PERSONNEL
Laura Brophy is known throughout the West for her fiery fiddling and
improvisational talent. She first picked up a fiddle at the age of 11
and hasn't put it down since. Laura's distinctive technique combines
lyrical melodies and rhythmic innovation to give each tune a new twist.
Her fiddling first enlivened street jams in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
After coming to Oregon in 1986 she began playing for dancers and
developed the exciting style that fills the house and raises the roof at
festivals and dance events throughout the region.
Laura loves to jam with friends onstage or off. "The excitement of a musical conversation is a real high for me. Our energy goes out to the dancers and comes back to us tenfold."
What does a broke and piano-less pianist do in
Ireland? Colleen coped by getting a penny whistle; the whole thing got out
of control and she ended up with that plumbers’ nightmare known as the
uilleann pipes. She began to study voice because her singing left something
to be desired. That also got out of control, and now she performs lyric
soprano solo and ensemble work and teaches voice.
Colleen provides variety and glue to the band’s arrangements, with energetic whistle leads, expressive vocals, the plaintive sound of the pipes, or whatever else the music seems to need. She is delighted to be part of the Nettles because “we haven’t been quite... umm... domesticated.”
Chris Olds has been playing drums since age 11, professionally since 1979.
Chris is a classically-trained
musician who does almost every kind of drumming you've ever heard of,
including West African and Middle Eastern styles.
Starting with his first record back in 1986, Chris has recorded many
independent albums with various recording artists.
With hundreds of live performances and recording sessions under his belt you
can expect a solid groove when
Chris is around. You might even feel like dancing!
Kevin Johnsrude plays both guitar and bass.
He is The Nettles’
Rhythm Monster, using elements of Celtic music, American Oldtime,
world music, rock, jazz and funk to “drive the band wherever it wants
to go.” Kevin's playing runs the gamut from fast and hard-driving to
wistful and spacious.
“I like The Nettles,” says Kevin, “because we play traditional music from Ireland and around the world but we keep the music fresh. Our music remains true to its roots but we add something new to the music each time we play it. Traditional musicians can and should improvise to keep the tradition alive.”
When asked about his musical influences, Kevin said “I like it all. We are living in one of the Golden Ages of music. It's staggering how much truly great music is being played right now by musicians that most people have never heard of.”