Brighton MA

Written by laura hamlett

Brighton MA is a band from Chicago, which could at first glance seem confusing. Taken from frontman Matthew Kerstein’s birthplace, the name evokes an idea of home, perhaps one that you can never go back to, even as the four band members build their own home within the name. This is a fundamental element in Kerstein’s layered lyrics steeped in a history that remembers the past, only as much as it informs the present. Following their debut EP in 2007, Amateur Lovers marks their first full-length record and a step forward in the evolution of the band. Kerstein, guitarist Jim Tuerk, bassist Devon Bryant and drummer Sam Koentopp continue to craft Kerstein’s songs, adding warm arrangements and finding ways to make each twist and turn feel natural and familiar. From the buttery summer of “Your Sweet Time” to the hissing winter of “The Flood,” from the insistent soul glam of “Underground” and the exuberant evolution walk-through in “Eskimos,” the band stretches itself to the edge to find out what can be built to last. With an ear in the past, the band continues to write and work in Chicago, maintaining a clear vision of their own brand of rock ’n’ roll.

Chicago, Ill. :: rock/indie
09.18, Racanelli’s Cucina, 9:30 p.m.