“Well, I’m 29 and an Aries.” A slight chuckle comes through the line as Crystal Bright begins to tell about herself. “Just kidding.”
But in all seriousness, according to the stars, 2010 should be a great year for the Greensboro musician, originally from Mount Pleasant.
Her horoscope says Bright’s April birthday is supposed to make things very constructive, and whether or not you believe in that sort of thing, a busy and productive year is exactly what Bright is having.
The ex-Albina Savoy member’s latest project began about a year ago, a phoenix of sorts, rising out of the ashes of what was a bleak time for Bright. Like the mythological creature whose cry is supposed to be like a beautiful song, the end became the beginning for Bright.
“Last June I got laid off from the Montessori school where I was teaching music and dance,” Bright explained. “I lost my job, my boyfriend and my band — the three main things in my life — in one month. … I thought that I might as well do the things I wanted to do and build my life back up and do what makes me happy.”
The result of that resolve is Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands. Bright, who uses a wide range of instruments, from the accordion to bowing a saw (which she taught herself by watching YouTube videos) to an adungu (a Ugandan harp), has joined with Diego Diaz, Taylor Bays, Charles Kurtz and Pete Lewis to create a whimsical and eclectic sound that ranges from playful to haunting.
Bright has been playing music since she was 6 and was heavily influenced in high school by Bjork, PJ Harvey and Tori Amos. It was in her graduate studies at Florida State University that she was able to hone her musical prowess and learn from other cultures. She played in a Chinese ensemble and a Mariachi band and learned from Mexican and Brazilian musical cultures, among others. These influences are overwhelmingly obvious in the music of Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands and lend themselves to Bright’s diverse instrumentation.
“It just depends on what the song needs. I try not to stick to just one instrument,” Bright explained. “It seems like if you play the guitar, a song is going to be really different structurally and sound-wise than if you play accordion or piano.
“I like a lot of music that doesn’t necessarily go along with traditional structures of songs. I was really influenced by Mr. Bungle in grad school, John Cage. … Now I listen to a lot of Tom Waits. I get really bored with music that has very similar structure that’s not pushing anything.”
Apart from Bright’s assorted music, she has her own assorted life.
With a background and interests in drama and anthropology, Bright has also started her own holistic health counseling service.
“I’m doing what I love finally, instead of holding myself back. I really just want to help other people do that, too,” Bright explained. “I like to make a light switch come on in someone to realize their potential.”
As for Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands, their latest work will soon be taking them on a brief tour to New York. Additionally, their work and creative partnership with Greensboro photographer Rusty McDonald is working its way towards October performances at the Broach Theatre in Greensboro, part of the band’s vision to create more of a performance than your typical rock show.
“(Rusty) has been capturing our sound and creative angle in photography. His artistic vision fits well with our sound, so the marriage of the two is creating our 'look’ (for the Broach performances),” Bright explained.
The Broach shows, currently scheduled for Oct. 7 and 8, will include “live actors and the whole nine yards,” according to Bright. She hopes that the partnership with McDonald, one where he is helping to create the plot and overall look of the performance, will impart more of a musical dialogue and bring the characters in her songs to life.
“Basically, what my vision is for (Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands) is I’m really inspired by
archetypical things, folk talks, myths,” Bright explained about her idea to do an album full of stories that represent different phases of a woman’s life. “I was going through a really hard time and thinking, 'Wow, I’m not going to hold myself back anymore.’ I started believing in myself.”
Contact Charla Duncan at charla_duncan@yahoo.com
