Welcome to the home of The Brights!

(Our web fairies are working hard to finish designing this site, but here is some basic information for you, in the meantime. Please come back soon!)

Upcoming Shows Friday, June 13 — Lunenburg, NS House Concert, 8:00 pm $10, call 640-2892 or rwardern@eastlink.ca for reservations and directions Saturday, June 14 — Great Village, NS Field House Productions, 2:00 pm (potluck picnic starts at noon) $15, or $25 couples call Hugh at 802-7454 or Becky at 435-9799 or email hbray@ns.sympatico.ca for reservations and directions Sunday, June 15 — Halifax, NS Wired Monk, 3:00 pm 5147 Morris St. Dad doesn’t need another necktie, take him out for a Father’s Day afternoon of great music and great food instead! $TBA, contact Lisa at 422-2219 or lisa@wiredmonk.com for details and directions Monday, June 16 — Liverpool, NS The Mersey House, 8:00 pm 149 Main St. $5 cover, contact 354-4000 or merseyhouse@hotmail.com for reservations

     The Brights is an exciting new duo formed by two established singer-songwriters and well-respected instrumentalists, Don Bray and Alyssa Wright. Roots music, tinged with gospel, country and blues is accompanied by guitar, cello, dobro, accordion, mandolin, and whatever new sounds have recently tickled their fancy. With soulful harmonies and sensitive arrangements, The Brights present original songs and old classics in an easy-going, timeless style, equally at home in kitchen party or concert hall.

     Renowned for his “brilliant guitar style” and “extraordinary talent” [Dave MacMillan, Mariposa Folk Festival], Don Bray has impressed audiences from Toronto’s Hugh’s Room to the Tuscon Folk Festival with his finely-crafted songs and high-spirited performances. A decorated firefighter, Don’s performance of his song Burning in the Streets was the inspiration for the CD compilation Tears of a Thousand Years, which raised several thousand dollars for the Red Cross and Salvation Army in the wake of the September 11th attacks. His CD, Chosen, was hailed by Sing Out! as “a warm collection of finely-crafted songs and high-spirited performances. He’s a thoughtful writer of tales and character sketches that are at once modern and timeless, as are these rhythmic, folk-based, acoustic arrangements based around his strong guitar playing and unpretentious singing.” Don's most recent CD, taxi moon & I, was released in April at Hugh's Room in Toronto. With songs ranging from the heartfelt to the humorous, Don presents images and characters that sweep us in to his vivid imagination, passion for life and compassion for his fellow man. “…A keen observer of the human condition with sensitivity and wit. A brilliant songwriter … poetry married to an unsurpassed guitar style … lyrics clear as water.” [David Francey, singer-songwriter]

     Cellist and singer-songwriter Alyssa Wright is known for her “passionate style” [David Newland, performer], and “highly lyrical … spellbinding” performances [John Burge, composer]. A multi-genred multi-instrumentalist, she combines the soul of jazz with the technical facility of her classical training, weaving aspects of her extensive and diverse musical background to create her distinctive style. Her rich, arresting contralto can be fiercely powerful one moment, sweet and soothing the next – “the best thing in a woman’s voice since Ruthie Foster or Serena Ryder” [David Zub, singer-songwriter]. Alyssa’s vast musical knowledge and experience, trademark tone (“dark and sweet, like bitter chocolate” [Nick Naffin, guitarist]) and innate musicality have made her one of Ontario’s most popular session and studio cellists, performing at such venues as Massey Hall, the Banff Centre for the Arts, Molson Amphitheatre, and Harbourfront Centre. Emerging into the frontlines, this “ballsy” [Richard Flohil, promoter] and “fearless” [Holmes Hooke, Hugh’s Room] artist released her debut solo CD, Dark Waters, to a full house at Hugh’s Room in 2007. She has performed at the Live from the Rock Festival, Eaglewood Folk Festival, BarrieFolk, and in concert throughout Ontario and the Maritimes.

     Together, Don Bray and Alyssa Wright have shared their musical stylings and playful banter with audiences at the Orillia and Newmarket Folk Societies, Museum on the Boyne, Sunflower Studios, and a variety of house concerts around Ontario.

     The Brights are currently recording their debut CD, and are looking forward to bringing it to audiences throughout Canada in 2008.

EPK materials available here

Contact: thebrights@takenotepromotion.com

Phone: (705) 259-0157, (416) 333-5197 or 1-866-348-0310

Mail: 210 Mary St., Orillia ON, L3V 3E6