The Stranded Local Q & A: The Brightwings

People who really understand the music industry today realize it’s bigger than album sales and radio play. This is something The Brightwings know very well, as this Boston group has licensed a number of their songs to some hit TV shows you’ve probably seen. A short sampling of that resume includes NBC’s Medium CBS’s The Ghost Whisperer, E!’s Keeping up with the Kardashians and MTV’s Real World.

That’s not all that characterizes this Boston four-piece. The group formed in 2004 when the four college friends from Northeastern and Berklee came together. Drawing inspiration from groups of yesterday like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Eagles, and Tom Petty, The Brightwings take that sound and make it modern with smooth three part harmonies and introspective lyrics.

The group have become grizzled veterans of the show and touring circuit, playing over 340 dates and appearing on bills with Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers, Matt Nathanson, and The Alternate Routes.

But my favorite part about the group may just be the fact that they got their name from "The Wonder Years." Fred Savage was a muse for someone.

Vocalist/Bassist Matt Rafal is in the Stranded hot seat this week.

Hailing from Boston makes us better than all those n,on-Boston bands because:

We know how to pronounce places like “Worcester” “Peabody” and “Gloucester”.

Name at least three bands that are still around and touring that you’d love to be on a bill with, and think it fits well:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer

Your favorite Boston venue to perform in is:

The Paradise

Are there any genres that influence your music conceptually, rather than sonically? (In that you can’t hear from simply listening to the music, but from getting into the structure or mathematics of the song-writing, etc.):

Country Music has always been a huge influence to this band, both from a songwriting perspective and (at times) stylistically.

Your favorite local bar to hit up when not doing the whole band deal is:

Recently, it’s the new Brighton Beer Gardens. We basically camped out there during the Celtics playoff run.