POSTPONED – the concert producer has pulled all shows from the original venue, and is currently working on alternatives. Stay tuned, we'll try to get back to Sundridge soon!
The Brights are no longer performing together.
Please visit the individual artists' webpages: Alyssa Wright Don Bray
To download music or purchase CDs, please visit their store page at Take Note! Promotion
Welcome
What do you get when two well-established singer-songwriters and instrumentalists band together? Alyssa Wright and Don Bray shine together as The Brights. As one musical colleague said: "A little him, a little her, a little them. Much more than the sum of the parts” [Paul Court, Orillia Folk Society].
Roots music, tinged with gospel, country and blues is accompanied by guitar, cello, Hawaiian king, accordion, mandolin, cajon, and whatever new sounds have recently tickled their fancy. With soulful harmonies and sensitive arrangements, The Brights offer original songs in an easy-going, timeless style, equally at home in kitchen party or concert hall.
The Brights released their debut CD, Live Love Dream, in 2009 at Hugh’s Room in Toronto. Live Love Dream is a collection of twelve original tunes (eleven songs and one instrumental), and includes three co-writes that “show the best of both” [Jennifer Ives, music promoter]. The album stays true to their live duo sound, albeit with PATRICK MCPHAIL’s bass and a few harmony and instrumental layers thrown in on the occasional track.
Past performance highlights include Live From the Rock Festival, the Mariposa Folk Festival and BarrieFolk Festival, and Toronto City Roots. On their most recent western tour, JIM SINCLAIR of CASTLEGAR NEWS reviewed them as "a couple of musical powerhouses... charismatic charm... experienced, gifted, original and extremely likeable."On their most recent tour of the Maritimes, Cole Harbour's Rose & Kettle Sessions "extended our concert season to make sure we didn't miss them," and CHIP VEINOTTE, volunteer at the Lunenburg Sessions, declared their performance to be "one of the best Sessions I've ever seen!".
More recently, The Brights participated in a unique collaboration with classical ensemble the Cellar Singers (writing and performing roots songs to mirror Bach Cantatas and other choral works), and made their debut at the Blue Skies Festival. They've also been enjoying and looking forward to more of their favourites – house concerts!
As their fan Robert Rountree exclaimed: “drop everything but your drawers and go see this group!”.
Upcoming Shows
Previous events
Held by the Women & Children's Shelter of Barrie (www.barrieshelter.com)
Doors open at 5pm, Event is 6:00pm-7:00pm
Each year activists from around the world take part in a 16 day global campaign to raise awareness about violence against women. This campaign begins on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and ends on December 10, International Human Rights Day. The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign is recognized globally by over 150 countries, including Canada, and provides an opportunity for activists to work together to draw attention to violence against women worldwide.
Gender-based violence affects all of us, not just women living with abusive partners. It affects women who fear being on the street alone at night or who are reluctant to leave their drinks unattended at a bar. It affects young women who are bombarded by media images which portray them as vulnerable, weak, thin and sexually accessible. It affects young boys who grow up believing that violence is the only way to solve problems and that control over people is a measure of strength. It affects our sisters, daughters, nieces and granddaughters who have to survive in a world where they are confronted with images of male violence and female vulnerability every day of their lives.
Canada has its own grim reminder of violence against women which falls within the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. In the late afternoon of December 6, 1989 a lone gunman walked into École Polytechnique in Montreal and murdered 14 women before killing himself. This was one of the earliest school massacres of such magnitude and the most misogynistic. The women in the college were killed because they were women and for no other reason.
December 6 was declared a National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by the Federal Government in 1991. Those of us working to end gender-based violence, like the Women and Children’s Shelter of Barrie, have commemorated this tragic event in our nation’s history each year since 1989. It’s a sad commentary on our society that twenty-one years after Montreal we still need to be reminded that violence against women exists and that women and children continue to experience abuse in their lives.
Wrapped In Courage Purple Scarves are available to purchase. Please contact:
kaity@barrieshelter.com – 705.728.6300 x228
Private fundraising dinner for NDP Candidate for Scarborough Southwest, Dan Harris. (www.danharris.ndp.ca). With musical performances by Michael Martyn (www.michaelmartyn.ca) and The Brights.
The Brights join Derek Olive (www.derekolive.com) on one of his stops along his Blue Dot Music Cycling Tour.
This summer Derek is out on tour by bicycle in support of the Blue Dot movement (www.bluedot.ca)! The tour will see Derek ride over 3000 km while playing shows across much of the country to promote the David Suzuki Foundation's Blue Dot movement, and of course his new CD Mystery and Dust.
The Blue Dot movement is about recognizing Canadians' right to breathe fresh air, drink clean water and eat healthy food. Simple yet fundamental.
The Brights will be Derek's special guests at Toronto's Free Times Cafe. Tickets are $10, available at the door.
The Brights are among many guests performing at this private, invitation-only festival.
This is a private event, but local friends are invited to contact us for details if they're interested in attending.
An all-night solstice celebration of music, followed by yoga and breakfast in the morning. In a beautiful old barn on a lovely farm property.
