Rodney Branigan

http://twitpic.com/b52do3 - Guitarist Magazine

"The truly unique Rodney Branigan - one of the fastest-rising stars of the acoustic guitar" - Guitar Interactive

laidback blues with acoustic folk undertones to create a stunning, warm sound. - Music Week

"this is an essential pick-up!" - Rating 9

Taken from his forthcoming album, Muddy Jesus is a delicious piece of provocative and finely imagined rock n roll which perfectly shows why Rodney Branigan has become the growing whisper on the lips of so many. - RingMaster

PARIS-MOVE.COM 4 STARS Dec 2010
"Leave to cross France from end to end, because that is what we call a 'real ' discovery. A contemporary musician as innovative as the Boulez was in his time."

ACOUSTIC GUITARIST June 2010
"A guitarist and singer to discover ..."

BLUES MAGAZINE May 2010
"Rodney Branigan the revelation of the year or even decade."

GUITAR PART November 2010
"The concept, original, is well developed and all techniques are discus - Guitar Part - Acoustic Guitar - Blues Magazine - Paris-Move.com

Anyone who's seen Rodrigo Y Gabriela would agree that they are phenomenal guitarists each with their own strengths. But what if you were to combine the two of them into one guitarist ? That's exactly what you get with Rodney Branigan. A virtuoso guitarist who plays two guitars at once, along with a tambourine at his foot making him a multi instrumentalist in the most literal sense.

A video of one of his performances here will certainly give you an idea of his amazing playing style.

Enter She Bled, his latest single. A beautiful lilting piece with some great acoustic guitar lines and a beautiful voice that could be described as a very young Bruce Springsteen perhaps. The song's gentle nature belie the dark lyrics about a wife being abused by her husband. There's a real dark and sad tale underneath the beautiful guitars and vocals. Branigan has a great ability to juxtaposition the two polar opposites to make for a very compelling song that grabs the listener for its beauitful nature and its provocative lyrics "she would take the hits and bleed. She'd bleed for him again and again".

Rodney Branigan is a real talent, a musician with undisputed jaw dropping talent and also a knack for writing beautiful songs with very thought provoking lyrics. - Entertainment Focus

Given the opportunity to review a folk band, especially one I've only vaguely heard of, always leaves me with a sense of foreboding.

In need of some encouragement, my arrival at the Ipswich Corn Exchange revealed a large audience consisting of a few close friends, which assured me all would be fine.

Once inside, it was clear that this was no ordinary folk gig. With an auditorium filled with a strong anticipation up stepped the support act, Rodney Branigan who was introduced by Phil Beer as a very good guitar player from Texas, USA.

To allow you to form a visual idea of this artist, think younger version of actor Jack Black.
Rodney Branigan
Rodney Branigan dreams of the day he can afford a proper twin-necked guitar

I don't know about you, but I'm not too keen on all that guitar heroes stuff, but Rodney stopped me in my tracks with his unique one-man rhythmic acoustic guitar performance.

It was like nothing I had seen before. His ability to manipulate the guitar strings whilst banging out a rhythm on the sound box was just incredible.

This guy rocks - picture two acoustic guitars, one perched on top of the other, played simultaneously with one trouser leg rolled up.

Rodney's ability to entertain the audience with his repertoire of covers and original tunes was truly brilliant and cliché-free. Check this guy out - he's simply amazing! - BBC Radio Suffolk - Nov 29th 2010

There are a goodly number of young male singer/songwriters creating some splendid stuff in the folk world at the moment; John Smith, Kris Drever and Jim Moray being just three. Oh and Sam Carter...there's four. And With his new single She Bled Rodney Branigan makes a strong case for being added to this quartet.

The sound of a live audience and the simple beauty of his guitar lull you into a sense of staid familiarity, but then the lyrics kick in with the line 'He'd hit her one more time just for good measure' and you know that we are into deeper and darker territory.

Juxtaposing the sweet tune and vocal delivery with a tale of domestic violence and loving dependency makes it all the more poignant. This really is an achingly sad song, wonderfully delivered.

More please Mr B.
Adrian Phillips - allgigs.co.uk - Adrian Phillips

17th February 2010, 2:43pm

He's been called "impossibly tallented" - and they'd be right. Download caught up with the one man band who plays not just one - but 2 guitars, while on a photoshoot for the up-coming 'Access to Music' tour.

