Brigid Kaelin profile picture

Brigid Kaelin

You need more accordion in your life. Admit it.

About Me

Purchase your copy of WEST 28th STREET today! Click "Buy Now"
NEW ALBUM DUE OUT SPRING 2008!
Purchase her debut CD, Keep Your Secrets from iTunes or click "Buy Now" to purchase from CDBaby.com.
Brigid Kaelin made the front page of the Nashville newspaper on her very first day in town. Wherever she goes, people pay attention.
In the past year, Kaelin has played accordion-piano-musical saw-and sung with Elvis Costello & the Imposters , , and accordion with No1-charting rock band Seven Mary Three , , and piano with saxophone legend Maceo Parker , Sun Records producer/engineer Cowboy Jack Clement , Johnny Cash's drummer W.S. "Fluke" Holland , Nashville's famed MuzikMafia , the Nashville Star House Band , Louisville rocker Tim Krekel , Walk Hard songwriter Dan Bern , LA/Louisville favorite Love Jones and many others.
Kaelin's novelty Chanukah record, Mazel Tonk!, received national airplay on countless radio stations, and the video for her single, "Blue Dreidel No. 9," was one of the most popular YouTube videos of the holiday season. But Kaelin is more than just a novelty act.
Recently voted Number 33 in WFPK's "Greatest Artists of All Time" Countdown (John Prine was 34 and Bob Dylan 29), Brigid Kaelin is a Louisville favorite and bestseller. Her debut, Keep Your Secrets outsold all other local artists in 2005 AND 2006, and was voted Number 225 in WFPK's Top 919 Albums of All Time. (Johnny Cash was 224)
Brigid Kaelin was one of 56 worldwide finalists in the USA Networks's 2007 season of Nashville Star,, and her song "Future Mr. Used-to-Be" won an Honor Award in the Great American Song Contest.
After graduating summa cum laude from New York University at age 20, Brigid Kaelin produced documentaries for CBS News in NYC. The youngest Associate Producer on staff, Kaelin left her career behind her when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. While her mother went through treatment, Kaelin began singing in Louisville dive bars. She never went back to television.
Known for her clever songwriting and energetic live show, Brigid Kaelin is also a seriously trained musician. You may come to the show for her red hair, and you may laugh at the yodeling. But then you’ll be completely amazed by her virtuosic chops on the accordion, piano, guitar, and musical saw, and suddenly you’ll realize that you love her songs too. Part vaudeville, part rock, Kaelin writes killer songs and knows how to entertain.
Kaelin is also a top-notch session musician and a sought-after utility player. She loves touring in other people's bands and playing her own music along the way. And when she’s in charge of the microphone, the whole room listens.
Brigid is currently on tour with indie-rock legend Peter Searcy , as a keyboardist/utility player in his touring band.
Her dream job is playing accordion for John Prine , but she loves supporting good, talented, fun songwriters in any style of music.
And she knows that you need more accordion in your life. It's just what you've been missing.
Brigid can be found in Louisville, Nashville, or on the road.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 6/22/2005
Band Website: brigidkaelin.com
Band Members: Brigid's story (from Nashville Star finals' video):

Brigid Kaelin : accordion, piano, acoustic guitar, musical saw, yodeling, etc.

The YouTube Phenomenon: THE DREIDEL SONG! (Blue Dreidel No. 9)

On my TBA record: Peter Searcy, Justin Craig, Robby Cosenza, Duane Lundy, and MuzikMafia's Shannon Lawson .

On my Chanukah single: Peter Searcy, J. Scott Lankford, Ben Andrews, Randy Bolton, Allison Stovall.

On Keep Your Secrets, Brigid Kaelin's debut CD, which is available for purchase at CDBaby.com or from iTunes :
Tim Krekel , Peter Searcy , Danny Flanigan , Aaron Montgomery, Jimmy Brown (cheers to Guitar Emporium!), Nick Reifsteck, Mick Sullivan, Joe Burchett.
Influences: John Prine, Cole Porter, Carole King, Lyle Lovett, Loretta Lynn, irish ballads, jazz standards, lyricists.
Sounds Like: Lyle Lovett, Kasey Chambers, Nellie McKay, Sarah Vaughn, Kitty Wells, with a rock band and an accordion.

Brigid and the musical saw:
PRAISE for Brigid Kaelin

" ...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."- New Southerner Magazine

"To say she is multi-talented is certainly an understatement." - Today's Woman Magazine

"The woman can write songs." - Louisville Music News

"...[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

"...clever, thoughtful songwriting." - Louisville Magazine

"An amazing singer." - WFPK Radio Louisville

"Brigid Kaelin is always a treat." - The Courier Journal

"...successfully merges compelling lyrics with a strong but vulnerable voice perfect for melancholy ballads as well as up-tempo sing-alongs." - LEO Weekly, Sara Havens

"Subtle and seductive." - Stephen George, LEO Weekly


Record Label: none
Type of Label: None

My Blog

The Past Weeks Adventures

The sensational drummer Paul Culligan -- a good friend too, except that he can never spell my name properly -- picked me up last week to head out on the road with Days of the New. He brought every dr...
Posted by Brigid Kaelin on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:34:00 PST

My love life.

Got your attention, did I?I have been single for about two years now. This is not an advertisement. I absolutely love it. One of my favorite parts about being single is that I feel no guilt when I t...
Posted by Brigid Kaelin on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:37:00 PST

Am I a weakling?

When I was a kid, I remember my friends were always having to go get allergy shots. I thought I was the strong one. My friends were always sick, missing school, blowing their weak little noses, and I...
Posted by Brigid Kaelin on Mon, 26 May 2008 08:59:00 PST

A few thoughts

A few observations. * Jason at earx-tacy had the best comment on the Elvis story when he likened it to: Batman randomly showing up at his door at midnight and saying, "I need your help for a missio...
Posted by Brigid Kaelin on Tue, 20 May 2008 08:53:00 PST

Elvis. Oh. My. God.

Text message, from Mom, received 4:37pm: OmgFirst, let me point out that my Mom wrote "Omg" in a text message. I was still grinning madly in my car when I read the message, stopped at a red-light on B...
Posted by Brigid Kaelin on Thu, 08 May 2008 09:53:00 PST

Derby, Mint Jubilee, 7M3, Parties, Garde

La la la la la.That's a little line from my new record: La, la, la, la, la.I put it in there, intending to find lyrics to plug in, but decided that the "La la la" actually fit the song better. And i'...
Posted by Brigid Kaelin on Wed, 07 May 2008 10:43:00 PST

My little dog, Guinness

I really miss my dog, Guinness. He's not dead, at least I don't think so. He's over at George's house. George is my brother (adopted), a 125-pound Chocolate Lab. George is Guinness's uncle and als...
Posted by Brigid Kaelin on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:29:00 PST

Flashy clothes and salsa music

I went to Nashville on Friday to play one gig with Danny Salazar, a fantastic singer/songwriter who writes mostly in Spanish. It was good practice for my ears, both musically and linguistically. I s...
Posted by Brigid Kaelin on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:43:00 PST

Enjoy yourself. Its later than you think. (Utah & beyond)

If you know me at all, you know I love a good adventure. I rarely say "No" to an interesting invitation, unless I'm out of the country or am throwing up. I am not one of those people who asks, "Who'...
Posted by Brigid Kaelin on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:57:00 PST

A new day at the circus.

Ok first of all : apologies for typos and laziness with paragraphs. I'm blogging from my iPhone.I ran off to Utah unexpectedly. To join the circus. Or an art rock band, whichever you prefer.Not much d...
Posted by Brigid Kaelin on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:06:00 PST