2007 Nashville Star Semi-Finalist Brigid Kaelin, was a producer for a major TV network by age 21. But when at 23, Brigid Kaelin ditched her career to move to KY to be with her mom, who had cancer, people were shocked. Even more so when she decided to sing for a living. But from a smart woman, comes smart songs.
With a debut CD that outsold every solo artist in Louisville, Brigid has built a following of people enamored with her “warm, graceful style” and “captivating presence." She has opened for Over the Rhine, David Mead, Garrison Starr, Matthew Ryan, Kim Richey, Patti Griffin, etc...
Every song on her CD has received radio airplay on AAA-stations.
Critics have praised her CD, for its “genre-busting” qualities, brushing against folk, country, rock, and swing, “with Kaelin equally adept at all.” She delivers “clever, thoughtful songwriting,” and her “laid back stage demeanor belies years of classical training.” She plays accordion, piano, guitar, & saw.
New Southerner magazine article
Watching singer/songwriter Brigid Kaelin walk Salmon Creek Beach along the Sonoma County coast in Northern California, you’d never guess that she grew up in a Midsouth river town. Kaelin, born and raised in Louisville, Ky., looked completely at home by the Pacific Ocean, where she spent a week in November. Kaelin’s unfussy, natural style and graceful ease allow her to pass for a local almost anywhere she goes.
In fact, when Kaelin and her husband, musician Nate Thumas, were visiting Ireland on their honeymoon in 2004, a group of German tourists mobbed her at the Glendalough monastic ruins, chanting, "Irish lass! Irish lass!" until she agreed to pose for photos. Never mind that Kaelin had only been in Ireland for four days. It’s possible her long, wavy red hair and freckled face fooled her fellow travelers, but her gift for looking natural in any surrounding transcends appearances. For a young solo performer (she’s 27), Kaelin is very comfortable in her skin, and it shows.
It follows, then, that her debut album, Keep Your Secrets, would be a genre-busting record, featuring a sound that ranges from acoustic rock to swing to folk to country and beyond, with Kaelin equally adept at all. Her voice has been compared to singers such Eva Cassidy and Joni Mitchell, and oddly enough, each analogy fits in its own way, as Kaelin marries her vast musical knowledge with an intuitive grasp of how to move an audience.
Kaelin assembled a local all-star cast of musicians—including Peter Searcy, Mick Sullivan and Tim Krekel— to round out the sound on her album, which Thumas produced. Since its release last May, Keep Your Secrets has been a top-seller at Louisville’s venerable music store, ear X-tacy, and its songs are frequently requested on local radio. Unlike so many first releases by young singer/songwriters, Kaelin eschews the typical format of "ten mopey songs on devastating love affairs," opting instead for a mix of honest autobiography and skillful fiction, with a little fantasy thrown in for good measure.
The rollicking "Whisky in the Faucet," inspired by the traditional Irish song "Whisky in the Jar" and the 1996 Heaven Hill distillery fire, celebrates the good fortune of waking to find the bathroom and kitchen taps running Maker’s Mark bourbon instead of water—a starving artist’s dream, as the landlord pays the water bill. Kaelin’s voice has a lot in common with good bourbon — she knows how to work her slow, sweet burn against the breathy sighs of her signature instrument, an accordion nicknamed Big Red. Her smooth finish shines when coupled with the piano or guitar, her casual performance demeanor belying years of classical training.
Despite her recognized talent, Kaelin never set out to be a professional musician. Her academic and career ambitions led her to New York City after high school, where she graduated early from NYU with a degree in political science, and at 21 became one of the youngest CBS associate producers, filming documentaries for A&E Biography and other programs before moving back to Louisville during her mother’s cancer treatment three years ago.
"I played music my whole life but never really thought you could be a musician if you did well in school and were kind of a nerd," Kaelin said. "You were supposed to do other things. So I did those other things. And now I play music, and I live in Kentucky again, and I love it."
Her documentary experience continues to be invaluable to her songwriting process, as she draws inspiration from songwriters like John Prine and Carole King to connect with her listeners.
