By Danny Coleman
originally published: 02/25/2021
"I've complained about it my whole life because I've got to spell it and spell it and spell it but it has served me well," said Nashville recording artist Brennen Leigh as she lamented her name's unique spelling.
There are terms for artists whose journeys have taken them far and wide, such as "Well traveled" or "Bounced around" come to mind but Brennen is neither of those; she's more like a confident stroll and that confidence has served her as well as her name. You see, Brennen's vocal stylings and lyrical content are honest and open with a vulnerability that many artists strive for yet few seem to achieve. What is elusive to others seems to flow from her with ease giving her an air of approachability wrapped in a twinge of intimidation.
Perhaps to fully understand this talented artist, we need to know some of the path she's trod to achieve the success she has enjoyed thus far. This guitar and mandolin player has written material that has been recorded by Lee Ann Womack, Rodney Crowell and Charley Crockett to name several and it all started out in the upper mid-west.
"Yeah, it's not interesting to me but it might be interesting to others," she said with a laugh. "I grew up in Minnesota, just on the North Dakota state line; I was a musician as a teenager there with my brother. My brother and I toured as a a duo, kind of a bluegrass thing and then I moved to Texas when I was 19 and I lived there for just shy of 15 years and then I moved here to Nashville in 2016 and this is a great place to live with a great music scene; it's a wonderful community. I think Nashville is definitely a country music town as it has always been but I think in a way that's changing a little; you still have that core of country artists and musicians which is very, very strong but I'm seeing other genres here more than there used to be."
Along the way she has put out five solo albums, amassed a loyal following here in the U.S and has a strong presence in Europe and Scandinavia and has recently released her sixth album titled, "Prairie Love Letter;" which she initially balked at doing but is rather happy that she did.
"Well, it was new in September;" she explained, "I was anxious about that because no one knew how long this would last, no one knew how the reception of original music would be and there was an element of concern that maybe the material would feel obsolete with the gravity of what has been going with all of the 2020 issues; racial unrest and the pandemic of course and there was an element of worry that I was doing something kind of selfish or self-serving by putting out music. There was also the worry that it would get totally buried because it seemed like every day there was some traumatic thing in the news and I was concerned; what if I put it out and then the same day "Insert world event here" might happen but I put it out and I kind of just trusted my cape and I'm so happy I did because a lot of people told me that this wqs something that got them through this tough time and the subject matter did feel relevant to people. I really gambled on that but it was a good choice and now I feel that much more connected to the fans."
"Prairie Love Letter," is sort of a concept album," she continued. "Over the course of the last decade and a half I have lived in the South and I have spent the whole time enjoying where I was but I also had this thread of homesickness. So, I was slowly writing songs about home because that's just where my heart went and so I ended up accruing enough of these tunes that were kind of about that area and I ended up compiling them for this sort of love letter to the prairie and the whole album is about that area."
"The whole album" as she says, is 12 tracks of descriptive stories; musical pictures if you will which seem to give one a smattering of her life "On the prairie" at various stages and just like with every good story, there is a supporting cast. Brennen often shares her stage with others but there's one gentleman in particular who she has been working with for quite some time; a guitarist whose vocals compliment hers and one who helps create an on-stage chemistry that engages audiences immediately.
"Noel McKay, he's a Texan and I met him at a gig in Seguin, TX a long time ago and we started playing together and then we moved here in 2016. He's here now, we both write for the same publishing company and we both play around Nashville and tour, well, we did tour; we'll see when that kicks off again."
However, Brennen doesn't stop there; she gives credit where credit is due and she readily hands out praise for one of her co-writers on the new record.
"Melissa Carper is a dear friend and she is putting out a new album that is absolutely fantastic and I mention her because we wrote the second track on my album together; a song called "Billy & Beau" which is a song about some friends back home; it's a love story. Melissa is so special and so fantastic; you've got to really listen to her."