Check out the video and have a look at the gallery for some images from the photo shoots.
http://yamahadownload.yamaha-europe.com/guitars_news.php?id=226 - Yamaha

UK publisher's house artist takes Atom Live Masterclass on the road

The UK arm of Mel Bay publishing, Mel Bay Music, has announced that Rodney Branigan has teamed up with the Access To Music and its Atom Live enrichment programme to provide masterclasses for students around the country.

"Rodney has redefined the role and limits of the guitar. There is simply no way to describe this performance," said Mel Bay's Chris Statham. "He can play two guitars at once, creating music by himself that sounds like it is coming from a trio. His right and left hand frequently seem to be disassociated from each other, performing rhythm and lead parts independently also utilizing different parts of the guitar for percussion."

Branigan will be visiting Access To Music Centres across the UK providing insights into his techniques in the masterclass, before performing a local gig in the evening supported by music students. For more info go to the Atom Live website.
- MI-Pro and Mel Bay

“Rodney Branigan is one of the most amazing artists you will ever see. Not simply because he’s unique, but rather because he’s impossibly talented.” - Bernard Baur (Music Connection Magazine, June 2005)

An ambidextrous, multi-instrumentalist may sound too good to be true, but one listen to Rodney Branigan and you will hear that this is no gimmick. Texas born Rodney, has spent the last five years doing an average of almost 200 shows each year, stunning audiences across America with his unique and impressive talent. For this is a man who can play not one, but two guitars at the same time, and play both to awe inspiring standards, as well as having powerful vocals and a natural ability for writing both lyrics and music.



Rodney comes from a musical background, his father being his main influence, and his great uncle played for Lefty Frizzell. There was always music in the Branigan house, and Rodney has been playing guitar since his hands were big enough to handle it, and now plays no less than 14 instruments.



Having already gained a huge, loyal following in his native America, Nashville based Rodney is not resting on his laurels. The Summer of 2006 saw him make his debut international performance at Hampton Court Palace’s ‘A Country Affair’. He performed on all three days and received a fantastic response, so much so, that he is returning in December for further dates across the UK.



Enclosed is a copy of his album, ‘Live Across America’, containing stand out tracks such as ‘One Man, Two Guitars’ and the emotive and powerful ‘She Bled’. The approach for this album was simple, “I had an engineer from Reno (Nev.) follow me around the country with his recording equipment and his RV. We did the whole United States in two months, then just took the best out of that and made an album out of it,” he explains. Rodney Branigan is the current buzz around Nashville, blending folk, rock and country music effortlessly, and here is your chance to play him before everyone else and book him for shows when he returns to these shores later in the year.

To see Rodney in action, visit one of his websites:
www.myspace.com/rodneybranigan

OR you tube links below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-bme5Mdszk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5Pm-1KbsrI&feature=related


- Maverick Magazine

'm a lucky guy.
Whenever I'm confronted with the knowledge that another musical icon has died, that one more member of the old musical guard has slipped quietly and peacefully (I hope) into the ether, never to be replaced, someone comes along and blows my knickers clean off, making me realize that as the great ones take their place in the pantheon of those whose names will forever be spoken in reverent tones, there are others who can still make us laugh and cry and realize just how great life is while it's going on.
Such is the case with Rodney Branigan.
On Tuesday morning, fighting a virus that fogged my thinking as heavily as a case of beer and bottle of Tylenol PM, I crawled from my bedroom chamber to learn that Noel Redding — who'd smacked down many a deft bassline as a member of The Jimi Hendrix Experience — had died.
Sure, I know what you're saying: He was only the bass player. But let there be no doubt that what Redding did on the bass was akin to what Hendrix was doing on the guitar. Together with drummer Mitch Mitchell, Redding built the harmonic ladder on which Hendrix reached — and grasped — the music native to the stars.
I was reminded of that, that harmonic and melodic boldness, when I wandered into Barney's (in a for-now deeply quiet pocket of the westside) Tuesday night to catch Rodney Branigan on his first in the series of four nights in the Air Capital. Branigan, you see, is one of those guys who refuses to allow his instrument (whether voice or guitar) to merely pivot on the axis of Y and Z, one of those guys who first sees the guitar as an instrument of communication, then demands that the instrument communicate in a variety of languages.
Like a well-seasoned pianist, Branigan attacks his instrument with the fervor of a god who holds in one palm the world of harmony and melody and also that too-rarely-thought-of but all-important world of rhythm and chance. Whereas some allow would-be great moments to go unnoticed, to drift like just-passing rock icons into the ether, Branigan seizes each moment, takes each note by the throat and, after a good and gentle thrashing, lays it to rest.
Whether hammering time on the body of his road-weary acoustic guitar or happening upon seriously low-level (we're talking register, baby) notes with a neck hand that would make the most furious of fretboard warriors weep, or eliciting quiet, gently picked notes that might make the most gentle and sincere heart-on-sleeve troubadours weep, Branigan remains calm, as accidentally in charge as a beautiful substitute teacher.
But those moments that inch toward a certain perfection, happen often enough that one can wonder, almost aloud, what a guy like him is doing playing in a bar on Wednesday night.
We'll keep him, sure. But like people who happen along a Picasso in the men's room of a hole-in-the-wall tavern, we can't help but wonder how long it'll be until the secret gets out. - F5 Wichita

