Better and Briter: Brite Winter Festival Brings Together 78 Bands for an Epic Day of Music

Winter in Cleveland is no joke. Blizzards make going out difficult. Locals stay indoors. Temperatures drop below zero. And, because of this, the city suffers on a cultural level. But a couple of friends have come up with the idea to embrace the winter, a thing most would deem crazy-talk.

Now in its fifth year, Brite Winter Festival, which takes place on Saturday at various venues along West 25th Street in Ohio City, convinces more and more Clevelanders to come out and love what the city offers, no matter the temperature. Last year saw 20,000 attendees, and this year should have an even larger number. People often ask programming director Thomas Fox why the festival is growing so rapidly.

“Best as I can understand, the festival and the whole concept intrigues people, invokes some childlike curiosity to go out and explore,” he says. “We have more and more artists every year asking, ‘How can we get involved with this?’ To me, that’s what fuels Brite Winter to become better and better every year.”

This year, some 78 bands will play, and a host of local artists will display art installations. Artistic collaborators include Cleveland Institute of Art students, who, in conjunction with other students from Case Western Reserve University, will showcase their new “wearable-technology-with-light.” From the description, it sounds like they’ll be dressing like Daft Punk.

“I’ve heard it said by attendees that there’s ‘something for everyone,’ but I think it’s different than that,” says Fox. “There are different stages representing different styles, genre and communities of music.”

While it’s impossible to see all 78 bands playing, here’s a guide to some of the best acts performing. Whether you’re into electronic music, indie rock, punk or what-have-you, there’s a band for you.
The outstanding support for these artists and the Ohio City community help Brite Winter become the mammoth event that it is. And as far as the future of the festival, it’s looking pretty “brite.”

“The most obvious answer to this is that we would like for there to be a future,” Fox says. “It has always felt like a small miracle that this event happens every year. We are looking for Brite Winter to be a fixture in Cleveland’s cultural fabric for many years to come. We’ll always be about supporting and showcasing music and art in the winter.”

Freeze-Tag

Midnight at Town Hall

With the ability to create fully Technicolor prisms with his synthesizers, Freeze-Tag’s music captivates like a light show. His winter-appropriate debut Eskimo wanders between relaxed grooves and highly sparkling atmospheres. The skilled blending of the unique sounds makes his tracks a wholly unified experience. Bending the boundaries of electronic music, Freeze-Tag lends his vocal talent to tracks like “Twice” and “Hours (Ours),” working them into the overall atmosphere. And as a live performer, he is fully engaged, playing keyboards, singing and running drum tracks live. His new single, “You Do,” gets weird in totally mesmerizing ways and includes a ripping guitar solo, mutated voices and enough twinkling keyboards to light up the darkest winter.

Rollergirl

11 p.m. at Town Hall

The disco-fabulous grooves of Rollergirl are infectious. His unique brand of house music recalls the synths and guitars of disco while utilizing a high-energy, modern production style. His self-titled debut LP is an endlessly upbeat, dance-ready album. Tracks like “#billyocean,” “Let’s Get the Rollerskates!” and “Music” carry a lot of the Chicago and Paris house ideals of the late ’90s and early ’00s but with a great modern update. Four-on-the-floor bass drums drive the heavily melodic music, but glitchy stutters and wobbly phasing add a unique musical perspective.

Signals Midwest

11 p.m. at Joy Machines Bike Shop

With the capability of straight-out rocking while still playing compositionally intricate songs, Signals Midwest brings the best of both worlds. Not sacrificing energy for intelligence, their songs can suddenly change out of nowhere. On their newest album, Light On The Lake, “St. Vincent Charity” closes by unexpectedly switching to a breakneck speed, sending the song into a whirlwind of an ending. One of their best on the record, “In The Pauses” is a collection of musical chunks, placed next to each other in a cohesive manner with a variety of phrasing that keeps the song constantly interesting. The grungy guitars create a thick wall of sound.

COIN

8 p.m. on the Brite Winter Stage

Nashville imports and indie poppers COIN bring their explorations in dynamics to Cleveland. Employing super clean guitars, vocals and synths, their heaviness accrues from density. Their track “Time Machine” is an interesting blend of electronics and standard rock instrumentation. Synths sweep over strumming guitars, and drums become a combination of machine and man. Where the verses are largely happy and light, their excited choruses get loud and full, slamming catchy hooks into your ears. As a self-described “product of the ’90s,” they embody so many of the let’s-not-be-too-serious vibes of a generation with danceable beats and occasionally Nintendo-sounding synths.

The Lighthouse and the Whaler

9 p.m. on the Brite Winter Stage

Music that dances with such intricacy without sounding forced is rare to come by. In a seemingly effortless fashion, the Lighthouse and the Whaler’s music easily grooves with uncanny precision. The track “Venice” is a testament to the missile-like precision of their style. Unlike a lot of complex indie rock that’s surfaced lately, the guys don’t feel the need to fill every moment with sound. In the song, there’s a distance between the notes that gives the melody a chance to breathe. The end result is a natural and emotive sound. The combination of heart-swelling lyrics, delicate orchestration and surprisingly bumping minimalist drumbeats makes for memorable music.

Seafair

5:30 p.m. on the Ohio City Stage

Indie rock sextet Seafair makes a monster of a sound. The abnormally large number of well-utilized band members creates massive musical forces. Their song “Bird On a Wire” from the Photographs EP displays the utter power they put into their music. It often feels like members are playing for two, giving them the power of a small chamber orchestra. And, despite this power, they can still present a sense of melody and beauty in their music. Violin provides a melodic counterpoint to the vocals while the piano gives a clockwork-like figure amidst musical explosions.

Night Sweats

7 p.m. on the Chipotle Stage in the Campbell’s Alleyway

Punk rockers Night Sweats are relentless, intense and unforgivingly energetic. Overdriven guitars and fast, explosive drums outline their songs while lead singer Brandon Abate gives well-sung melodic vocals. Almost uncharacteristic of the genre, the vocals sit atop the heavy tracks with an abnormal amount of pleasantness. On their recently released album, New Sounds, they put together 11 tracks of non-stop punk. One after another, the album slams itself out of the speakers and never gives up.

The Ridges

9:30 p.m. at the Great Lakes Brewing Co. Tasting Room

The band’s prim and proper attire makes the duo appear neat and tidy, though its music is anything but. On “The Insomniac’s Song” off their self-titled record, cellist Taylor Smith provides many beautiful lines – but when she digs into the deep registers, the cello growls. Conversely, using artificial harmonics, she provides scraping textures that get launched into the atmosphere. Singer-guitarist Victor Rasgaitis provides the solid foundation for the song. Providing both involved guitar harmonies and subtle vocals, Rasgaitis blends into the sonic texture as opposed to fighting for stardom. Their music carries many traditional folk elements into it, but humility and community may be the strongest among them.

Brite Winter | 4-11 p.m., Saturday Feb. 15 | britewinter.com.

This article appears in Feb 12-18, 2014.