Local Spin: Interview with Briget Boyle

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(Photo by April Renae)

When I ponder my favorite singer-songwriters, I think about musicians that are authentic, honest, and speak from the inside out.  Catchy hooks don’t hurt, either.  Local musician Briget Boyle (www.brigetboyle.com) exemplifies these characteristics in her debut solo album, The Parts Interior.  After many years spent performing in an assortment of music groups within multiple musical genres, Briget has now broken out as an individual songwriter and the result is an album both emotionally resonant and beautifully harmonious!   I spoke with Briget about The Parts Interior and her journey to this point…

You’ve been on a long musical journey involving various groups and projects.  What made now the right time for your solo debut?

Well, I had carved out a lot of space for myself creatively. Brass Menažeri is no longer together and I left Kitka a few years ago, and that space has given me the time to start writing again and really dig into myself as a songwriter.  There was something holding me back for a long time.  I wasn’t writing for a while.  It’s hard to say exactly what it was, but I’ve been doing a lot of work on myself over the last couple of years and through that work, both emotionally and spiritually, I realized that I needed to let my songwriter shine.  I had a lot of support from my partner, Harlow, and my community.  I was able to raise money to do this and it all just fell into place really nicely.

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Show Review: Elbow at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, 7/22/09

Guy Garvey and the Mirrorball about which he may be singing.
Guy Garvey and the Mirrorball about which he may be singing.

Last night, I finally visited The Wiltern in Los Angeles to see my current favorite band, Elbow. [Editor’s note: expect lots of fanboy gushing.] They’re in the U.S. supporting Coldplay, and they added three headline dates. Since none of their shows–the support or headline ones–are coming up to the Bay Area, I decided that I would fly down for the show as well as take the opportunity to visit with some of my Southland friends and drop in on Disneyland, too. Travelling for a show automatically raises the stakes and makes it harder to live up to expectations. So how did this night go? Continue reading “Show Review: Elbow at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, 7/22/09”