The Bright Light Social Hour has been a band for ten – whole – years. And, as in any relationship that’s lasted an entire decade, it’s been a roller coaster of ups and downs: Successful self-titled debut album; line-up changes; extended tours across the U.S., Mexico and Canada; $15,000 worth of gear stolen; love and loss. You name it. But through it all, the passion for the music never dissipated. If anything, it got stronger and crazier, and now the band’s ready to unleash their second album, Space Is Still the Place. The next phase of the journey begins in a celestial whirlwind.
The album release show, happening tonight at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater, is something that bassist/vocalist Jack O’Brien can barely contain himself over. In a nutshell, it will literally look like a show from space, or, as O’Brien says, an “out-of-this-universe show and production!” Imagine, if you will, having the talents of Tame Impala‘s lighting designer on board (apparently he’s an Austin resident who recently returned from touring), a full-blown psychedelic projection show powered with live liquid lights, and 3D particle imaging based on Xbox Kinect data borrowed from motion designer/audiovisualist dualé/Ryan Padgett. (Not even sure if your humble Austin Music Minute host understands all of that, but it’s so compelling…!)
BLSH is featuring the fantastic Walker Lukens & The Side Arms as the show opener. Doors open at 7 p.m. Let the awesomeness commence. Recommended.
– Photography by Pooneh Ghana.
