Singer-songwriter and Hootie & the Blowfish lead guitarist Mark Bryan’s new single, “Let Your Soul Light Shine,” features a special music video filmed at MUSC as a tribute to its frontline healthcare workers.
Inspiration for the song stemmed from experiences in Bryan’s own life. “I was getting divorced, Hootie was on a hiatus — so the identity I had for years was being stripped away,” he said. “But it was what I needed to realize who I really am. You can put a label on anybody, but who they really are is at their core and at their soul.”
This epiphany — that the very essence of who we are is determined not by outward labels, but by the way we power through difficulties — became the idea for “Let Your Soul Light Shine.” Bryan felt that MUSC hospital workers are a “gleaming example” of this grit and determination.
The single appears on his fourth studio album, titled Midlife Priceless, a name that is more than a funny play on words.
“The title in relation to the songs fits thematically. When I was younger, I never could have written these songs. I had to go through adversity and have that experience to write them,” Bryan said.
Midlife Priceless delivers a variety of sonic delights: some tracks are pure rock n’ roll, while others are stripped-down, acoustic ballads. Bryan also experiments with rap. The album is composed of songs that exemplify a skilled musician and songwriter. While the lyrics stem from the personal, the overarching theme represents a tribute to the human experience that rings universal.
Bryan will play his new originals and, of course, some Hootie & the Blowfish favorites at the Windjammer on June 18. Special guests Wyatt Durrette of Zac Brown Band, Steven Fiore of Young Mister, and Tim Neilsen of Drivin N Cryin will join him onstage. Tickets are $15 in advance and available from the Windjammer. Doors are at 6 p.m. and the show starts about 7 p.m.
Stay cool. Support City Paper.
City Paper has been bringing the best news, food, arts, music and event coverage to the Holy City since 1997. Support our continued efforts to highlight the best of Charleston with a one-time donation or become a member of the City Paper Club.