"Every once in a great while you’ll hear a new band that, in some way or another, reaffirms your love of music, your adoration for history and your admiration for artists who find splendor in the simplest of notes, phrases or progressions. Brighton, MA does just that." -Tom Lynch (New City Chicago, 6/7/07) Brighton, MA is a band from Chicago, IL which could, at first glance, seem confusing. The band's name is a reference to the town singer/songwriter Matthew Kerstein was born in, and is as much a general statement about nostalgia and "going home again" as it is an actual location. The band comprises five members: Kerstein, guitarist Jim Tuerk, guitarist Devon Bryant, bassist Matt Priest and drummer Sam Koentopp. Their self-titled debut record finds these strong musical personalities blending with easy camaraderie to paint backdrops for Kerstein's mature songs of warning and optimism. The band was effectively formed when Kerstein made the decision to leave up-and-coming Chicago group The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir whose debut record was selected as one of the Best Local Releases of 2003 by Jim DeRogatis (Chicago Sun-Times) and Greg Kot (Chicago Tribune). The other members of Brighton, MA had also been involved in varying degrees with that band, so the reorganization was natural. Thanks to some of SYGC's successes—headlining shows at Chicago's Metro, Empty Bottle, Double Door, and Schubas, and opening sold out or near-capacity shows for bands like The Arcade Fire, Spoon, Of Montreal, Feist, The Walkmen, Violent Femmes, The Fiery Furnaces, Okkervil River and The Olivia Tremor Control—the initial momentum for Brighton, MA was established, and the band wasted no time preparing to record its eponymous debut. The record was made over the course of 2006, recorded mostly at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio in Chicago. The songs were rehearsed, pushed and pulled over the course of the recording process; some were re-tracked to fall in line with the newer live versions, while others began to dictate the sound of their live counterparts. By the time the record came to be mixed at Chicago's Clava/4 Deuces, a bulk of tunes for the band's second record were written and ready to rehearse. Brighton, MA believes that a band's success is measured by the quality of their songs and recorded output. In a sense, their ethic is more of a throwback to the late 60's and early 70's groups from which they draw much of their inspiration. The band has played many shows over the course of their first year, sharing the stage with the likes of Tapes 'n Tapes, Man Man, Tilly & The Wall, The Essex Green, Isobel Campbell, The M's, and Maritime, and gaining new fans in New York, DC, Madison, Indianapolis, Iowa City and elsewhere. Their first year as a band has been capped with the completion of their first record and a mini-tour of the East Coast ending with an appearance at the CMJ Music Festival. With somestudio time already booked to begin the second record, Brighton, MA stands poised to become America's new rock and roll go-to boys. PRESS QUOTES: "Singer Matthew Kerstein has perfected a low, portentous vocal delivery that fits hand-in-glove with the Chicagoans' gorgeous, highly arranged guitar-pop settings. He's definitely ready for bigger things." -Isthmus (Madison) "There’s something distinctly “Americana” about [Brighton, MA's] music - it feels homey and familiar in the same way it does to play Blood On The Tracks or The Joshua Tree on vinyl." -Chicagoist "The songs are animated by a palpable feeling of longing and postadolecent world-weariness; they're perfect soundtrack songs waiting for a story." -Miles Rayner (Chicago Reader, 8/2/07) "By whatever name he chooses to operate under, Kerstein is an emerging singer/songwriter in an established syle who is well worth watching." -All Music Guide "Brighton, MA from Chicago creates some truly gorgeous pop nostalgia on their new self-titled EP. Expect big things to come!" -Threadless.com Rising from the ashes of Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, these locals put an anthemic spin on Dylan and Wilco circa Mermaid Ave. Shimmering vocal harmonies and buoyant horns and strings add flair to its charming self-titled debut, playing up the folky side of orch-pop. -Time Out Chicago (7/12/07) "The wonderful Brighton, MA, whose new, EP is magnificent, all Replacements-meets Dylan rock." -New City Chicago (6/13/07) "A very promising start." -UR Chicago (June '07) "But it's pretty well made throughout, really, all sing-along choruses and pub-friendly swaying rhythms and tasteful melancholy." - Monica Kendrick (Chicago Reader 7/6/07) "They sound kinda like Bob Dylan mixed with Robert Earl Keen. They’re pretty awesome." -rockouts.com "Those in attendance who hadn’t heard Brighton, MA before (myself included) were left with nothing to do but dance and smile at the honest, energetic indie rock in the Springsteen/Roger Clyne vein." Daytrotter.com "A charming pop outfit." Time Out Chicago, 6/7/07 "The band’s confidence in each other echoes clearly throughout the EP, and it’s easy to pinpoint when Kerstein unleashes his virtuosity; just check for the goose bumps on your arms." -Beep (Daily Herald)