Blood and Fire: The Donnelly Project
Orillia Folk Society @ Aladdin Banquet Hall, 1035 Mississaga Street West, Orillia, ON
FridayFolk presents Blood and Fire: The Donnelly Project on Friday, January 30. The concert takes place at Aladdin Banquet Hall, 1035 Mississaga St. W., Orillia, with dinner available before the show. Doors open at 7:00 (or visit Aladdin Restaurant next door if you'd like an earlier meal), showtime is 7:30. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for youth ages 16 and under, available at the door.
The Donnelly Project started as Paul Court's response to the Steve Earle song "Justice In Ontario" -- he began to reflect on different perspectives on the story and events that took place in the 1800s in Ontario. Paul was considering a way to present the songs in performance when Susan Charters, a former band-mate of Paul's, and a storyteller, offered to collaborate on linking the songs with stories to present The Donnelly Project in a concert setting. Their efforts resulted in a variety of performances and the recordings in 2007 for the live CD - "Blood and Fire: The Donnelly Project". Both the show and CD are intended to draw you into the story, let you hear the voices that are willing to speak, revealing or hiding what they wish, and letting you form you own opinion, as so many have, about the brutal events of February 1880 in that small Ontario Township.
Paul and Susan will be joined by the musicians from the "original cast" of the recording: Don Bray (mandolin, guitar, lap slide, vocals), Alyssa Wright (cello, vocals), Jennifer Ives (vocals) and Carol Teal (vocals).
$15 Adult, $7 Youth aged 16 and under Age limit: All ages
"A Man Called Wrycraft" presents "50 Ways to Love Paul Simon", featuring The Brights, Brian MacMillan, Darcy Windover, Sharbat, The Marrieds, Eh440, Rich Brown & Friends, plus one more artist T.B.A., and your host, Michael Wrycraft.
Hugh's Room is at 2261 Dundas St. W., Toronto. Doors open and fine dining begins 6:00 pm onwards, show starts at 8:30. Call (416) 531-6604 to reserve your seat ($25 advance, $30 at the door, HST included).
$25 advance, $30 at the door (HST included)
The Brights perform a showcase-in-the-round with Amanda Rheaume and James Keelaghan at Folk Music Ontario's "Babes4Breasts" Showcase room, 340. Open to conference registrants only -- visit www.folkmusicontario.ca for conference registration and details.
Free - must be registered for evening of conference
The Brights perform a showcase-in-the-round with Kirsten Jones and Peter Katz at Folk Music Ontario's "Babes4Breasts" Showcase room, 340. Open to conference registrants only -- visit www.folkmusicontario.ca for conference registration and details.
Free - must be registered for evening of conference
The Brights are among many guests performing at this private, invitation-only festival.
We're sorry to announce that this show – and the house concert series – has been cancelled.
FREEWHEELING 20th anniversary/1000 show!! 9.30 till 1pm "LIVE" with Fourwarned, The Acoustics, Sarah Beatty, Rae Billing, Allison Lupton Band w/Ian Bell, Edgar Breau, Dawn & Marra, Kim & Frank Koren, Wayne Krawchuk, the Ludgates, Mark McNeil, Ariel Rogers & Scott C. Smith, Steve Sinnicks, Brown Ale, Crabtree & Mills, Cindy Dell, Wendell Ferguson, Hotcha, Lynn Jackson, Richard Knechtal, Paul Langille, Donna Creighton, David Leask, Gathering Sparks (Eve Goldberg-Sam Turton-Jane Lewis), Tannis Slimmon, Ed Vandendool, Caroline Wiles, Laura Bird, The Brights, Linda McRae, and End of the Road featuring John Prince!!!
Roots duo The Brights will be kicking off Broadway Music Orangeville's Winter Concert Series on Saturday, February 15, at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $20, and can be reserved by calling Broadway Music at (519) 940-4810, visiting the store at 232 Broadway, or e-mailing broadway@bellnet.ca As one ticket-holder said, "This would certainly be a lovely way to celebrate Valentine's Day weekend!" -- and in keeping with that sentiment, proceeds from refreshment sales will be donated to HAI Ontario which holds love, intimacy and sexuality workshops at the nearby Ecology Retreat Centre.
$20 Age limit: All ages
The Brights make a special Valentine's Day appearance on Rogers Daytime Barrie.
Show repeats at 4pm, 11pm and 4am.
The Brights will be presenting a 25-minute showcase at the Folk Music Ontario Conference late Friday / wee-hours-of-Saturday at 1:00am. Please join us in the Starlight Room, #303, along with some of our other musical friends.
Starlight, StarBright -- you just KNOW we had to say it! :)
The Brights make their Sault Ste. Marie debut in an intimate house concert. Call (705) 256-2908 or email david.zub@bell.net to reserve your space.
The Brights make their Pass Lake debut at Beyond the Giant.
Pulled pork potluck dinner at 6:00 -- guests bring side dishes to contribute. Music to follow at 8:00.
Contact Brenda or Bruce at btgnatureretreats@tbaytel.net for directions and reservations.
The Brights make their Blue Skies debut.
Age limit: All ages