What originally started as a hobby has led two University of Wisconsin students to their first opening show at a Madison nightclub under the tentatively-named act brightviolet.
Just three years ago, freshman Sam Molinaro and sophomore Ryan Cray began playing around with different sounds and keys on their computers. Jokingly referring to themselves as “blossoming producers,” the duo converted amusement into art as they entered UW.
Despite the time it took to start creating their own sounds, the two have been immersed in the music world from an early age, with both playing piano and guitar. In addition to playing instruments, brightviolet has also been fascinated and inspired with music in other forms.
“I remember in music class in third grade my teacher had GarageBand open with a mini piano attached to it,” Cray said. “He would hit [the keys], it came up as a drum noise and I remember thinking, ‘What? You can do that?’”
These daily observances, while small, still play a large role in the music.
“I’ll hear a sound in class, or something weird, and I’ll think, ‘Wow, that can be an awesome snare,’” Cray said.
Along with taking inspiration from their day-to-day surroundings, Cray and Molinaro seek to portray certain feelings through music. Both agree that a big part of the creation process is devoted to figuring out how to translate those particular emotions.
In addition to daily muses, different genres influence Cray and Molinaro’s production. Molinaro took insight from indie and alternative bands, like Eau Claire’s Bon Iver and Gorillaz.
“I’m definitely inspired by The Roots; my dad listened to a lot of classic rock growing up,” Molinaro said. “As my technical ability progresses, I’ll start to incorporate more live instruments. [For now,] I’m mostly using sounds in the real world.”
The majority of music brightviolet makes is currently electronic, but the two want to blend in hip-hop instrumentals and trap beats as well. For Cray in particular, he looks to what producers typically do nowadays, which is making rap beats and blending it with “funky” acoustics and “crazy” house.
While Molinaro has been creating his own music for the last three years, his first year at UW also marked his first year mixing music — blending songs of different artists together.
Last semester, Molinaro and Cray grew accustomed to performing for friends at parties. Through a friend — who the pair joked will someday be managing them — they were able to secure a gig at Liquid.
“The thing is, you can’t look for anything,” Molinaro said. “You can’t hope for anything. I’m here in college, paying a bunch of money to do something, to make something of myself. It’s a terrible relationship I have with [my music production] program. You have to spend so much time in order to make any progress. It’s like taking a 10 credit course. You can’t really do it, and it’s hard to do it … but you want to do it. It’s all about balance right now.”
The two are set to open for DJ Ookay at Liquid Friday Feb. 12 at 10 p.m. Tickets are $20 for 18 and up and $15 for 21 and up.
Check out some of Molinaro and Cray’s tunes below.
https://soundcloud.com/bright-violet
