Press Kit

Brightshine redefines improvisational rock by focusing on strong songs and arrangements, creating an irresistible style that is syncopated, ethereal, and rocking. Brightshine has emerged from the pandemic with an incredible batch of new songs. These songs come to life on their new release, The Wire. The Wire was recorded live with minimal overdubs and fully realizes the vision of Brightshine as a collective of improvisational musicians interpreting Pete Sawyer’s stylistically diverse compositions…

Following the release of their hope-filled single “New Days,” Brightshine, the California-based improvisational rock quartet, has released their sophomore album The Wire. Written during the height of the pandemic, the album is a poignant and emotional piece that serves as an intriguing follow-up to their first LP Shadows in the Sky.

The Wire includes a stunning range of emotions in every song, with standouts like “New Days” serving as a hopeful message of new possibilities even in the midst of chaos. Others such as “Until We Fall” stand as thought-provoking ballads inspired by the isolation imposed by COVID-19 and the impact that had on the band’s singer, songwriter, producer, and lead guitarist Pete Sawyer. And, boasting a Zeppelin-like groove, Brightshine’s newest single “Arrow In The Dark” leaves listeners feeling seen, no matter what may be going on in the world around them.  —jambase.com 7/25/22

“The evening began with a winning set of emotionally and melodically rich songs from Brightshine, celebrating the release of their timely, all-the-feels, born from pandemic isolation song cycle The Wire. The studio album is a classic grower, a set that fully opens up with time. Thankfully, the material, like earlier Brightshine, is easy to like right away. A few kindred spirits that sprang to mind during their Kuumbwa set were Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (sans overt quirkiness), beloved Santa Cruz ancestors The Call, and Dire Straits, who Brightshine channeled nicely on a swell cover of “Sultans of Swing.” Brightshine is a collection of very talented musicians pouring themselves into strong originals and well-picked covers (“Up On Cripple Creek” received a hopping run through late in the set). At times, Brightshine recalled the aforementioned Straits and Paul Simon’s One Trick Pony band but inflected by something distinctly Coastal Californian, a lightness of touch and welcoming shafts of light. Only two albums in and Celso Alberti (drums), Maria Caycedo (vocals), Murph Murphy (bass), Paul Rustigian (keys), and Sawyer (guitar, vocals) are an ensemble to clock as they evolve. “

—Dennis Cook- Editor Emeritus, Jambase

“Listening to the music on Brightshine’s new album the Wire, I am reminded that we are all wiser when we are dreaming.  In the title track, The Wire, we find crack musicians and the uplifting vocals of Pete Sawyer and company, leading us hauntingly, lyrically, as if in a dream of heavenly desire fueled by Pete’s crystalline guitar solos. All is enhanced by a transportingly good band.  In New Days, we “wheel and keel into the storm” and that feeling becomes real as we discover a new hope for the future and remember that everything turns on being with the ones we love. A luminous musical experience.”

—Sandy Miranda, KPFA (Berkeley, CA) DJ, Voting member of NARAS (The Grammys)

“Accompanied by a sweetly optimistic music video, Brightshine’s single, "New Days," hits like a bouncy mid-level rocker with an afterburn that takes off in a jet plane during the guitar solo. Slashing through with psychedelic strokes like The War on Drugs meets Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler and Warren Haynes, Brightshine’s lead man/guitarist Pete Sawyer’s fretwork takes “New Days” to another stratosphere in its quest and pursuit for… hope, to describe it in a word. “ — Chris Hedden, onthebackedgeofthebeat.com

Bio:

California-based quartet Brightshine redefines improvisational rock by focussing on strong songs and arrangements, creating an irresistible style that is syncopated, ethereal and rocking.

Founded in 2019, Brightshine is led by songwriter, singer, producer, and lead guitarist and Pete Sawyer, who brings his extensive experience in the Northern California music scene into Brightshine, which features Celso Alberti (Steve Winwood), Eric Levy (Night Ranger), Paul Rustigian (Freestone Peaches), Murph Murphy (Poor Man’s Whiskey) and Maria Caycedo (Verisimo Opera Company)..  

Instantly discovering fluid chemistry and camaraderie with one another upon their union, Brightshine began the process of recording their first album “Shadows in the Sky,”  creating a foundation for a cohesive and creative band that was ready to test the waters with a tour through their home state. With the rise of COVID-19 quickly bringing shows to a stop, Sawyer turned to writing once again and discovered an abundance of new material within. “After a few weeks of acclimating to the ‘new normal’ I found that without planning gigs, rehearsals etc., songs started appearing, and soon I was writing one after another with a frequency I hadn’t seen since I first started writing 20 years ago. This rebirth also featured songs that were more uptempo, rocking and complex than the songs on ‘Shadows In The Sky,’” he explains.

Set for release on July 23rd, Brightshine’s upcoming sophomore album “The Wire” was born out of quarantine, a period that proved to be creatively fruitful for the band. During this time, their funky style incorporated energizing rock-based sounds.  Brightshine’s expressive playing, and scintillating, deeply musical improvisations showcase Sawyers' stylistically diverse compositions and feature unusual and masterfully executed harmonic structures that are adorned with deep, multi-layered lyrics. WIth most of the album recorded live off the floor of the studio, the group’s excitement in being able to play again after quarantine explodes out of the deep grooves kicked out by the band, while their innovative expansive sound plays like every note they hit is their last. 

With album art designed by Hugh Syme (Rush, Aerosmith) that is every bit as original, inventive and thought provoking as the music within, The Wire is an amazing package that will surely earn a spot on the shelf among your favorite albums.