BEC Recordings recently welcomed Ohio pop rock group Shine Bright Baby into their acclaimed roster. Fans were introduced to the band at the major Christian music festivals including Creation and Alive. Their debut album, produced by Pete Kipley, is set for release in 2013. I had the pleasure of catching up with Emily Irene, lead singer of the band, to talk about the upcoming record and how they made their way into the music scene. My questions are in bold, followed by Emily's answers in black.
Who makes up your band and where are you guys from?
Our band is made up of 5 people. Karl (drums), Josh (guitar and lots of other stuff), Hudson (bass), Nathan (guitar) and myself, Emily (vocals). We are all from the northeast Ohio area.
Can you give us a little background history on how the band came together?
The way the band came together is a crazy God story. The short version is that Nathan and I met in high school. We went to the same community college together where we met a guy who wanted to start a band. Even though that individual is no longer in the band it led to us meeting Hudson not long after. Josh and Karl joined the band after a former project they were both involved in disbanded. We have been together with this line up for 3 years now.
What is the message behind the name ‘Shine Bright Baby’?
The name comes from Philippians 2 in the passage where it talks about "shining brightly" for Christ in our dark generation. I think it's a name with a lot of truth and personality. We love it.
Who are your musical influences?
We are all from different musical backgrounds, which is what helps make our music so diverse. Anything from bubble gum pop to heavy metal to folk music. We listen to it all.
What is something you want your listeners to take away from your music after listening to it?
We really want the listener to feel empowered after hearing our record. The new record, in particular, focuses on themes of light, hope, love and being brave. I don't want someone to listen to our record and say, "Oh, that was a good CD." I would rather them say, "I can relate to that and because these kids are doing what they love it makes me want to go out and do the same, whatever it may be." We want to inspire people to find and follow their God given dreams.
For those people who have never heard of you, how would you describe your sound?
A female fronted pop rock band with all sorts of sonic surprises.
You guys recently signed a record deal with BEC Recordings. How did that come about?
Though the announcement was recent, this is something that has been in the works for a long time. Tooth and Nail (parent label to BEC) saw us perform at a Christian music festival back in 2009. And even though we were not looking for a label at the time (we were a very new band just doing music for the love of it) it ended up being the place where we would find people with our same vision for our band. We are thrilled to be part of such a long-standing label.
So let’s talk about your debut album that is slated for release in 2013. How is the recording process going?
We started recording the album in July and finished tracking in October. So the recording process is done at this point and we are in the mixing, mastering and artwork phase. It's been so cool to watch the songs come together. We wrote for almost 2 years for this and it's finally happening.
What can we expect both musically and lyrically from this record? Do you have any more details about the album that you would like to reveal?
Like I said earlier, the album focuses on themes like light, hope, love and being brave. It's a very hopeful and inspiring record. We all go through hard times and troubles but I didn't want that to be the focus of this record. Musically, just like our band, the album is very diverse. We have pushed our boundaries in every direction, doing things we have never done before musically. It will be a "Shine Bright Baby" album but I think everyone will find themselves pleasantly surprised by what this album has to offer. There is one guest vocal appearance on the album that we are all pretty stoked about - that's all I am going to say about that.
What bible verse would you say has meant the most to you guys as a band?
That's so hard as we all have verses we love and are regularly sharing with each other. The passage our band name came from is a big one for sure in Philippians 2, along with Ephesians 5:8.
How do you see God working in you as a band right now?
As individuals and as a band, we constantly feel challenged to be examining our motives and our walk. We have literally been given an unbelievable opportunity to reach people and we don't want to take that lightly. Being in a band, you are constantly being stretched. Without being renewed in our personal walks daily, doing this kind of ministry could become draining. We want to always be filled up so we can continue to pour out.
Tell us five random facts about Shine Bright Baby
1. Hudson and his mom crochet hats that we sell at our merch table
2. Nathan has the most unbelievable curly hair
3. Emily can't ride a bike
4. Josh has narcolepsy
5. Karl drinks more water than any other person on the planet. Seriously.
What is the craziest thing that has happened while on tour?
Lots of crazy stuff has happened but one time we stayed at a house that was out in the middle of nowhere on "Blood Road" where the dad's profession was taxidermy. I slept in a room that was covered from top to bottom with traps. It was scary but the family ended up being really cool and everyone left unharmed *laughs*
Do you have any advice for aspiring young musicians?
Don't do it cause you want to a rock star. Don't do it cause you want to be recognized. Don’t do it because you want to do music for a living. Do it because you love music and you love sharing it with people. And then be prepared to work very hard at every aspect of being an artist (i.e. your instrument, songwriting, self promotion.... the list goes on and on). It's an awesome thing to do but it's not easy. If it was everyone would do it, right?
How and when did you know that music was what you were called to do?
I am sure for each of the guys this is different. For me, there was a very distinct moment when God revealed to me that this "band thing" I had got myself into was going to be something He would use and that it would be bigger than myself. I was at a Christian music festival (the same one I mentioned earlier but this was a year before we played) and Chris Tomlin was playing How Great is Our God. I was worshiping there with a new friend I had met that day named Jesse who would end up becoming very influential in SBB's journey, and I just knew. It's hard to explain. It was a surreal moment.
Thank you for completing this interview for God Tunes Reviews. Is there anything else you’d like to add that maybe I missed, or something you’d like to say?
Please come say hi to us online on Facebook or on Twitter and hang out there until we come to Australia!
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