Garfield Bright [Shai]: Living In The Now

Garfield Bright

Formed in the beginning of the nineties at ‘The Mecca,’ a private, historically black, university located in Washington, D.C., Shai, then comprised of Carl "Groove" Martin, Darnell Van Rensalier, Marc Gay and (lastly) Garfield Bright, literally hit pay dirt with the release of their outstanding premiere offering, “If I Ever Fall in Love,” an a cappella number, and its equally impressive “Grooves Bedroom Mix” version. Their multi-platinum debut of the same name arrived in September 1992. The hit-making R&B vocal collective, most famously known for their lush picture perfect harmonies, returned nearly three years later with their solid yet commercially slept-on sophomore collection, Blackface.

Let’s hop into this single, “Back Into My Mind,” featuring Kanetic Source & Shai — Tell me about this particular track; how did it come to fruition? 

The track is produced by an artist and good friend of mine, Kanetic Source. Shai is not on the record. It appears that way, attribution-wise, because I released it from my “Garfield” Spotify account, Kanetic’s Spotify account AND from Shai’s Spotify account, so I could reach the broadest audience possible. However, the song is written and performed solely by me, and the track is produced by Kanetic. I have been working with Kanetic for several years now. This track was just me writing to one of many tracks Kanetic has sent to me. I played the instrumental, and sat with it for a few hours. Finally, I started writing. My only objective was to match the vibe of the track lyrically and melodically. As someone who takes pride in the writing aspect of the song making process, I’m always making sure my lyrics are clever or at least on a level that represents high quality. This song tended toward a more conceptual bent. I personified society as a woman that I was seeking a relationship with. I wanted her to like me, but she just wouldn’t. Ultimately, I realized that instead of going out of my mind trying to get her to accept me, that I would wise up and fall back from such a fruitless pursuit-literally going “Back Into My Mind.” 

Of course “Back Into My Mind“ follows on the heels of “With You” — Talk to me a lil bit about this composition… 

Once again, After listening to and processing the nuances within one of Kanetic’s tracks, I started writing. The vibe of the music felt like a love song needed to be written to it. So, I created what I thought would be a nice song for a person in a relationship to maybe dedicate to their significant other. 

How then do “Back Into My Mind“ and “With You” either differ and / or compare to previous Garfield Bright entries? 

“Back Into My Mind” is a conceptual / political play on how some people fall into the hamster wheel of attempting to be accepted by a society that is governed by exclusion and division, rather than acceptance and unity—mostly fueled by a racist or bigoted standpoint. As a Black male in America, I can say that this dynamic is a very pervasive phenomenon that demonstrably impacts the psyche of Black men, as well as others trying to realize the “American Dream.” “With You” is not political. It’s an ode to a significant other that reciprocates and affirms the love being shown. 

As a songwriter when you sit down to pen your lyrics, where do you draw inspiration from? 

The music already has all of the infinitesimals built into it. I just try to match the mood / vibe of the track. Once I lock in to the nuances; drums, musical tones, tempo, etcetera, I try to just add value to what is already there—in a complimentary manner-sonically. All of the aforementioned elements dictate my cadences and inflections vocally. Lyrically, once I’ve determined the course I need to be on, I just pull from life experiences to add depth and authenticity to the technical aspects I just spoke of. 

Tell me your whole inception into music — When did you first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for you, Garfield? 

Music is and has always been a major element of Black life here in America, in general. So growing up in the ‘70’s and coming of age in the ‘80’s, afforded me direct access, in real time, to some of the most iconic artists and songs to have ever come out—across all genres. I am very much a product of the deep impact music from that time period had on society, and in the Black community. I definitely have a strong respect for music and art in general. I did not grow up aspiring to sing professionally though. That was something that happened once that I was introduced to the Shai situation in college. I was always an athlete, and a scholar. As a matter of fact, I have a Masters degree in African American Studies from Georgia State, and I also earned a doctorate in Educational Policy Studies from the same university. So I’ve always been fascinated with knowledge and intellectualism, just as much as things related to aesthetics, i.e. the arts. My whole life has actually been a negotiation between these two—trying to integrate both aspects into a unified whole - which is ME - and not allowing them to exist as a dichotomy that pulls me in two different directions. 

Now where exactly do you hail from? And growing up there, who all did / do you consider to be your strongest musical influences? 

