Life is full of surprises, and nobody knows this better than Kathryn Calder. After years of performing with indie darlings Immaculate Machine, she found herself unexpectedly asked to record and tour with The New Pornographers and was almost immediately inducted as a full-fledged member of that group. In 2010 she released her first solo album, Are You My Mother?, which garnered glowing reviews and foreshadowed the vast array of sonic experimentation the songwriter was capable of exploring. Now, just one year after the release of her debut (which was dedicated to the memory of her late mother), Calder has returned with another full-length record. Written and recorded in a relatively short amount of time, the appropriately titled Bright and Vivid is a masterfully refined piece of work that illustrates a maturation that can only come from intense growth and change. Backed by a newly minted band consisting of Lane Arndt, Stefan Bozenich, and Marek Tyler, Kathryn also worked with friends & fans including Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Mountain Goats), Dean Tzenos (Odonis Odonis), Barry Mirochnick & Paul Rigby (Neko Case), Jesse Zubot, and Ford Pier.