Friday, March 05, 2010

TIME OUT MUMBAI - Ten things you need to know about Rodney Branigan

Ten things you need to know about


Rodney Branigan

Rodney Branigan was born with the incredible ability to play two guitars at the same time. Time Out spoke to Branigan to find out more strange facts about the ambidextrous American and what to expect when he performs in Mumbai this fortnight.

1. He is extremely dualistic – but in a good way. “A fellow musician that I played with in Washington DC was working on a doctorate in brain studies. He spent some time studying some other odd skills that I possess such as writing, drawing, and painting with both hands at the same time and came to the conclusion that I have an extreme form of ambidexterity that he called extreme dualism.”

2. He discovered his powers accidentally. “It happened when I was a teaching a guitar lesson. My student was aware of my ambidexterity and asked if I could play two guitars at the same time. He handed me his guitar and I started playing both guitars at the same time instantly. I started writing a piece for two guitars and played it at my next show.”

3. He performs “progressive folk fusion”. “I call my music progressive folk fusion because I started my career on the road as more of a folk musician with an acoustic guitar. My style and techniques are changing gradually but constantly to include other forms of music such as flamenco, jazz, and blues.”

4. He is a multi-instrumentalist. “I play the drums, bass, double bass, harmonica, piano, banjo, mandolin, mandola, mandocello, and a load of Latin percussion instruments.”

5. He is a wandering minstrel. “Since 1998, I’ve toured coast to coast through the US, some of continental Europe, much of the UK, China, and some of India.”

6. He worships three guitar gods. “My first inspiration to perform came from watching my father perform with bands when I was younger. When I was a teenager, I saw a video of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Live at the El Mocambo and that was the inspiration for me to become what I am as a performer. Not long after that, I saw a video of Michael Hedges’s Live from Red Rocks and that was the inspiration to make me pick up the acoustic guitar as my weapon of choice.”

7. He will keep the classic rock fans happy. “I do some covers of Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Simon and Garfunkel because they have meant something to me at some point in my life. Jimi Hendrix especially was an artist that I listened to over and over again when I was a teenager until my parents were absolutely tired of it.”

8. He duets with his dog. “My white German shepherd Asta was on the road with me for eight years. I had trained him to come and sit on stage while I played.”

9. He likes cats too. “‘Here Kitty’ is about my cat running away and me trying to find it. The song sounds like a man looking for a woman until the chorus.”

10. He loves that we love our donkeys. “In April I was staying in Seven Bungalows and after having a late night dinner I happened upon a small heard of donkeys wandering around eating the grasses from the road medians. India is the only place in the world that I know of where the wild donkeys are considered residents and free to go walk around as they would like.” Amit Gurbaxani
Source : Time Out Mumbai ISSUE 14 Friday, March 05, 2010 - Time Out - Mumbai

Rodney Branigan
13 March 2010

Now resident in London, the Texan-born virtuoso guitar player Rodney Branigan brought something entirely different to the Wombwell Wheelhouse tonight, which included playing two syncopated guitars at the same time. You have to see it to believe it. With impressive musical dexterity, together with a good natured personality and maybe just a touch of complete madness, Rodney brought some of his jaw dropping guitar playing skills to an unsuspecting audience in Wombwell.