I’m a mutt of sorts when it comes to my geographic origin. I was born in Nashville, TN. Shortly after I was born, my parents moved to Knoxville. At 6 years old, they moved to Montgomery, Al, and were employed by ASU. By virtue of their employment there, I became like a little “child of ASU.” All the professors, coaches, and faculty knew me and allowed me access to the marching band, basketball and football practices, where I was able to literally be in the field or the court, etcetera. ASU was my stomping grounds. My school, from 1st through 3rd grade, was on the campus itself. I was raised in a highly educationally motivated environment. I moved to Boston towards the end of my 8th grade year at 12 years old. I came of age there, living with my dad who had moved there a few years prior, after he and my mom divorced when I was 9. Hip Hop was quickly becoming a Pop cultural phenomenon, and represented a strong influence on youth culture. I was definitely impacted by the burgeoning phenomenon known as Hip Hop, especially living in the North Eastern United States at the time—NY was Hip Hop’s epicenter. Rakim, Kane, KRS, Slick Rick, Biz, De La, Tribe, etcetera etcetera, were on all of our radars as youth who resonated with the Hip Hop culture. But in those times, “Black Music” was not as much of a regional thing as it was a cultural thing. We basically had our tastes shaped by our parents, in this regard. No matter where you went in the US, Black folk who like R&B were going to give you the same basic playlist of favorites. Some of my favorites were Stevie, Marvin, Donny, Parliament, Bootsy, Ohio Players, Average White Band, Chaka Khan, Luther, Maze, Earth Wind & Fire, Sly and the Family Stone, and so on and so on. My actual favorite genre of music is straight ahead Jazz. Coltrane, Miles, Ahmad Jamal, Herbie, Prez, Wayne Shorter, Thelonius, Oscar Peterson, Freddie Hubbard, Bird, and so on and so on. 

That said, how do you describe and / or define the style of music that you create and / or perform? 

There is a strong dose of Hip Hop infusion in my solo stuff—particularly in the cadences and the rhyme scheme. However, melodically, I pull from my Jazz influences a lot. But the tracks actually dictate which of the influences come to the fore. I have a lot in my bag that can come out at any time. On stage when doing Shai shows and singing Shai music, the sonic influences that you hear are typically hardcore R&B and Soul. 

What particular string of events actually led to you initially linking up with Darnell, Carl and Marc, ultimately forming the original Shai line-up? 

Darnell was my roommate freshman year at Howard University. He quickly became like a brother to me. Later as we matriculated through Howard and began to come of age, we briefly went separate ways and got into different organizations and aspects of college life. I became heavily involved in all things political; worked on Capitol Hill for the Senate Judiciary Committee—ran for Liberal Arts Student Council VP—ran for Howard Univ. Student Body President-was a member of several community based activist student run organizations on campus. Darnell joined the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity where he met Marc and Carl and formed the group Shai. Shortly after they created the group, Darnell and I reconnected. I began going to the rehearsals for the group with him, as they prepared for a big show that was coming up at Howard—their first performance. Several factors lead to some of the other Alphas, who were set to perform at the big show coming up at Howard University, dropping out the group. Since I had been coming to all their rehearsals, I became a member per Darnell’s insistence, in order to make up for the other Alpha members who dropped out. I hadn’t pledged any fraternity, so I was the odd man in that sense. But, the guys agreed to let me in the group. Once I was accepted, Marc suggested that the name should be Shai. The guys agreed, and the rest was History. Shortly thereafter, we pursued and landed a record deal with Gasoline Alley / MCA Records. 

Where’s does the group’s moniker even derive from? 

It is ancient Egyptian—from the Egyptian Book of Coming Forth By Day; otherwise known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Shai basically means destiny in human form. It is actually the masculine aspect of a dual concept-Fate and Destiny—Fate being represented by a woman deity named Rennenet, and Destiny being represented by a male deity named Shai. Together they form the whole concept that revolves around a person’s future-which is Fate and Destiny intertwined. 

What eventually caused Shai to disband? 

Internal differences—creative and personal. Carl wanted to pursue a solo path. The industry wasn’t open to Shai without all of the original members at the time when Carl left, because there was a perception at the executive level, that Carl was what made the group work. Carl was a strong networker, and had working relationships with the executives. The rest of us never really networked and ingratiated ourselves with the executive types - we were more introverted and distrustful of executives - so they didn’t really know the rest of us or understood our creative dynamic fully. They knew Carl though and never really had interactions with the rest of us, so since he was on their radar as Shai’s representative they assumed he was the one making Shai what it was. As a result of that, along with the fact that most of the writing and production credit on the album was attributed to Carl, the rest of the group didn’t have proof that our contribution to the creative process was actually just as viable as Carl’s. Therefore, we weren’t able to get backing from a label to keep going once he left. 

Switching gears here, what exactly do you want people to get from your music? 

Enjoyment. 

If you could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why? 

D’Angelo and Raphael Saadiq---Incredible Artists / Visionaries. Super creative and Soulful. I love their musical sensibilities. 

If you could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why? 

As a person who’s been in the industry for roughly 35 years, I’ve played all around the world and there isn’t a specific place that I haven’t already played that I still desire to play. 

On a more serious note, are you happy with the current state of R&B? 

I feel that time is a fluid concept and is multidimensional. Periods overlap—genres overlap. There are many facets to the “Now” of music. If you’re referring to what the younger artists are creating, I don’t know if that actually qualifies as “the state of music.” As long as you can still access your favorite artists on YouTube, and all of the other music platforms, and create playlists that suit your tastes on Pandora, Apple and Spotify, you can experience a state of music that services your world. As long as your favorite artists are still performing regularly and are accessible to be seen performing when they come to a venue near you, then for you the state of music is very much so, viable and complimentary to your tastes. In other words, radio no longer dictates which sound is paramount for the listener. Yes, there are specific people / celebs / artists who are attended to by the youth driven media and are at the forefront of Pop culture in terms of visibility, but that doesn’t have any bearing on the fact that a ‘90’s concert is coming to town full of ‘90’s artists, and it will be sold out full of people who have made a choice to consume that product. So to me, the term “the state of music” is very subjective. It also tends to see music in a very linear fashion projecting it as a monolith. In short, “State of music” is the language of a shortsighted master narrative that presupposes art from previous eras is not still present and functioning as a valuable and viable commodity in today’s marketplace. 

