The Bright Light Social Hour

The Bright Light Social Hour is an American rock band from Austin, Texas. Born out of a university art-rock collective, The Bright Light Social Hour has evolved into an unabashedly wide-screen rock group, melding fists-up rock and roll with muscular funk, soul, and psychedelia. The band recently swept the 29th Annual Austin Music Awards during SXSW 2011 with an unprecedented 6 wins, including Band of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year ("Detroit"). The Central Texas-raised young men of The Bright Light Social Hour have built their growing reputation through exhilarating widely-acclaimed live shows, including the 2009 Austin City Limits Festival. In culmination of their studied development, the band released their debut full-length album in late 2010, simply titled "The Bright Light Social Hour". Recorded in five studios around Austin during summer 2010, the album is founded on sun-drenched optimism, raucous youth, and an innovative brew of American music of varying types - hard rock and roll, indie, rhythm and blues, dance and soul. Producer Danny Reisch of Good Danny's utilized the best elements of vintage and modern recording to achieve a sound both forward-looking and evocative of 1970s hi-fi. The first track, "Shanty," pairs southern rock with hard disco, featuring the searing slide licks of guitarist Curtis Roush. Following the lean, exuberant stomp of "Bare Hands Bare Feet," the band settles into the dark psychedelic-funk of "La Piedra De La Iguana," led by keyboardist A.J. Vincent's dusky vocal and Farfisa organ work. Throughout the middle of the record, the solemn rhythm and blues of "Detroit" is juxtaposed with "Back And Forth," a four-on-the-floor disco-funk romp. On "Garden Of The Gods," the album's penultimate 10-minute epic, the band evolves from stately ballroom Americana to an expansive, ensemble anthem, conjuring up their limber and unrelenting live sets. The fiery "Rhubarb Jam" closes out the record, featuring the agile, booming funk of bassist Jack O'Brien and drummer Joseph Mirasole. The Bright Light Social Hour have also just released "New Year's Live," a 4-track live EP recorded during their sold-out set at The Parish Austin on New Year's 2011. Re-teaming with producer/engineer Danny Reisch, "New Year's Live" marks the first audio recording to capture the band's raw live energy, consummated with masterfully directed live video by Hussain Pirani. The Bright Light Social Hour will be touring nationwide in support of their debut album and live EP throughout 2011. Replete with their vital sound, deep brotherhood, and ever-growing facial hair, the band is steadfast in their singular aim - enduring rock and roll. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.