Opening with one of his party tricks, the seated musician held his first guitar in the standard position, albeit slightly to his right hand side, then propping a second guitar in an upright position between his legs, he played both instruments simultaneously, with his right hand almost violently attacking one guitar, whilst the fingers on his left hand 'shredded' the fret board of the second guitar. You would normally expect this to come across as a right old racket, but it actually came over surprisingly well. The Ambidextrous Duet also involves beating a tambourine with his foot and as if he didn't have enough to do, there was also a fair deal of guitar tapping and beating, a practice only advisable to those who know what they're doing, otherwise it could potentially become quite a costly exercise. Rodney owns up to the fact that during his apprenticeship year he wrote off no less than six guitars!

For those of us new to Rodney Branigan, there was an initial fear after this opening performance, that these shannanigans would constitute the bulk of his set, but fortunately for both him (especially his hands) and the audience, not to mention his poor instruments, the pyrotechnics were kept to a minimum. The only other time he put his guitar in any kind of danger was during his infamous 'Flip Trick', which he warned us earlier that he just might have to skip tonight due to the low ceiling in the Wheelhouse. The trick incorporates balancing one guitar on top of the other whilst playing both simultaneously, then during the performance, the two guitars somehow swap places in mid flight. Blink and you've missed it. Rodney however did feel suitably inspired to do the trick tonight, despite the low ceiling, which he pulled off superbly well to the amusement of all.

YouTube makes a big song and dance about these tricks, but what you don't see so much out there is the tender side of this singer songwriter. She Bled, written for the Domestic Abuse Hotline in Texas, is a beautifully sad song, which Rodney claims to be one of a very few sad songs he performs. With a voice reminiscent of the young Jeff Buckley, Rodney has the capacity to captivate an audience in the traditional way as well as with the help of all the trickery and gadgetry.

The same can be said for the well chosen songs from the repertoires of others. For the second time at the Wheelhouse recently, I was reminded of just how good Paul Simon's songs are after years of trying to avoid them. Madison Violet performed a stunning version of Mrs Robinson at the venue recently and tonight Rodney performed The Boxer, an over done song in early Seventies folk clubs but after a couple or three decades away, the re-vitalised song was most welcomed; I even joined in on the 'lie-la-lies'. Conversely, performing a Soundgarden song in the style of Johnny Cash would seem a little adventurous at first, but having said that, Johnny's swansong was in fact a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song, so I guess this take on Rusty Cage is not as unusual as you might think. Thom Yorke's Creep has often been heard in clubs since we first became aware of the Radiohead song in 1992, but seldom have I heard it performed with such conviction.

The Trilogy is a medley of three songs comprising Jamming With Mo, Heading Home and the Beatles' Come Together, which Rodney faithfully adapts for his own purposes. Rodney not only borders on the quirky, but often strays into down right eccentric territory. In a sort of commercial break mode, Rodney delivers a song that contains just the four words, sex, herpes, ouch and scratch, in that order, to a sort of familiar cocktail lounge melody, topped off with some scratching effects on the guitar; we are left in no doubt as to the singer's bizarre sense of humour.

This humour is not confined to quirky songs and raunchy jokes, which peppered his set tonight, but also in the clever way he utilises his instruments, as previously described. Towards the end of one song for instance, Rodney stretches out one leg, the one with the tambourine attached to his foot and performs a memorable ending to Remember Me, shaking the tambourine at an unfeasible rate, which rendered the silent audience frozen momentarily. How did he do that? "That's what happens when you gain a hold of your epilepsy and embrace it; lock your leg and shake a tambourine" was his explanation.

Towards the end of the night, almost as an afterthought, Rodney performed a stunning version of Jimi Hendrix's Castles Made of Sand, which reminded us of just how poetical Hendrix could be when he wasn't burning his guitar. There was a tangible and delighted buzz in the Wheelhouse tonight after Rodney's performance, which was one of the best received at the venue. It may have been the standard of musicianship, the teasingly naughty jokes, or maybe just the relief that the roof was still intact!
Allan Wilkinson
Northern Sky


See also...
Audio Interview http://www.allanwilkinson.co.uk/node/791
Interview: Rodney Branigan
Northern Sky had a chat to Texas born guitar virtuoso Rodney Branigan about song writing, guitars and ambidextrous duets.
By: Allan Wilkinson
Published: 13 March 2010 - 12:00am

- Allan Wilkinson