With a sound influenced by Sly & The Family Stone, The Allman Brothers, Daft Punk and Muddy Waters, Austin's Bright Light Social Hour has become one of the city's most prominent party bands. Imagine Foxy Shazam with a case of the funkys or the aforementioned Allmans after way too much coffee and booze, as if too much of either would be a bad thing.
Friday night, the band opens for the Heartless Bastards on Warehouse Live's studio stage, They are still largely touring behind last year's self-titled debut, which we spent a torrid weekend with in our car stereo. It's fun, surprising stuff that settles into a groove over a few minutes and sucks you in.
"We tracked the drums and bass to two-inch tape at Cacophony Recorders in Austin, then recorded most of the guitars, keys and vocals at our producer Danny Reisch's home studio, Good Danny's. We recorded out of a few other Austin studios in order to get Hammond B3 organ and grand piano. It was a good time, which I think comes through," the band says.
Summer is easily the band's favorite season, what with the time spent time by the water and the partially-clothed women. BLSH doesn't plan on totally vegging out this summer and taking in the physical sights though.
"We plan to spend most of the summer writing in Austin, then [get] back on the road during the later part of the year. We hope to get back in the studio as soon as we can after that," they say.
We asked these gentlemen, who are very moustache-friendly, what some of their favorite songs are to get ready for the long, hot Texas summer ahead of us. From Red Hot Chili Peppers to the Rolling Stones, the Bright Light boys know what's up.
Alan Braxe, "In Love With You":
"One of our favorite summertime road songs."
Rick James, "Mary Jane":
"Duh!"
Washed Out, "Eyes Be Closed":
"Beach. Tank tops. Ocean. Babes."
Neon Indian, "Deadbeat Summer":
"Double duh!!"
Martha & The Vandellas, "Dancing in the Street":
"Sounds like a bunch of kids playing in a broken fire hydrant."
Toro Y Moi, "Minors":
"Our drummer Jo used to DJ this song a ton in his sets last summer. Reminds of good-time summer nights."
War, "Cisco Kid"
"Great for driving around in an old neighborhood in a sweaty car, which we've done a lot of to this song."
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Walkabout":
"Great for walking around barefoot in the city and soakin' in the sun."
ZZ Top "Hot, Blue And Righteous":
"Summer evening on a porch, sippin' on some iced tea."
The Rolling Stones, "Can't You Hear Me Knocking":
"This is our jam for driving to Barton Springs, the natural Austin springs where we spend our summer days, babe-watching and songwriting."
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