The latest folk-pop band from Chicago ... is called Brighton, MA
Matthew Kerstein has taken a musical journey from Scotland to Massachusetts without ever leaving the Windy City.
The frontman of Brighton, MA is a former founding member of local buzz band Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, which he left to captain this folk-pop outfit that’s making quite a splash itself.
‘‘Basically, it was simply time to move on,” Kerstein says of the departure. ‘‘Being in the Choir was a process for me of finding my own voice. At the beginning, the main idea was to mesh totally different styles and split the duties. It got to a point where we moved too far apart and instead of benefiting each other, we were clashing. It was the natural thing to make the choice that was going to be better for me.”
So Brighton, MA was born. The name comes from Kerstein’s hometown, a connection that fosters a nostalgic theme driven into their self-titled debut EP. The six-track release plays like a soundtrack of Bob Dylan and Bright Eyes traveling through time to shake hands with members of My Bloody Valentine.
The name itself is a nod to the past, one that Kerstein admits he just can’t seem to get out of his head. And while not all of us can appreciate the ins and outs of a Boston borough, memories of yesterday and home are universal.
“We talked about reasons for the name,” Kerstein says. “It could represent that for anybody, something that stays with you. It’s one of those things that has stuck with me.’’
The band will unleash “Amateur Lovers,” its first full-length album this fall. Kerstein says it picks up right where they left off.
“Obviously, it’s larger in scope, but maintains the same mentality as our EP,” Kerstein says. “What I hope for is that it’s nostalgic in a way that’s kind of sad, but also hopeful. It’s not a matter of longing to go back to the way things were, but more matter-of-fact and direct about what’s happened.”
