Bright Light Bright Light

While back in New York, Rod Thomas, a.k.a. Bright Light Bright Light, talked with QRO....
Bright Light Bright Light : Q&A

Bright Light Bright Light : Q&A

While back in New York, Rod Thomas, a.k.a. Bright Light Bright Light, talked with QRO. In the conversation, Thomas talked about opening for everyone from Ellie Goulding to Elton John (!), making his record Life Is Easy, going from the Welsh Valleys to Los Angeles, the cinematic experience of moving to the Big Apple, and more…

 

QRO: The past couple of years has been quite a whirlwind for you, what would you say has shocked you the most so far?

Rod Thomas: The kindness of people. Not only foremost the kindness I received from Elton John and his ENTIRE team looking after me like family on the world tour, but the warmth of fans at shows who come to multiple shows, support each release, join together and make each show a total joy, and even on special releases pay over the asking price to support an artist they care about. I’m very fortunate.

QRO: What was it like when you went to L.A. to work on music for the first time?

RT: Terrifying really, I felt really out of my depth. I was going to work with one of my favourite artists Boom Bip to record “A New Word To Say” and “Disco Moment”. He was really lovely though, and that made it a lot better. But I was this young unsigned guy from the Welsh Valleys in L.A., which is this wild place you see in films… it was really surreal. When I went back to L.A. to do a show it was really strange equating that experience with the current day.

QRO: Would you say that some of your earliest experiences in music have found their way into your latest album, Life Is Easy?

RT: To a point, but more so Life Is Easy is really about that time frame of late 2012-early 2014 when I moved away from London to New York and really learned to start taking control of the wheel again. Some of my earlier INFLUENCES crept back in like Supertramp and 10cc, but lyrically and emotionally it was mostly about that specific time.

I was this young unsigned guy from the Welsh Valleys in L.A., which is this wild place you see in films…

QRO: Was the experience of being in the studio a more fluid affair with Life Is Easy?

RT: Yes. For the songs I wrote and produced alone it was much more fluid. I had the home studio in New York and worked quite smoothly in it. I mixed a lot of the record myself which was the real challenge, but it was an amazing challenge. For the songs I co-wrote and co-produced with Jon Shave of The Invisible Men, our friendship and partnership was really solidified by this record, so our collaborations felt really seamless, especially for “In Your Care”, which we wrote from scratch in about two hours with all its production intricacies. When we finished that I felt really excited to make the album.

QRO: When I listened to the album I felt as though I was in another world, a very cinematic world. That word (cinematic) seems to be how most people would describe your music; how does that word make you feel in the context of your creations?

RT: That word makes me feel fabulous, especially in the context of Life Is Easy. That’s the exact feeling I wanted – and that’s what influenced the sequencing of the songs. For me, that year moving to New York WAS like a film, and I remember it really vividly in colours and tones much like I remember my favourite films. When I’m writing I tend to think in colours and shapes as well as music and lyrics. That makes me feel like I achieved my aim so thank you!

QRO: The song that stuck out to me the most was “An Open Heart”. There’s a beautiful confidence in that track that I feel isn’t the norm in electronic music. How did that tune come together?

RT: I went to write with Ian Masterson for another artist, and he had this beautiful instrumental, so he went to make a cup of tea and came back down and I’d written the vocal parts, and we were both just like, “Oh, we really like this!” so I recorded the vocals. And for a long time it was going to be used for someone else, but I loved it so much, and the message fit so well with this record we decided to keep it. Ian is an incredible person. So talented, and one of my best friends. That connection really added a spark to the record I think.

Moving to New York WAS like a film, and I remember it really vividly in colours and tones much like I remember my favourite films.

QRO: The album itself is quite an interesting undertaking. The tracks sound distinctively individual yet cohesive at the same time. If you had to guess, would you say that’s a product of production or where your headspace was as a songwriter?

RT: Headspace I think. I thought of them as scenes in a film, and each track is sort of looking at the same ‘person’ from different angles. It was me dealing with feelings of not being good enough from, say the last year in London, to feeling refreshed and confident again, with “In Your Care” looking explicitly at the family I moved so far away from to make that move happen.

QRO: How has the live show changed with this new album that you’ve released?

RT: It’s evolved a lot. Especially with the Elton John tour. I’ve become a lot more confident and learned much better how to use and control my voice, so I have a lot more fun on stage. I don’t worry about damaging my voice at shows now because I’m better prepared at singing properly. The bands I use are a lot of fun, and much tighter, and we all have a lot more fun together on stage. The energy has definitely upped, and I’ve reworked some of the debut album tracks to make newer versions, or bootleg versions of them for club, late night, sets. And it feels really alive. To me at least!

QRO: Throughout the years, I’ve seen acts that’d support bigger acts learn from those experiences and incorporate things into their own live shows. Was there anything from touring with Ellie Goulding or the Scissor Sisters that made you go, ‘I want to do that’ or even something like, ‘I don’t want to do that’?

RT: Because Ellie was so sweet and welcoming, I really felt like I wanted to push towards being the headline act. It was so refreshing to see someone achieve so much success so quickly, but also be really down to earth and lovely. And she had an incredible friendship with her band, which I found really encouraging.

And Scissor Sisters are one of my all time favourite bands. Getting to know them was so brilliant, I mean I already knew Del, but watching them on stage create something really special, and really FUN is what really made me think. I wanted to have as much fun as them on stage, which is why I have worked to bring in elements – when I can – of club culture that I loved with some bootleg mixes, more performance with me and my BV singers, more energy, and when we can, special lighting to make the colours of the record come to life.

I was really shocked when [Elton John] called to say he loved the debut album … and I was blown away when he agreed to sing on “I Wish We Were Leaving” because he loved it.

QRO: So Elton John… wow. What a man to have in your corner? Has he ever given you his thoughts on your music before, and did it shock you when you heard him say what he wanted to say?

RT: He is an amazing man. To say he’s been kind to me is a massive understatement. He’s given me so much advice, time, love and support it’s beyond words. He’s given me very honest thoughts on my music, as long as I’ve known him. I think a lot of advice he’s given has confirmed what I’ve thought, and any criticism has been something I’ve usually been aware of but was in the process of changing or overcoming.

I was really shocked when he called to say he loved the debut album, it was after that that we met properly and started to know each other properly, and I was blown away when he agreed to sing on “I Wish We Were Leaving” because he loved it. He’s a very good friend and of course I’ve gotten over the shock of speaking to him, but to look at him on stage after I’ve done my set, and understand he’s given me any time of day – coming from buying his records as a child to this – it is still the greatest shock!

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