well, thanks to their performance at All Tomorrow's Parties; In Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the album received a positive review as well, in the weekly HUMO
HUMO
HUMO is a popular Belgian weekly radio and television magazine, written in Dutch.Originally the magazine was titled Humoradio, a portmanteau of 'humor' and 'radio'....
. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called it "extraordinary" and praised it for its "mesmerizing, hollowed-out grooves."
In 2008, Matador released BBML's Motion to Rejoin
Motion to Rejoin
Motion to Rejoin is the third full-length album by Brightblack Morning Light. It was released on September 23, 2008 by Matador Records.- Track listing :# "Introduction" – 0:42# "Hologram Buffalo" – 5:18# "Gathered Years" – 8:00...
. The album was recorded in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where the band had moved after leaving Northern California; electricity for the recording sessions was generated by four solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
panels. Motion to Rejoin received attention in the United States as well as in Europe, with reviews and press coverage in Belgium and Germany. In November 2009, the band also played in Germany.
Quiet Quiet music festivals
The "Quiet Quiet" festivals were first started by Shineywater in 2003 in Bolinas, CaliforniaBolinas, California
Bolinas formerly Juggville is a coastal unincorporated community in Marin County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bolinas is located west-southwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 36 feet...
, and have been organized in various locations in the area, including Big Sur
Big Sur
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...
. Bands and artists invited to play have included harpist Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom is an American harpist, pianist and singer-songwriter from Nevada City, California.- Early life :Newsom grew up in the small town of Nevada City, California...
, Will Oldham
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
, and Devendra Banhart
Devendra Banhart
Devendra Obi Banhart is a singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. He began to study at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, but dropped out to perform music in Europe, San...
. In 2006, the line-up included Greenwich Village folk veteran Michael Hurley, members of the post-hardcore band Lungfish
Lungfish (band)
Lungfish is a post-hardcore band formed in 1987 in Baltimore, Maryland. All of their music has been released by the Washington, D.C. punk label Dischord except for their first LP, Necklace of Heads which was released by Simple Machines .Their line-up as of 2005 consists of Daniel Higgs , Asa...
, Vetiver
Vetiver (band)
Vetiver are an American folk band headed by songwriter Andy Cabic.- History :Cabic was a member of the Greensboro, North Carolina indie rock band The Raymond Brake who released some records on the now defunct Simple Machines label. He formed Vetiver after moving to San Francisco. The band...
, and Jennifer Herrema
Jennifer Herrema
Jennifer Herrema is an American rock music singer, song writer, record producer, artist, and model best known for her work as one half of the influential rock band Royal Trux.-Biography:...
's band RTX.
At an early Quiet Quiet gig in Bolinas, signs appeared at road junctions directing those interested where to go. At the gig itself, held at Smiley's Saloon in Bolinas, locals mixed uneasily with hipsters there for the gig, and Shineywater could be heard repeatedly hushing the crowd so that the unamplified bands could be heard above the saloon din.
Line-up
- Rachael Hughes - keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s - Nathan Shineywater - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
Supporting musicians
- Noah Wilson - drums
- Elias Reitz - percussion
- Otto Hauser - drums
- Andy Macleod - guitar, drums
- Paz Lenchantin - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Gail West - vocals
- Ann McCrary - vocals
- Nico Turner - drums, percussion,
Discography
- Ala.Cali.Tucky (2004, Galaxia)
- Brightblack Morning LightBrightblack Morning Light (album)Brightblack Morning Light is the second full-length album by Brightblack Morning Light. The album was released on June 20, 2006 by Matador Records...
(2006, Matador RecordsMatador RecordsMatador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
) - Motion to RejoinMotion to RejoinMotion to Rejoin is the third full-length album by Brightblack Morning Light. It was released on September 23, 2008 by Matador Records.- Track listing :# "Introduction" – 0:42# "Hologram Buffalo" – 5:18# "Gathered Years" – 8:00...
(2008, Matador Records) - Lungfish/Brightblack Morning Light (2009, Split 7", Harvest Recordings)