What do you feel has and will continue to be the key to your longevity? 

I’m still alive and creative, and I still love music. 

Do you have any other outside / additional (future) aspirations, maybe even completely away from music? 

My life, if nothing else, is illustrative how being in the “now” looks like accomplishments over time. In my life, I have earned a Masters and a PhD and have been an educator, program creator, as well as a mentor to many youth for over 30 years. I’m also able to say that as an artist, I have been blessed to reach multi-platinum artist status. I’ve been entertaining folks the world over consistently now for 30 plus years. I have written a fiction novel, and am now working on an autobiography. I have a podcast that I’m about to pilot and launch called ‘More to the Story,’ coming out very soon. I’m assembling a band, and will start performing some of my new songs before the year is out. I say all of this to say, that I live in the now and continue to do what resonates with me in real time. Eventually, a body of work emerges that speaks to and reflects moves that were made in the past. Those moves were not based on some future plan, but being present in the now and not being afraid to concretize what intuitively seems like a good thing to do in the moment. 

To date, what has been your biggest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway? 

Well in the music industry, there have been quite a few. Some that come to mind include winning an NAACP Image Award in 1992 for Outstanding New Artist—Being invited to Perform with Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Luther, Quincy Jones, Mavis Staples, Chaka Khan and many many more, at Bill Clinton’s Inauguration in 1992— Performing with The Stylistics at the Apollo Theater in honor of the Apollo Legends—Being invited to perform in Cannes France with other legendary / iconic artists at a tribute to Marvin Gaye—Being one of three artists to perform on the pilot episode of MTV Unplugged; Tupac and Tony! Toni! Toné! where the other acts--breaking Elvis’ record at the time for consecutive weeks spent by a song at number 2 on Billboard; “If I Ever Fall In Love,” 8 weeks or so. These are but a few that I can think of. 

What’s an average day like for you? 

Music creation—academic / intellectual activity - i.e. research, developing programs or tools to enhance learning and teaching -  gardening - I’m vegan, so I grow my own food as much as possible - booking shows for Shai or taking meetings for Shai related business, handling business for my solo brand; podcasts, meetings about potential partnerships, photo shoots, etcetera, chilling with my wife. 

Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans... 

I show people who support me and my music the utmost respect. Whether in person or on social media, my intent is to always show gratitude and expressly acknowledge those who show love. 

What is your favorite part about this line of work? Your least favorite? And, why? 

Creating and performing. As an artist, it feels good when people connect to your work-whether it be at a live performance, or just being affirmed that they like your art in general. Least favorite: the shady aspects of the industry-from shady promoters, to executives who only see you as product and not as a human, and every shady stop in between. 

What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps? 

Don’t. Find a path that resonates with your sensibilities, gifts and aspirations. Live your truth. 

Looking ahead, say five or maybe even ten years from now, where do you see yourself? 

Living in the “Now,” being present. 

"If I Ever Fall in Love" "Comforter" and "Baby I'm Yours" are all bonafide R&B classics — How did these particular selections come about? Who came up with their concepts? And, please describe for me the overall studio vibe(s) on that / those fateful day(s)? 

Carl, Darnell and Marc had already written those tunes by the time I was brought into the group. Those were the first three songs created by Shai---waaaay before we got a record deal. Carl wrote the lyrics to “If I Ever,” with the exception of my vocal break, “Yeah…Baby yeah…My My My My, My My…”—I just made that up in the studio the day of recording. But they all collaborated lyrically and harmonically, in terms of the arrangements on the other tunes; “Comforter” and “Baby I’m Yours,” which were used originally as a cappella practice songs. We only created music tracks for them after we got signed to a record deal, and had two weeks to do the album. 

Do you still keep up with any of the former members; Darnell, Carl and / or Marc? 

Darnell is still in the group, he just had some medical setbacks about two years ago and hasn’t been on stage with us over the last couple of years. I talk to him quite regularly of course. I still talk to Marc occasionally as well, though obviously not as often as I talk to Darnell. I haven’t communicated with Carl. 

Speaking of Shai, who all currently makes up its latest iteration? 

Garfield Bright, George Spencer, Dwayne Jones and Darnell VanRensalier. 

As for the immediate, what's next for Garfield Bright? 

Many things are in the works, such as the ‘More to the Story’ Podcast, new music, educational supplemental materials for teachers, and my autobiography. Be on the lookout for those and more. 

Any “parting” words for our readers? 

For those who have always supported the group, I really appreciate every ounce of it, thank you! Stay tuned for more. Follow Shai on IG: @Shai90sofficial and on FB: @ShaiRnB and @Shairoglyphics. Follow me on IG and FB: @thegarfieldbrightexperience.

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