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Viewing: Christine Bainbridge - View all posts

Don't Stop Believing! 

Christine faces her radiation treatment.It was December 5, 2014, when I got the call that changed my life. I had gone for a routine mammogram, which led to an ultrasound and then a biopsy, after which the doctor said, "it's better that you know than don't know." With no family history of breast cancer, and leading a relatively active and healthy lifestyle, here I was, suddenly a cancer patient.

The first thing I thought was, "How am I going to fit this into my schedule?"  I work full-time, I help my boyfriend and band-mate Ricky Bell raise his two little girls, and we have the band, of course, which has become a very busy enterprise. Not to mention, we have two households and the stuff that comes with them.  All are important to me for different reasons.

The whirlwind began, and suddenly I held a dozen appointment cards in my hand for surgical consults, pre-op appointments, blood tests, radiation and medical oncologists. Ricky coined "Team CB" - the name of my support group of family and friends to get me through this ordeal. Surgery was first, which was a fairly straightforward recovery, and then came seven weeks of radiation.  Fast forward five months later, and here I am - treatment complete.

I'm thankful to my partner Ricky, who helped me make arrangements, came to appointments, and gave me a whole bunch of pep talks. We managed to play gigs (and most of the time I felt pretty decent), rehearse, find new guitarists, update the website, book more gigs, book weddings, and all the things that come with running a successful band. We rented my house and then packed it up and moved. We continued, business as usual, with his kids, explaining that CB had something called cancer that she had to go for treatments for, but that she was going to be ok.

I am happy to say that I feel pretty decent overall, am healing just fine and am thankful that I am able to continue to perform like nothing has happened - which is completely untrue, as I am a changed human being. Oh yes, I more fully understand the need to have a good time, to unwind, to hear and sing along with great music - to celebrate life's happy occasions because life is challenging and throws some difficult things our way.

Thanks to our friends, family and fans for celebrating these happy milestones with Sunshine Symphony! We love you!

Peace, Love & Rock n' Roll,
Christine

Vote for Sunshine Symphony as "Discover New Artist" 

We are so thrilled, as we approach our first birthday, to have been nominated for a Lehigh Valley Music Award for "Discover New Artist!" Sponsored by Discover Lehigh Valley, the award goes to the best new artist in the Lehigh Valley.

It's easy to vote! Go here: ​http://blog.discoverlehighvalley.com/2014/11/30/discover/vote-for-the-2015-lehigh-valley-music-awards-discover-new-artist/

1. Select "Sunshine Symphony"
2. Enter your email address.
3. Click Submit!

Done! Thank you so much for your support this year. We are so excited about 2015!

Peace, Love & Rock n' Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

(And Ricky Bell, Tim Kerrigan, Ian Frey and Steve Nesbit)

What's Happening? We're Happening! 

Hey, happy April to our Symphomaniacs out there.  We are so excited that the awards and accolades for Sunshine Symphony keep on coming!  We found out a couple of days ago that we were named Finalists in the Lehigh Valley Happening List.  Thanks to everyone that voted, and thanks for spreading the word about Sunshine Symphony!

We really think 2014 is going to be an amazing year - we're riding on those rays of sunshine and spreading the positivity everywhere we go. In the past couple of weeks, we've been booking, booking, booking, and taking some new group shots (hey, did you see our new banner up there at the top of the page? Isn't it awesome?), We'll post them around the website, so click around and see if you can find them.

Last but not least,  if you want a little sunshine in your life, stop by one of our shows and we'll give you a new Sunshine Symphony sticker.
We've been busy! Let's keep the buzz going! Like us on Facebook, add us to your Circles in Google +, share our videos or blog posts or pictures! Thanks, fans!

Peace, Love & Rock n Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

Top Philadelphia Cover Band! 


We are thrilled to be/have been a part of two groups named "Top Philadelphia Cover Bands" on CBS Philly. As you may know, Christine spent seven years performing with She Said Sunday, and Ricky, three.  Although we were saddened by our unexpected December 2013 departure from SSS, we feel a renewed energy and are very fortunate to be working with the talented musicians in Sunshine Symphony. We're very excited about our future with our new band. Thanks to CBS Philly for helping us make this list TWICE!

Read the article by Susan DeFeo here:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/top-lists/top-cover-bands-in-philadelphia/

By Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

Local Radio and Sunshine Symphony 

Although we didn't all study music in college, it's clearly our individual and collective passion. Several of us dabbled in college radio, and a couple of us have worked in radio outside of school (except Ricky - I really think he needs his own radio show).

