Sunshine Symphony
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014
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Sunshine Symphony
www.sunshinesymphony.com
Formerly the lead singers for She Said Sunday, Ricky Bell and Christine Bainbridge recently got together with guitarist Pete Johann, bassist Tim Kerrigan and Ian Frey on drums to form the fun Sunshine Symphony. Harmonic vocals and strong musicianship is what this band is all about. If a song has good recognition, great harmonies and gets fans up and dancing, then Sunshine Symphony will play it. With a melody-driven set list, including songs from such diverse artists as Bruno Mars, Keith Urban and Bon Jovi, you know the band puts on an all-out show. - CBS 3 Philly, Susan DeFeo
Live performance featured on the CW Philly. - CW Philadelphia
Looking for some free outdoor entertainment?
Forks Township Parks and Recreation will host a free concert series this summer.
The "Sounds of Summer" series will take place from 6:30-9 p.m. on Wednesday nights at the Forks Township Community Park Amphitheater, according to a news release. The shows are sponsored by Merchants Bank.
Because of rain Wednesday, the first concert will be at 6:30 tonight. 3 West, an acoustic pop and country duo, will perform.
Full schedule of events:
July 2: Desire
July 9: Sunshine Symphony
July 23: Zydeco-A-Go-Go
Aug. 13: Inch and the Echoes
Aug. 20: Sarah Ayers Band
The rain dates for all concerts will be the Thursday following the scheduled show date.
For more information about the concert series, visit forkstownship.org/recreation or contact Rachel Sulzbach, director of parks and recreation, at 610-252-0785, ext. 165. - Rebecca Bullis, The Express Times
Sunshine Symphony at The Barristers Club in Allentown Pa.
Friday February 21st,2014
Sunshine Symphony band members:
Christine Bainbridge (Vocals and Keyboards),Ricky Bell( Vocals and Guitar),Ian Frey (Drums),Pete Johann (Guitars and Vocals),Tim Kerrigan (Bass Guitar)
The band was assembled with in the last 2 months.This show was the debut show for them, however, if you did not know that this was their first show you couldn't tell. The band worked well together. The vocals were split between Ricky & Christine there was several songs were they shared vocals. One of the fan favorite songs was one of the ones that they both shared and that was Paradise by the Dashboard light by Meatloaf It is a perfect fit for these two they have perfect Chemistry in this song.(see video below)
Stage Show
Did they use the whole stage?
Yes they did weather it was Christine singing Ricky singing or Ricky playing his guitar they moved around as much as possible. They even moved the cow bell out to center stage during Love Shack.
Did they get off stage?
No but due to the stage height this really wasn't a choice.
The band energy was up from the word go and they kept it up for the show.
Music
The variety of music they played ranged from It's Raining Men to Paradise by the Dashboard Light to Blurred Lines to Locked Out of Heaven and just about ever time frame between was covered, including what they called their anthem "Walking on Sunshine". The crowd seem to really feel the music and get into the songs.
Band energy
Did they Hit the stage hard and fast?
They started the night off by having Ian,Pete and Tim showcase their instruments before having Christine join in on the keys followed a moment or to later by Ricky coming out and intruding the band then kicked off the show.
Can you get the crowd into it and keep them moving?
The crowd seemed to be really into the band in the first set although they were not on the dance floor, however they were doing quite a bit of dancing by the tables and in their seats, this includes the people up in the balcony. By the end of the first set and the majority of the second set they filled the dance floor with a decent amount of people dancing til the end of the night. They even had the fans wanting the more when they were done, so they went back on and performed another so that the crowd was really into After Ricky made a brief joke about playing Puff The Magic Dragon.
Can they keep them moving? yes
Did they give 100%? Yes they did
Band interaction:
They introduced the members of the band several times. They interacted with the crowd by talking to them a lot during the sets. They spent the set break and after the show talking to their fans. They thanked everyone for coming out several times including thank some of the people that they knew by name. They joked around with each other between songs.
Crowd response/Energy:
The crowd had a wonderful response to the band once they started on the dance floor they did not wan tot stop dancing. Including starring at the band for an encore song.
