Bronwyn Keith-Hynes returns to Paducah Beer Werks as part of her "I Built A World" tour for her upcoming solo album of the same name. Keith-Hynes is a bluegrass fiddle player for Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway and has performed alongside bands like Old Crow Medicine Show and Leftover Salmon. She speaks with Morning Edition host Daniel Hurt about her new album, her creative process, and her upcoming Paducah show.
Keith-Hynes said that she had such a positive experience in Paducah back in May.
“It was awesome,” she said, “I had to come back. Y'all were so great to me. It was really fun. It's always kind of a gamble playing in a new city and a new town that you never played in before, but the people really came out. And a lot of musicians came out, a lot of bluegrass players. So that was really cool.”
Keith-Hynes on becoming a Vocalist
When Keith-Hynes appeared in Paducah previously, her album, I Built a World, had not yet been released, but this time, copies will be available. Her sophomore release will be the first album to feature her vocal performance.
“This is my debut vocal album. I've been thrilled with how it's been received. It's been getting a lot of airplay on the charts. Three different singles from it went number one on the Bluegrass Today charts, which was shocking and super awesome,” she said. “I've been really excited about that, and I didn't have those records last time I came to Paducah, so I'm glad I'll finally be able to get them to people.”
"There's a lot more work," Keith-Hynes said of switching to both vocals and fiddle. "But I feel like I experienced the music differently. It's like you're driving the ship rather than one of the people with the oars. It is such a different feeling. I feel like maybe the transition from fiddle to vocals is something to get used to, but the more I do it, the more it becomes second nature. I feel like singing feels more natural than picking up another instrument."
The title track of her sophomore release is about daydreaming and being in one's own little world. Keith-Hynes said others have approached her and told her what the song meant to them, putting their own story in it.
"Somebody told me it saved their marriage," she continued. "To me, I grew up this hippie homeschooler kid that was always out in nature and having my own daydreams about what was happening. What the song is to me is about being independent and not needing anybody else." Love is also a common theme in I Built a World, which is appropriate, considering Keith-Hynes got engaged this year.
She says she would like to be more involved in songwriting on her next record in the future. "A little bit more of this past record was gathered," the musician explained. "There were a lot of songs from my community and songwriters that I was friends with. This next record, I think it'd be cool if I wrote it."
"That might take a while," she added. "Honestly, it's not something I've done that much of, but there's a lot of songwriters in Nashville, and that's one of my goals for this winter — to spend more time with them."
Returning to Paducah
Keith-Hynes said she's excited to bring her band to Paducah, whom she calls world-class musicians. "It's a couple of the same folks and some other ringers. Frank Rische is going to be playing guitar. He usually plays with Jim Lauderdale. Wes Corbett is going to be playing banjo, Jeff Picker on bass, who's been out with Nickel Creek recently, and Thomas Cassell on mandolin. It's a dream team."
Paducah fiddler Josh Coffey will be opening for Keith-Hynes and her band. His music has been a staple of the region for decades, serving in bands like the Solid Rock'It Boosters, the Wheelhouse Rousters, and others. "I'm pumped that he would do that," Keith-Hynes said. "I'm really excited to hear him play. I can't wait."
Keith-Hynes said she hopes people come out and enjoy some "fast fiddling and soulful singing with a world-class bluegrass band." She will be performing at Paducah Beer Werks on Friday, August 16, at 7 pm. Ticket information can be found on Paducah Beer Werks' Facebook page or Eventbrite.
