Bern & the Brights: Press

Bern & The Brights charged our studio on Saturday night with soft grooving rhythms, staccato violin and a super tight rhythm section. Bern's voice cuts through the air the same way her lyrics speak to your mind. Laid back harmonies, grooving guitar and a definite ungelating groove makes for an extremely enjoyable and competent performance. Catherine McGowan compliments this groove with her powerful voice and spectacular song writing abilities. Sometimes we here at TonyT's do not know what to expect when bands come in for a show. Needless to say, we were thoroughly impressed at the level of professionalism and energetic devotion this band expressed to their craft. A must see live show for you, and a band that will be back here soon!

Something’s Coming: Bern and the Brights

There’s a indie band in Northern New Jersey that doesn’t have a label. Yet. They’re still at the MySpace stage of life. What they do have is far bettera blooming singer-songwriter at the center of the band, and the moment just in front of them when they come into their own. Their name: Bern and the Brights. Their center: Bernadette Malavarca, a 24 year old songwriter who can scream and whisper, and sing like she knows it in between.



Too often, women who sing trap themselves into trying to be pretty in every part of their range, through every emotion, chorus and verse. Bern does not lock herself in such a tiny space. She does have a lovely, rounded upper register that soars with surprising ease, but she also has contrast. In much of her bluesier work she uses a sing-talking lower register, a masculine side to her voice and to her songwriting that grounds her work in an energy beyond the reach of polished girl-pop or contemplative mezzo-piano folk. Combined with a deft use of machine-gun vibrato and the occasional controlled breathiness, she has an amazing palate of sounds to craft songs with.



I haven’t heard such effortless genre-bending in a long time. Perhaps it’s a credit to her arranging skills, which she says have grown tremendously in the last few years, but her MySpace self-description of ‘Indie/Shoegaze/Blues’ is only the beginning of her reach. She often performs with a violin and two acoustic guitars, but the full band of 5 brings a much more electric sound to many of her songs. I would not go so far as to say ’shoegaze,’ exactly, with that word’s narrow connotations of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and the like, but her often slow-paced, high-fuzz guitar tones certainly do reference the post-rock world in some form. And that’s the fun of listening to Bern and the Brights. She keeps moving around, from one sound to another, but with a self-assured air that belies her youth. Maybe it’s because she’s been performing since she was fifteen.



Bernadette’s next project is an EP called Wartime Lullaby, to be released sometime in November, with an eponymous 7-minute song as the centerpiece. I received an early cut of this song, and it shows Bern branching out, searching to use repetitive lyrical figures to jam-y, hypnotic effect. I’m sure it’ll take us somewhere new.

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Folk is Back - and it's a Girl(s)
So this is not my typical of my more recent musical persuasions, but I read about this Brooklyn based quintet on The Deli NY. and I am really digging the combination of resurrected folk rock and (what I would deem) pseudo new wave, with a just a sprinkle of indie.
Bern & the Brights is able to capture a unique sound without sounding too contrived.
Hints of Bowie, Dylan, Pat Benetar, PJ Harvey (they cite her as a reference) and Karen O (from Yeah Yeah Yeahs) pepper the diversified tracks and create a likable stratification of sound.

Bern & The Brights
I've had the great pleasure of seeing Bern & The Brights 3 times just this past month. The band has been playing extensively this fall season. With the release of their EP, Wartime Lullaby, just this past October, the band enjoys touring and having a break from the studio.

Bernadette Malavarca fronts the band. Her sultry vocals and driving electric guitar riffs add great intensity to the overall sound of the band. Catherine McGowan backs her vocals and plays acoustic guitar. Nicole Scorsone adds another level of mystique with her passionate voilin solos. Shawn Fafara adds a unique groove with his bass playing and Jose Ulloa plays percussion for the band.

Friday November 21st, Bern & The Brights played at Clash Bar in Clifton, New Jersey. Their set consisted of 8 songs. They opened with "Out Of The Haze," a fan favorite! The band also played at Lucky 7's in Jersey City, New Jersey the following day. The bar was packed and everyone really seemed into their music. There was lots of dancing and clapping amongst the audience. On December 6th the band played at Kenny's Castaways in New York City.

While the band has only been frequenting Jersey and New York bars, they've been getting a very good response. Nearly every show 4 or 5 people purchase the EP and tons of other audience members ask to be added to the mailing list.

Here's a video of the song "China"
It only features Bernadette, as it was filmed before the band came about...you can catch the song live at their next show...
December 16th 9:00pm @ Lucky 7's in Jersey City, New Jersey
Enjoy!

Bern & the Brights - take the alternative stylings of PJ Harvey, sprinkled with some Jeff Buckley and garnished with the anthemic overtones of U2 and Coldplay and you might gain some insight into what Bern & the Brights has in store for your ears.

Bern styles: pop vocals, indie pop Others: Tori Amos, P.J. Harvey, Ani Difranco
It's Not You, It's Me Highland Studio/Self-Released
Rating: 4/5 reviewer: wolfman

When it comes to female pop vocals, many will agree that the genre is diluted with a mixture of incredibly talented artists that completely shy away from contemporary status. Such is the case with highly artistic and gifted performers like Tori Amos, Ani Difranco, and P.J. Harvey. Their musical path has seldom changed throughout their careers, yet each one has been able to convey an overabundant passion for the music they create. And frankly, that passion is the reason why they have become so successful throughout the years. Bern is an up-and-coming songster from New Jersey. Much like Tori Amos and P.J. Harvey, her music resonates with passion and enthusiasm. In 2002, Bern released a 4-track demo titled Jazz Blues Street Punk that exemplified her musical strength. Built on slow moving melodies and compassionate musicianship, Bern displayed and unleashed her mesmerizing and attention-grabbing vocals. In fact, the only downfall of the demo was its poor production. Nevertheless, in 2004, Bern has released her debut album, titled It's Not You, It's Me, and what becomes immediately evident is the improved production of the record. With this progress, Bern's vocals desperately, yet effectively become the focus and the center of the record. Her vocals shine and stand out on tracks like "Young and Wise" and "China," two tracks that appear on the previous 4-track demo. But this record improves and develops on tracks like "Under My Skirt," where the accompanied acoustic guitar creates tension and nervousness. Much is the same on the vicious and compelling acoustic romp "Some of Us" and on "In Memory," where the soft and subtle piano reverberates empathy and highlights Bern's trembling voice. The album showcases musical accompaniments that help aid her vocal delivery. Even though a few songs appear slightly unpolished, the record is filled with a tremendous amount of positive energy, exemplified on songs like "Pressure" and "The Great Escape." Bern's debut is a great pop record. Filled with an abundance of melodies and inventive compositions, she has assembled an enjoyable and fulfilling record. Ultimately, what remains true and recognizable from beginning to end of this record is the promising vocal delivery and performance of Bern and her commitment and passion to the music. And at the end of the day, that is what makes this record so fascinating and impressive.