Bright Righteous
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2008 | INDIE
Music
Press
While we here in Saskatchewan tend to have some animosity towards Winnipeg, we tend to forget the wealth of musicians that we all love who have come from the prairie city. Neil Young, Randy Bachman, Fred Penner, John K. Samson. Each of them a national treasure, but also an innovator. Neil Young even tried his hand at electronic music. And now The Revival. A Winnipeg band that blends rock and electronic loops and samples in their very own Revival "Style".
Their unique sound comes from the band members love of electronic music, but it somewhat started by accident.
"We got our first synth from a friend of ours. He was moving out of the province and just put a post up and said, 'hey whoever wants this, come pick it up.' So we started fooling around with it. To be honest, we just all listen to so much music, and electronic music has been growing massively, and I actually really enjoy it. And there's so many tools today at your disposal, it's fun to just try things."
Their first EP was an experiment, a test to see if their style could work, and to figure out what their style exactly was.
"The EP is kind of a precursor. I feel like our new sound is more mature. The rock is heavier, the electronic music is heavier. Everything is kind of just beefed up. There was the desire to be heavier. We wanted our live shows to be like that, so we wanted to be congruent. Part of it is playing live shows and seeing what works, and what doesn't, but our biggest thing for a full length album, as opposed to the EP, was the we wanted to have a unified sound. (With) the EP would have a straight funk song, and then a blues song, or a latin song, and so that was us finding our sound. We took the favourites and what worked for us, and we expanded on that for the full length. The full length still has a lot of sounds and styles, but still sounds like one record. We're not the kind of band to write 50 songs in a certain style or structure. We're the kind of band where if we write something good we roll with it, and just drop songs we know won't work. We just make songs that we like."
Both of the bands EP and upcoming full length we recorded at Bedside Studios in Winnipeg, but for the full length the band brought in producer Mike Nash who helped the band flesh out their ideas.
"We played a bunch of songs we had in our roster, and selected twelve we liked the most and thought we could work with, and kind of perfected them. He had a lot of great ideas, and we took some and left some. He helped structure wise. He was like our shepherd, and guided us to the completion of our songs. It was a big learning experience for us to work with him."
The Revival are heading out on a small Western Canada tour as we speak, and will be in Regina this Saturday at the German Club! If you like what you see here, head on our to support live music! - Rage Regina
The headliners [Bright Righteous] came out with a powerful force of electronic beats mixed with a solid hard rock sound, making the crowd interested right off the bat.
They played a 14-track set, including a drum solo and two covers: Wolfmother’s popular decade-old track, “Joker and the Thief,” and Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” — both of which were covered beautifully.
Lead vocalist, Kevin Hogg, was energetic and a joy to watch and listen to from start to finish and filled the set with long, impressive notes and several head bangs and hair flips.
At the end of the loud, energetic show, the crowd seemed pleased, hanging out and buzzing about the show they just watched. The bands made a good impression and the crowd probably would have hung around if the show was an hour longer. - BeatRoute
The headliners [Bright Righteous] came out with a powerful force of electronic beats mixed with a solid hard rock sound, making the crowd interested right off the bat.
They played a 14-track set, including a drum solo and two covers: Wolfmother’s popular decade-old track, “Joker and the Thief,” and Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” — both of which were covered beautifully.
Lead vocalist, Kevin Hogg, was energetic and a joy to watch and listen to from start to finish and filled the set with long, impressive notes and several head bangs and hair flips.
At the end of the loud, energetic show, the crowd seemed pleased, hanging out and buzzing about the show they just watched. The bands made a good impression and the crowd probably would have hung around if the show was an hour longer. - BeatRoute
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
What’s in a name?
When The Revival first united in 2008 to rock Winnipeg’s underground party scene, their name embodied their music – an energizing fusion of past and present, digital and analog. But now, in 2015, that name represents a lot more.
The fivesome – vocalist Kevin Hogg, guitarists Troy Taylor and Andrew Titley, Jay Jensen on bass and synths, and drummer Scott Beattie – is set to make an impactful statement with the release of their debut full-length in 2015 through Pipe & Hat. The songs comprising it will be the first formal taste of new tunes from The Revival in nearly three years, and more significantly, the first since the untimely passing of drummer and founding member Alex Danyliuk.
“We went into the studio at a very emotional time,” says Jensen about the effort. “Things got a lot more serious around then, and that’s definitely reflected in the music. Everything’s a bit darker, a bit heavier, a bit more emotional.” But the sonic shift from lively, lighthearted party bangers to a more focused, forthright rock sound isn’t the only transition born of the tragic circumstances.
Far more significantly, the band came away from the experience more dedicated, more assured that The Revival needed to carry on – and carry the spirit of a fallen friend with them. “It really brought us together as a band,” says Hogg, “and put a lot of things into perspective.” Now, the name means more than ever. It’s the moniker that embodies their newfound musical manifesto.
“Right now,” Hogg affirms, “The Revival is the four of us. This is what we do, and this our sound.” “But the band never would have gotten here without Alex,” Beattie tacks on.
The consistent lyrical theme throughout the effort is one of growth and realizing potential, of keeping optimistic throughout turmoil and maintaining perspective. While they touch on topics like substance abuse and, understandably, mortality, the ultimate attitude isn’t bleak or sombre; instead, it’s uplifting and encouraging.
So despite the circumstances surrounding its assembly, the album is certainly dynamic, with lighter pop songs cohesively interwoven with the edgier, weightier ones. The album was made with Montreal producer Mike Nash, whose diverse resume includes work with everyone from The Stills and the Dears to Voivod and Bran Van 3000.
What it showcases is the newest iteration of The Revival’s unique sonic hybridity, blending bits of electro, new wave, and even some world flavours with a foundation anchored in powerful alt rock. Their fusion of electronic and organic sounds is more seamless, and the songwriting more sophisticated. It’s the same band that packed sweaty partygoers into sold-out Winnipeg clubs years prior, only sharper, sleeker, and ultimately, superior.
And rest assured, The Revival still knows how to command a crowd. “The shows are definitely more dynamic than they’ve ever been,” Clefstad says. “We still have the energetic and upbeat party songs, but we want to deliver a more complete, more epic experience.” And judging by the reception they’ve earned supporting the likes of The Sheepdogs and Nazareth and the attention they’ve garnered at events like JUNO Fest, NXNE, CMW, Mile of Music, and Pennsylvania's Musikfest, “epic” isn’t overreaching.
So what’s in a name? With a bond stronger than ever and a devout determination, this is a band poised to push forward. Reinvigorated and revitalized, The Revival have undergone exactly what their name represents.
Band Members
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