Kelly Brightwell
A self-taught pianist, by the age of 13 she was composing and performing her instrumental pieces in local talent shows. While traveling with Audubon Expedition Institute after high school, she picked up the guitar and learned the traditional folk songs of Appalachia and the Old West. She began penning her own tunes at 21, living in a tent outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. When she returned home to the Chicago area in 1993, she fronted the folk/rock band Prairie Smoke with old friend Dave Margolis. In Madison, Wisconsin, she met and began playing with longtime collaborator Jennifer "JJ" Jones. After relocating to Minneapolis, the duo played shows around the Midwest until 2002.
Kelly's first solo recording, "wait for your spring", was released in the fall of 2004. She toured throughout 2004-5, including these notable venues: Ginkgo Coffeehouse and the New Folk Collective Concert Series in St. Paul, MN; Café Montmartre and Mother Fool’s in Madison, WI; Dolores Park Café and Rose Street House of Music in San Francisco and Berkeley, CA; and Uncommon Ground in Chicago, IL. It was her pleasure to share the stage with such well-loved performers as Ellis, Brianna Lane, Julie Lloyd, Justin Roth, Trina Hamlin, Hayward Williams, Barb Ryman, Chuck Brodsky, and Cindy Kallet.
At the end of 2005, she suffered an arm injury and has just recently returned to playing. Since September 2007, she makes her home in Portland, OR.
"wait for your spring" is a captivating debut that features alt-pop anthems and intimate acoustic tracks, driving ballads and dance mixes. Kelly's songs illuminate: she conjures up concealed connections, finds the flowering in first heartbreak, gleans the grace bestowed by gravity, and harnesses the turbo-force of childhood dreams. She can lay her songs bare, or flesh them out with live percussion looping and digital programming. Either way, her strong lyrics and clear voice shine through on every track.
The EP was recorded in San Francisco by house music DJ and producer Jeff “Kepi” Steinmetz and produced by Jennifer “JJ” Jones. Digital distribution and licensing for the album is handled by the San Francisco-based record label INgrooves
* Received Honorable Mention at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, 2004
* Featured on NPR's All Songs Considered
* Heard on internet radioioAcoustic as well as Midwest radio stations including KFAI, KUMD, WORT, WRNC, and WOJB