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| Brogaene Griffin |
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Print Profile |
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| Irish Fiddler |
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Brongaene Griffin began playing violin at age 7 and within two years placed first in her age division in the NW Regional championships in Spokane, Washington. After winning the contest a second year in a row, by age 12 she went on to place 3rd in the nation.
With a father who raised her on Buddy Thomas recordings, McGarrigle Sisters, Balfa Brothers, Red Clay Ramblers and others… Brongaene grew up strongly influenced by ethnic American music. At age14 while searching for a new more positive musical direction outside the contest world, Brongaene met world-renowned Irish fiddler Kevin Burke. “He played at my highschool St. Patrick’s Day 1983 and I was impressed with how delicate the music sounded. I was also impressed with what ease he played with. It was very different from what I was used to. I asked him if he’d teach me. I found it refreshing taking lessons from him because his focus was solely on music and not on trying to force me to enter every contest there was. That was important for me at that point in my life. Kevin believed that people who played music and enjoyed it, were a success on that basis alone. This changed my direction and that was when I began to really love music.”
After she began studying Irish music she soon fell in love with it and moved to Ireland in 1993 to pursue a more comprehensive understanding of the style. After 7 years playing with local Belfast musicians in Ireland’s, pubs and ceili halls, Brongaene moved back home to America. “It’s funny because I never thought I would miss American music but suddenly I’d hear Bluegrass on Irish radio and it would give me chills. Something about it felt so good. Then after a while it started making me cry. It was like hearing your mother’s voice when you haven’t seen her in a long time. One day I woke up and all I wanted was to move home and hear my native tongue... so to speak.”
Upon her return to America, Brongaene began playing locally in the Portland area and seeking out more Bluegrass and Old-Time musicians. “I had his notion I was going to go back to my roots and play American folk music but it didn’t exactly turn out that way.” After an introduction to Cul An Ti front man Cary Novotny and Dublin born accordionist Johnny B. Connolly, Brongaene was delighted to be playing Irish music again, now with Portland’s premier Irish traditional musicians. “I was honored to have the opportunity to jump in and play with Johnny and Cary when their fiddle player started spending more time in Russia. They started phoning me more and more for gigs and I was elated. I had only been back in town for a short time. This really boosted my confidence. Johnny is a very positive influence on my playing. He has very strong rhythm and I’ve learned a lot playing with him. I’ve enjoyed playing more in the past two years than ever before. Cary is one of the strongest Irish guitarists I’ve ever heard and in my opinion his playing is superior to many guitarists I’ve known in Ireland. His chord choices and rhythm style bring out things that are otherwise hidden in the melodies. I can also belt into old American favorites and Cary’s accompaniment still suits the genre perfectly. He’s very versatile.”
For the past two years Brongaene has performed locally in Portland in the band OTHA. The band is named in honor of African-American fife player Otha Turner. OTHA is comprised of former Cul An Ti members, as well as Cary Novotny on guitar and vocals, Zak Barjona on percussion, and when he’s in town, Johnny B. Connolly often guests in with the band on accordion. OTHA’s music is Irish traditional, with strong African rhythms. Brongaene also performs in a duet with harpist Elizabeth Nicholson. Brongaene can be seen performing regularly in Portland at a number of venues including The County Cork Public House, Biddy McGraw’s Irish Pub, The Moon and Sixpence, Kell’s Irish Pub, Madison’s Bar, and Imbibe to name a few. She joined Kevin Burke and Cal Scott for a concert at Portland’s Hollywood Theatre in February 2003, which inspired a cover story in The Portland Tribune’s, CUE magazine (March 14, 2003).
Currently she is recording her debut CD, a collection of Irish tunes and poems about cats (scheduled for release in 2006). All profits will benefit Oregon based animal rescue organizations. The CD is to be produced by Gerry O’Beirne, former Kevin Burke accompanist and also of Patrick Street, Sharon Shannon Band, Andy M. Stewart, and Waterboys fame.
Richard Martin 2004
“When Brongaene plays her fiddle she plays with all the ornamentation and style of the best Irish traditional fiddlers, but with a more strident sound. You can always feel the Old-Time undertones coming through.”
-Paul Duchene, Portland Tribune
for more information contact:
OTHA bookingline at 503.256.6077 |
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