"Coming from Kentucky, I grew up surrounded by an oral tradition. And when I made documentaries, I learned that there always has to be a story. So when I write songs, I try to find the story, to make them interesting to other people, not just me," she said.
read more at www.newsoutherner.com
Brigid Kaelin bio
Classic story: the high school valedictorian goes to NYU at 18; graduates summa cum laude at age 20; becomes the youngest Associate Producer at CBS News at age 21; and at 23 ... quits her high-power job when her mother is diagnosed with cancer, moves home to Kentucky and her family, and becomes ... a musician?!
Everyone was shocked when Brigid Kaelin ditched her award-winning television career to be a musician. But as soon as they heard her perform, they understood completely.
It made perfect sense: from a smart woman, comes smart songs. Not your typical tortured singer-songwriter music, but witty and meaningful tunes.
Smart and versatile, Brigid Kaelin uses her brain as well as her voice to charm her audience. Lyrically-driven folk-rock, with clever, often-funny messages that make people smile. And though her most-requested radio songs are light-hearted and funny, Kaelin also has her share of soulful piano and accordion (yes, accordion) tunes.
Reviewers have praised Kaelin’s debut CD, Keep Your Secrets, for it’s “genre-busting” qualities, as it brushes against folk, country, rock, and swing, “with Kaelin equally adept at all.” Not only does she deliver “clever, thoughtful songwriting,” but her laid back stage demeanor belies years of classical training.” Since summer 2005, Kaelin has graced the cover and insides of countless magazines and newspapers. Her CD outsold every other solo artist in Louisville by far last year, and has developed a solid following of people enamored with her “warm, graceful style” and “captivating presence.”
Though equally adept at the guitar, piano, accordion or even musical saw, it’s Brigid’s voice that truly captures. Garnering comparisons to Edie Brickell, Carole King, Eva Cassiday, and Kathleen Edwards, Brigid’s voice transcends genres. She receives constant airplay on AAA radio stations around the midwest, where she has developed a following of loyal fans, and every single track on her debut CD has received airplay.
Quotes from various articles
"...a genre-busting record, featuring a sound that ranges from acoustic rock to swing to folk to country and beyond, with Kaelin equally adept at all."
- Erin Keane, New Southerner Magazine, Jan/Feb 2006
"Kaelin is always a treat." - Courier Journal Fall 2005
"To say she is multi-talented is certainly an understatement."
- Tiffany White, Today's Woman Magazine, September 2005
"Not only can she play the piano splendidly (lots of lessons plus talent) and sing in a most current, angelic way, the woman can write songs."
- Editor Paul Moffett, Louisville Music News, July 2005
"successfully merges compelling lyrics with a strong but vulnerable voice perfect for melancholy ballads as well as up-tempo sing-alongs, which the album balances well." - Sara Havens, LEO Weekly
"...subtle and seductive.." - Stephen George, LEO Weekly
"...If you have see [Brigid] perform, you might also mistake her sound for nationally emerging singer-songwriters Erin McKeown or Nellie McKay or the long-established styles of Joni Mitchell or Edie Brickell. Kaelin's own versatile style shifts seamlessly within a set from spirited to sultry..."
- Beth Newberry, Louisville Magazine, Dec 2004
"...[Brigid Kaelin is] a lyrically driven musician who is as adept at owning her music as Joni Mitchell and as amusingly -- and amazingly -- versatile vocally as the late Eva Cassidy."
- Angie Fenton, Velocity Weekly, Nov 2004
"Louisville's greatest saw player, without a doubt."
- Scott Mullins, WFPK Radio
"...clever, thoughtful songwriting..."
- Beth Newberry, Louisville Magazine
short bio
No one was surprised when the HS valedictorian went to NYU at 18, graduated summa cum laude at 20, and became the youngest Associate Producer at CBS News by 21. But when at 23, Brigid Kaelin ditched her career to move to KY to be with her mom, who had cancer, people were shocked.
Even more so when she decided to sing for a living. But from a smart woman, comes smart songs.
Critics have praised her CD, for its “genre-busting” qualities, brushing against folk, country, rock, and swing, “with Kaelin equally adept at all.” She delivers “clever, thoughtful songwriting,” and her “laid back stage demeanor belies years of classical training.”
Often compared to Edie Brickell, Eva Cassidy, and Kathleen Edwards, Brigid’s CD outsold every solo artist in Louisville last year, where she has developed a solid following of people enamored with her “warm, graceful style” and “captivating presence.” Every song on her CD has received airplay. She plays accordion, piano, guitar, & saw.