Crowd interaction:
Since the stage was high they really couldn't get off the stage but they interacted with the crowd often by talking to the crowd and cracking jokes about stuff.
Dance Floor:
Did they get people on the dance floor at least a few during the show?
Yes they did!
Technical:
Everything seemed technically good.
Sunshine Symphony is an Excellent band with a wonderful and bright future in front of them we would recommend that you go check them out sometime.
Check them out online:
https://www.facebook.com/sunshinesymphony
https://twitter.com/SunshineSymph
http://sunshinesymphony.com/
Paradise preview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIcig3Jvy1Y - A Valley and Beyond - Blog
New cover band features award-winning Lehigh Valley performers.
Former lead singers of award-winning Lehigh Valley cover band She Said Sunday, Christine Bainbridge and Ricky Bell make their debut performance with new group “Sunshine Symphony” this Friday, February 21st at The Barrister’s Club in Allentown.
Bainbridge was the recipient of the Lehigh Valley Music Awards Tonya Brown Award for Best Female Vocalist in 2009 and 2010, and nine other awards with former band She Said Sunday. Bell’s original song, Shallow, won him a WZZO Songwriting Contest in 2002, which Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull performed on stage with Bell at the State Theater in Easton. Bell then won the Lehigh Valley Acoustic Performers Contest in 2005, and went on to host the contest from 2007-2012.
“Together, we plan on bringing a vocally strong, harmonic yet musically diverse performance,“ Bainbridge explained. The two find common musical ground in their love of melody-driven pop, country and rock music like Bruno Mars, Bon Jovi, and Keith Urban – all featured on Sunshine Symphony’s set lists. “Anything goes musically with Sunshine Symphony. If it’s got good harmonies, it’s recognizable and danceable, it’s something we’ll play,” Bainbridge adds. “We’ve got an amazing rhythm section and our set lists include songs that really groove.”
Sunshine Symphony consists of Bainbridge and Bell, plus drummer Ian Frey, bassist Tim Kerrigan and guitarist Peter Johann. Frey, a graduate of Lehigh University with a B.S. in Music Composition, has been performing with Bell for almost a decade as part of an acoustic duo. Kerrigan is an accomplished bassist who has played in funk, bluegrass, rock, jam and blues bands in California and in Pennsylvania. Johann fronts his own cover/originals band, The Peter Johann Band, and has a background in jazz theory and bluegrass as well, and has been nominated for several Lehigh Valley Music Awards as well.
“With such a diverse blend of musicians, we’re really excited to see what type of musical ground Sunshine Symphony will cover,” Bell says. “When we came up with the name, it means ‘happy music’ to us. That’s really what we want to play.”
Sunshine Symphony’s debut performance takes place Friday, February 21st, 2014 at The Barrister’s Club, 1114 West Walnut Street in Allentown. The show is from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available for advance purchase by phone at 610-433-6204 x19 or at the door.
- See more at: http://lehigh.happeningmag.com/sunshine-symphony#sthash.7j2FGDFq.dpuf - Lehigh Happening
Residence: Lehigh Valley
Members: Christine Bainbridge (vocals, keyboard); Ricky Bell (guitar); Tim Kerrigan (bass); Pete Johann (guitar and vocals); Ian Frey (drums)
Website: sunshinesymphony.com
Influences: The group's influences include jazz, R&B, '70s funk, rock and pop.
Sounds like: "We've got a cool vibe, adding a funky element to the typical cover band set list," Bainbridge says.
Set list: "We'll basically play anything as long as it has a groove to it," Bainbridge says.
Their selection of cover tunes include songs by The Commodores, Meat Loaf, OneRepublic and Michael Jackson, among others.
"We mostly just try to focus on playing happy songs from any era," Bainbridge says. "Things that make people forget about bad things in their lives and come out and have a good time."
Know their roots: Bainbridge and Bell -- both veterans of the Lehigh Valley music circuit -- formed Sunshine Symphony in January following their departure from cover band She Said Sunday.
The duo added Johann and then brought Kerrigan and Frey on board to round out the lineup.
