Americana Music Magazine – Bluegrass, Roots, Folk, Blues, and Old-Time
By Greg Tutwiler
What happens when you get two friends together that just happen to be singer/songwriters? In the music world, that usually spells magic. And such is the case for Hollie Brogunier (Guitar/Vocals) and Kathy Redwine (Bass/Vocals). Hollie, originally from Maryland, and Kathy, hailing from Oregon, each moved to Nashville on their own accord to further their songwriting careers. Little did they know when they met back in 2008, that the connection would produce such a musically productive collaboration. Imagine Wilson Phillips meets Indigo Girls in a Country bar with a little backroom bluegrass jam. Bonding over things like music, motherhood, and the drink of choice, red wine, they aply named the duo, The Red Wine Effect making the whole thing official in 2010.
Musical Harmony
“We met in 2008 at a writers’ night at a Chick-fil-A,” the girls told me. “We both had young daughters close in age and we both sang harmony, so there was an instant connection both musically and personally. We started performing together at other writers’ nights in town, always doing harmony for each other. We realized quickly that people paid more attention to our music when we performed together. We often get asked if we are sisters because we look alike and our voices blend so well.”
“We met in 2008 at a writers’ night at a Chick-fil-A,” the girls told me. “We both had young daughters close in age and we both sang harmony, so there was an instant connection both musically and personally. We started performing together at other writers’ nights in town, always doing harmony for each other. We realized quickly that people paid more attention to our music when we performed together. We often get asked if we are sisters because we look alike and our voices blend so well.”
Although playing music is their passion, both still hold down full time employment. “Unfortunately, we do not play music full time,” Hollie said. “We both work for the same company, I as a software developer, and Kathy as a customer service analyst. We get to do 95% of our work from home, so when we go on the road, our jobs go with us. And that is both a curse and a blessing. Since Nashville is typically not the best place to find new fans, we don’t really have a geographic home base. We try to tour as much as we can with jobs and families.”
About The Music
Having so much time together, one would think that there would be a lot of duel songwriting going on, but that’s not always the case. “Sometimes we write together, sometimes we write independently, and sometimes we write with other people,” they said. “When deciding what to record, we each have opinions and suggestions, but ultimately we each get the final decision on half of the songs.”
Having so much time together, one would think that there would be a lot of duel songwriting going on, but that’s not always the case. “Sometimes we write together, sometimes we write independently, and sometimes we write with other people,” they said. “When deciding what to record, we each have opinions and suggestions, but ultimately we each get the final decision on half of the songs.”
They both feel like the best venues for connecting with their audience are House concerts, listening rooms, and wineries. “We try to avoid venues where we are just background noise, like a typical bar/restaurant scene,” Hollie said.
Their most recent CD, Red Wine Revelation, is a three song EP. The first, “Crossroads,” is an upbeat, positive protest of partisan politics, “Mudslide” is a wispy, introspective song about rebuilding after a devastating loss, and the third, “Road Trip,” is a fun song about our adventures touring in our RV. “It’s about 95% true,” they said.
“Oddly enough,” Hollie commented, “Red Wine Revelation was released in January 2015 at the CD release party for our other CD, Afternoon Cab, which was released in March 2014. Since we waited so long to have our release party, we thought we should have some new music for our fans, who had already been listening to the CD for nine months.”
What’s Next?
“We’re working on a multi-media show which will feature our music as well as video, lighting, and other production elements. We hope to have that ready to pitch to small to mid-sized performing arts centers by next year. Also, we’ll most certainly continue to tour the country in our RV, performing house concerts and experiencing new parts of the world with our kids. We’re thinking about northern California for 2016. Wine country? Yes please!”
“We’re working on a multi-media show which will feature our music as well as video, lighting, and other production elements. We hope to have that ready to pitch to small to mid-sized performing arts centers by next year. Also, we’ll most certainly continue to tour the country in our RV, performing house concerts and experiencing new parts of the world with our kids. We’re thinking about northern California for 2016. Wine country? Yes please!”