Wildflowers- Smokey Brights by Smokey Brights
There’s an interesting little niche scene developing in local music and it combines some unlikely musical bedfellows. The burgeoning scene, which shall remain nameless because I’m not one to go creating names for things, includes musicians who marry R&B, pop, Americana and even in some cases a little bit of soul. A few artists wrapped up in this tiny scene-within-a-scene are Guerrilla Candy’s pals Hot Bodies in Motion, the talented Allen Stone and fledgling band Smokey Brights.
Smokey Brights includes Ryan Devlin (The Whore Moans, Hounds of the Wild Hunt), guitarist Mike Kalnoky (What What Now, Thunderbird Motel), and the drum and bass duo of Nick Krivchenia and James Vermillion (Armed With Legs, Kill Kill Orchestra). With those musicians involved you’d expect loud guitars, screamy vocals and punk rock abrasiveness. After all Devlin is responsible in part for songs like “Holy Fucking Moment” and “White Noise Melody” and you don’t necessarily file What What Now and Kill Kill Orchestra in the easy listening category.
So instead of getting together to do more of the same, these four musicians create music that, well, marries R&B, pop, and Americanal. It’s a refreshing change of pace and Smokey Brights is definitely a local band worth paying attention to and seeking out.
The group recently released its first album, Can’t Rightly Say, and you can give it a spin on their Bandcamp page. Check out the track “Wildflowers” above to get a feel for Smokey Brights. It’s guaranteed to make your ears happy.
The band celebrates the release of its debut with a show at the Tractor Tavern tonight. Also on the bill are The Hoard and the Harem and The Soft Hills. ($7, 9 p.m.)