I have spent time on the airwaves of many of the Lehigh Valley's local stations, 100.7 WLEV, Cat Country, WZZO, B-104, and WAEB-AM. For a while, I also volunteered at WDIY, a local public radio station that hosts NPR news but also other local programming, including classical, jazz and adult alternative music. WDIY is extremely supportive of local music and musicians.

It was a pleasant surprise to learn that our bassist, Tim, in addition to being a home-brewer and stand-up bass player, also hosts The Blend from 1-4 p.m. on Thursdays. One thing that we've discovered about Tim is that he likes and listens to a huge variety of music. He can bang out some complicated Metallica bass riffs one minute and throw in some jazz or 70s soft rock the next. If you really want some insight into what makes Tim tick, check out his shift on The Blend on Thursdays.

http://wdiy.org/people/tim-kerrigan - Tim's page on WDIY.
http://wdiy.org - Listen live (top left of the page)

The Blend on WDIY features local music, some excellent new music, Americana, folk, and even classic rock/classic country or even classic alternative artists. It's really a cool way to spend your afternoon. Enjoy!

Peace, Love & Rock n Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

Networking, socially and otherwise! 

We'd like to everyone for coming out to our debut show at The Barrister's Club. We were so thrilled with the experience and very happy with the performance and our reception from the crowd! We love doing encores, so thank you for being an enthusiastic audience.

We're continuing to build on the momentum we've started!  We decided last week at rehearsal to record a video for our Facebook fans, because they have been tremendously supportive, sharing our page and our content and helping us grow our likes.  Ricky decided we should record the quirky tune "Best Day of My Life" by American Authors, which features a banjo and a semi-sparse arrangement but a catchy chorus...so Pete said, "I'll bring my mandolin!" and Ricky said, "I have a banjo in my studio," Ian announced, "I'll use my cajon," and Tim said "I'll bring the standing bass"! So, we set up our alternative instruments - just wait, I'll be breaking out my flute eventually - and went to town!

We had a blast, and then Pete suggested, "Why don't we do Walking on Sunshine acoustically as well?" So we did.  And we laughed, and had a great time.


There was a reason that "Sunshine" stuck as part of our name. Ricky and I, as founders of the band, are passionate and creative people, and I think we were drawn to the idea of music's transformative ability. You could be having the worst day ever, and a song can turn that around! We aim to be your musical sunshine, your passport to a happier place...thanks for coming on the ride with us!

By the way, you'll find us on a bunch of new places now:
We're on Google+
We're also on Instagram!
We have a YouTube channel

And if you didn't already know it, 
We're on Twitter,
On Facebook
and on ReverbNation.

Come see us live, or online!

Peace, Love & Rock n Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony
 

Spaceship Panda and the Band Names We Passed On 

Ricky and I put this band together pretty quickly. Things that normally take a couple of weeks, we managed to cram into a day or two. One of the hardest things to do is to name the band, and that task often takes the longest. Presumably, you'll be using this name a long time, so you better like it.

Our previous band name came about by randomly putting words together...many successful bands come up with their name this way. Screaming Trees? Death Cab for Cutie? Imagine Dragons? 

Anyway, I just found the paper in my purse with names we liked enough to write down. Here you go!
  • Spaceship Panda - this was a close runner up with Sunshine Symphony
  • Fur Taxi - A little too weird
  • Operation Famous Burger - too much like a restaurant
  • Loofah Rigno - hard to spell correctly
  • Naked Quartet - Sets incorrect expectations
  • Sweet Waitress - Just no.
  • Everywhere Sunshine - Hmmm, you see a theme developing
  • Deep Dish Sunshine - Tasty
  • Sunshine Kumquat - Does anyone know what a kumquat is?
  • Stealing Sunshine - This was a top contender. I still like it.
  • Operation: Sunshine - Already taken by a charity
  • Operation: All-Nighter - Close but not exactly a good name when you say it out loud
  • Sunshine Agency - This was also a top contender. Sounds sort of like an insurance agency, though.
  • Tone Agency - Again, is this insurance? 
  • Operation: Tone
  • Rock Doctors - Theme ideas abound with this one
What do you think? Should we have gone with one of our runners' up?
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

Sunshine Symphony Prepares Blazing Debut Performance 

Sunshine Symphony Prepares Blazing Debut Performance
New cover band features award-winning Lehigh Valley performers.


February 17, 2014Bethlehem, PA - Former lead singers of award-winning Lehigh Valley cover band She Said Sunday, Christine Bainbridge and Ricky Bell make their debut performance with new group “Sunshine Symphony” this Friday, February 21st at The Barrister’s Club in Allentown.