Bainbridge says each member brought enough experience with them that it did not take long for their chemistry to click. Bainbridge says Johann's background in jazz and music theory and Kerrigan's love of 1970s funk have added a different dynamic compared to her and Bell's previous band.
"It's got more of a groove to it," she says. "We've got a really solid rhythm section. We still want to get people up there and dancing."
Catch them if you can: Sunshine Symphony makes their debut 7 tonight at The Barrister's Club in Allentown. - Express-Times
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
The sun always rises. Sunshine Symphony is no exception. Formed after a long-time Lehigh Valley cover band went their separate ways, lead singers Christine Bainbridge and Ricky Bell decided to move in their own direction, to form a cover band that combined an exciting and fresh variety of songs with highly skilled, experienced musicians and performers who love their craft. With an emphasis on tight rhythms and multi-part harmonies, Sunshine Symphony aims to get you on the dance floor, singing and dancing along.
Christine Bainbridge has been performing since childhood, but didn't join a band until she moved to the Lehigh Valley in 2004, starting 80s cover band Rubik & The Cubes, who opened for Eddie Money and Flock of Seagulls during their short reign. Some of those former members became her bandmates in She Said Sunday, where she had the honors of playing at Mayfair. Musikfest and Oktoberfest festivals in the Lehigh Valley, the Runner's World Festival, Chowderfest in Long Beach Island, NJ, Rehoboth Beach Bandstand, in Rehoboth Beach, DE, and many more venues for thousands of enthusiastic audiences. As lead vocalist for She Said Sunday, she was awarded the Lehigh Valley Music Award (LVMA) for Best Female Vocalist award in two consecutive years. They were also named Best Cover Band and Most Entertaining Band in the LVMAs two years in a row.
Ricky Bell has many notable achievements in the Lehigh Valley Music scene. He played guitar, bass, keyboard, drums and sang in several cover bands locally and in State College, PA, then returned home in 2002 to pursue performing his original music. He won a WZZO Songwriting contest in 2002 that saw him perfoming his own song on stage with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. In 2005, he won the Lehigh Valley Acoustic Performers Contest which he went on to host in 2007 - 2012. He's opened for Styx, REO Speedwagon, Kansas, Blue Oyster Cult, Dokken and The Tubes. Through his various musical endeavors, he has played Mayfair, Musikfest, Oktoberfest, Thunder Bay Blues Festival and more. Ricky joined She Said Sunday in the Summer of 2011, and helped propel the band toward regional recognition.
Kyle Campbell began playing guitar and writing songs at the age of 12. A Philadelphia based singer-songwriter, originally from Nazareth, Pa, Kyle is two-time winner of WZZO’s Backyard Bands competition, has written songs for television, movies and other prominent recording artists, released over a dozen original records, and has toured extensively throughout the US and Asia. Most recently Kyle served as guitar-player and vocalist for a modern country artist performing at the Susquehanna Bank Center as part of WXTU’s Anniversary Show. When not involved in music Kyle, is a golf, bourbon and travel enthusiast.
Ian Frey has a Bachelor's Degree in Music from Lehigh University and played drums in the original music bands The Dagwoods and The Kathy Lee Sweatshop Boys. Sharing his love and passion for percussion with his students, Ian taught drum lessons for years in the Lehigh Valley. Currently, he has played the cajon and electronic percussion with the Ricky Bell and Ian Frey duo and for almost 8 years. He has also played cajon and hand drums with local acoustic trio Red for about 8 years as well. If you bring him bacon, he'll be your friend for life.
Tim Kerrigan started his musical journey on trombone at age 10. By age 14 he discovered the instrument that would become his main passion - the electric bass. This discovery was partially due to the opening credits of 'The Barney Miller Show' and Pink Floyd's 'Money'. Since then, he has performed and recorded with many professional artists and award winning bands across the country. A native New Jersey, Tim spent 16 years in California, playing with bands Grampas Grass, Hope Child, Displaced Peoples and The Bud Jones Band, who shared the stage with the likes of Dark Star Orchestra, Cheap Trick, Manowar, Keller Williams, and Tim Reynolds. After 16 years in California, Tim returned to the east coast and now calls Bethlehem, Pennsylvania his home.
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