By Deborah J. Draisin
Bern & The Brights will be
at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park this Friday,
May 22.
Bern & the Brights are Bernadette (“Bern”)
Malavarca on lead guitar and vocals, Catherine
McGowan on acoustic guitar and vocals, Nicole
Scorsone on violin, Shawn Fafara on bass and
Jose Ulloa on drums. Formed in Montclair,
New Jersey in mid-2008, the band has been
referred as “a female-fronted Radiohead.”
They released their first EP, “Wartime
Lullabye” in October of that same year.
Accolades include a win for Emerging Artist
of Year 2008 at thedelimagazine.com, a write-up
at pioneertimeswpu.com, and a nomination for
the Hoboken Music Awards. They also did a
spot on tonytradio.com and opened up for Butch
Walker at Webster Hall on March 14.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Catherine
after watching a rowdy set at their favorite
haunt, Tierney’s Tavern in Montclair,
where it all began just about one year ago
for this band.
Q: The last time we spoke, we discussed
the reality that when people see a female-fronted
anything, they often ask how it feels to be
a woman competing in a “man’s
world.” As a band that combines both
elements, do you feel that that actually gives
you an edge over the good ol' boys club attitude
in music?
Catherine: It is true that the majority of
bands who we share the bill with are boys,
but we're friends with many of them - and
we've managed to build solid friendships to
boot. We feel inspired all the time by them.
We haven't set out to prove anything other
than to share what we do musically, and so
far, we've had some wonderful responses.
Q: Having a steady gig as you do,
what do you do to keep things fresh while
still honoring the old standbys?
Catherine: We're always working on songs,
whether they are old or new for the band.
We try to rearrange our growing list of songs
(and in various versions) and we manage to
sneak in a new one every now and again.
Q: You're about to play at the infamous
Stone Pony for the first time - congratulations!
Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for
that show? Are you confident that you will
be able to win over a new local crowd?
Catherine: We've been building our fan base
one by one at all of our shows - be they open-mics
or your local dive bar; we even performed
recently at Webster Hall! All we can aim toward
is performing the best we can: filled with
energy, and if one person finds what we do
inspiring or exciting, we're deeply grateful
for it and we're happy to meet them and tell
them so!
Q: Most impressive collaboration
you’ve come up with to date, and does
it change and grow every time?
Catherine: Most impressive collaboration?
Our band! It (that inspiring feeling) does
grow every time.
Q: Everyone in this band is so multi-talented
- what do you make of one-trick ponies in
the industry (i.e. singers who can't play
or write?)
Catherine: We all have our talents, strengths
and weaknesses in life - it's simply what
you do with them. We're always trying to maximize
what we all do best, and that often requires
putting the ego aside.
Q: Does anyone have an annoying habit
that you'd like to take this opportunity to
bring to their attention right now?
Catherine: We use a healthy dose of wit and
sarcasm to point out one anothers’ quirks,
etc. You'll just have to get to know us better
to find out what they are!
Q: You're on a yearlong journey as
a band and moving up quite rapidly - how does
that feel struggling independent for so long;
is it bittersweet?
Catherine: Everyone in our band has been
a part of prior musical endeavors. Some have
been working at it for many, many years. Although
we five members of Bern & the Brights
are new as a collective whole, we've been
plugging away individually for years, and
this time around, we've been fortunate enough
to have some positive hops along the way.
Q: Something you'd like new fans
to know about you?
Catherine: We're nerds. All five of us.
READ UP, LISTEN UP, WATCH A VID:
http://www.myspace.com/bgroove
http://www.bgroove.com/home.html
http://www.youtube.com/user/bern1220
CATCH THEM LIVE:
Friday, May 22, 2009 @ 8:00 p.m. – The
Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
Monday, May 25, 2009 @ 9:00 p.m. – Life
Café (Naked Music Series,) NYC
Friday, May 29, 2009 @ 11:00 p.m. –
IM Automata Chino, NYC
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 @ 6:00 p.m. –
Groove on Grove, Jersey City
Saturday, June 20, 2009 @ 8:00 p.m. –
Tierney’s Tavern Boro 6 (Indie Music
Fest,) Montclair, NJ
Friday, June 26, 2009 @ 9:00 p.m. –
The Annex, NYC