Bainbridge was the recipient of the Lehigh Valley Music Awards Tonya Brown Award for Best Female Vocalist in 2009 and 2010, and nine other awards with former band She Said Sunday.  Bell’s original song, Shallow, won him a WZZO Songwriting Contest in 2002, which Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull performed on stage with Bell at the State Theater in Easton. Bell then won the Lehigh Valley Acoustic Performers Contest in 2005, and went on to host the contest from 2007-2012.

“Together, we plan on bringing a vocally strong, harmonic yet musically diverse performance,“  Bainbridge explained. The two find common musical ground in their love of melody-driven pop, country and rock music like Bruno Mars, Bon Jovi, and Keith Urban – all featured on Sunshine Symphony’s set lists. “Anything goes musically with Sunshine Symphony. If it’s got good harmonies, it’s recognizable and danceable, it’s something we’ll play,” Bainbridge adds. “We’ve got an amazing rhythm section and our set lists include songs that really groove.”

Sunshine Symphony consists of Bainbridge and Bell, plus drummer Ian Frey, bassist Tim Kerrigan and guitarist Peter Johann.  Frey, a graduate of Lehigh University with a B.S. in Music Composition, has been performing with Bell for almost a decade as part of an acoustic duo. Kerrigan is an accomplished bassist who has played in funk, bluegrass, rock, jam and blues bands in California and in Pennsylvania. Johann fronts his own cover/originals band, The Peter Johann Band, and has a background in jazz theory and bluegrass as well, and has been nominated for several Lehigh Valley Music Awards as well.

“With such a diverse blend of musicians, we’re really excited to see what type of musical ground Sunshine Symphony will cover,” Bell says. “When we came up with the name, it means ‘happy music’ to us. That’s really what we want to play.”

Sunshine Symphony’s debut performance takes place Friday, February 21st, 2014 at The Barrister’s Club, 1114 West Walnut Street in Allentown. The show is from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available for advance purchase by phone at 610-433-6204 x19  or at the door.

###

Welcome Newest Band Members 


We are pleased to announce we've completed Sunshine Symphony's lineup with the addition of  bassist Tim Kerrigan and guitarist Pete Johann
 
Tim has been playing bass for 20+ years, with a variety of different bands. Recently, he moved back to PA after spending 15 of those years performing in California. With a background in jazz, funk and hard rock, he brings huge skills to Sunshine Symphony (because you're only as good as your bassist!). With Tim on the bottom end, we are sure to be amazing. 
Pete Johann is a longtime Lehigh Valley musician who performs his own original music as well as cover songs with his own band appropriately named The Peter Johann Band. Pete's background in jazz and funk should bring a cool, grooving sound to Sunshine Symphony. 










Since ALL of us also sing, could five-part harmonies be in store for you? You never know. We are so thrilled to have this caliber of musicians join our band. We CANNOT WAIT for you to hear us play.

Peace, Love & Rock n' Roll,
Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

Come See Sunshine Symphony's DEBUT! 

Sunshine Symphony, the Lehigh Valley's brightest new cover band, will make their concert debut at The Barrister's Club on Saturday, February 21st at 7 p.m.  

We invite you to join us for a fun night in this beautiful facility, complete with stage, dance floor and VIP balcony.  Tickets cost $10 and are available for purchase bu clicking here.
 
Or, copy and paste this link into your browser window:
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e8rs91hee56388da&llr=lsmiv6bab

Tickets will be available at the door, but we cannot guarantee their availability.  We suggest you buy them in advance, and get them before they sell out.

The Barrister's Club is an historic banquet and event facility  in Allentown, complete with free, secure off-street parking. Food and drink specials available. 

Christine Bainbridge, Sunshine Symphony

Sending You Some Sunshine! 

Thanks for stopping by Sunshine Symphony's web page. We're happy to be here. Here's the who/what/when/where/why of our new band.

Sunshine Symphony grows from the roots of popular local cover band She Said Sunday.  Christine Bainbridge is founding member and the creative marketing force behind that band, having provided the public relations, publicity, web site and social media management for seven years, in addition to winning awards as their lead vocalist and keyboardist.  Ricky Bell was a more recent addition in the past two years, and provided musical inspiration and tremendous versatility to the band, not only providing vocals and guitars, but also drums and keyboards. When She Said Sunday decided to make some changes, Ricky and Christine saw it as an opportunity to move beyond their former band with their creative vision.

Pair intense musical precision with a passion for performing, and a chemistry which is unmatched, and you have Sunshine Symphony.  

We're working from the ground up, and we need your help! Please like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter, and tell all your friends about us.