To discover more about Brennen Leigh or purchase her music; please visit www.brennenleigh.net.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
This week's event listings
Broken Goblet Brewing 2500 State Road Bensalem, PA
(267) 812-5653
Sat. 8 p.m. Kinky Quizzo
Wed. 8 p.m. Open Mic w/ Cara Cartney
All Shows 21+
Championship Bar 931 Chambers street Trenton
(609) 396-5457
Tuesday 8 p.m. "Jam Night" Hosted by Nikki & Caleb
Ages 21+
COARadio.com 125 South Main Street Hightstown
(609) 241-7103
Sun. 7 p.m. "Rock On Radio" feat. Jet Stream
Cooper's Riverview 50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 7 p.m. Unleashed
Fri. 7 p.m. Shameless
Sat. 7 p.m. Journey Tribute w/ "Highway Run"
Sun. 11 a.m. "Sunday Latin Brunch"
Mon. 7 p.m. "Sunny Monday Blues Jam" and Country Music Night
Tues. 8 p.m. Karaoke w/ Karen and Mark
All Events Ages 21+
Dog & Bull Brew House 810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Fri. 6 p.m. Vince Schneider
Sat. 4 p.m. Mike Brill
Sun. 4 p.m. Eddie from NBAN
Gleason's Bar6700 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(215) 943-4781
Thurs. 6 p.m. Ryan & Alex Duo
Fri. 6 p.m. "Happy Hour" w/ Casey Weldon
Greenhouse 90 South Main Street New Hope, PA
(215) 693-1657
Thurs. 8 p.m. "Musicians Night Out" Hosted by Lovelight
Tues. 8 p.m. Open Mic Hosted by Sam Ryan
Wed. 8 p.m. Trivia Hosted by Dwayne Dunlevy
Hopewell Valley Vineyards 46 Yard Avenue Pennington
(609) 737-4465
Fri. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. Roundabout
Sat. 4 p.m. "Music & Merlot" feat. Rainbow Fresh
Sun. 1 p.m. "Jazzy Sundays" feat. Vince di Mura
Killarney's Publick House 1644 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road Hamilton
(609) 586-1166
Thurs. 5 p.m. "Girls Night Out" w/ Radio Fiction
McGuinn's Place 1781 Brunswick Avenue Lawrence
(609) 392-0599
Tues. 9 p.m. Karaoke
New Hope Winery 6123 Lower York Road New Hope, PA
(215) 794-2331
Sat. 1 p.m. Russell Norkevich
Sun. 1 p.m. Stranger Things
NJWeedman's Joint322 East State Street Trenton
(609) 437-0898
Sun. 2 p.m. Ziggy Isaacs
O'Fowley's Tavern & Grill200 State Road Croydon, PA
(215) 785-6998
Fri. 8 p.m. DJ Entertainment
Sat. (11 a.m.) Polar Bear Plunge Fundraiser feat. (1 p.m.) Never Enough
Palmer SquareNassau Street Princeton
Thurs. 4 p.m. "Skating On The Square" $10/$12 (Includes skate rental)
Fri. 4 p.m. "Skating On The Square" $10/$12 (Includes skate rental)
Sat.12 p.m./4 p.m. "Skating On the Square" $10/$12 (Includes skate rental)
Sun 12 p.m./4 p.m. "Skating On the Square" $10/$12 (Includes skate rental)
Pasquale's Sports Bar9078 Mill Creek Road Levittown, PA
(267) 202-6268
Fri. 5 p.m. Happy Hour feat. Bill Monach
Patriots Crossing 1339 River Road Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic Night
Wed. 7 p.m. "Quizzo"
Recklesstown Farm Distillery2800 Route 206 North Columbus
(609) 784-8046
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Trivia
Revere Restaurant802 River Road Ewing
(609) 882-6365
Wed. 7 p.m. David Boyd
Temperance House 5 South State Street Newtown, PA
(215) 944-8050
Thurs. 7p.m. "Blues Night" w/ Steve Guyger
Fri. 7 p.m. Bad Hombres
Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia w/ Righteous Jolly (outdoors)
TGI Fridays3535 U.S. Route 1 North #275 Princeton
(609) 520-0378
Fri. 4 p.m. Kim Yarson & Son
The Buck Hotel1200 Buck Road Feasterville, PA
(215) 396-2002
Fri. 7 p.m. Love Junk
Sat. 7 p.m. Danny Lunch Duo
The Cool Cricket 216 Burlington Street Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 8 p.m. Union
Train Wreck Distillery25 Madison Avenue Mount Holly
(609) 288-6300
Sat. 7 p.m. Dave Murray
Sun. 2 p.m. Radio Fiction
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Thurs. 8 p.m. Trivia
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Stage
All shows 21+
Working Dog Winery 610 Windsor Perrineville Road Hightstown
(609) 371-6000
Sat. 1 p.m. Brooke DiCaro
WWFM 89.1 FM HD2 RadioMCCC Old Trenton Road West Windsor
Jazzon2.org
Mon. 7 p.m. "Danny Coleman's Got The Blues"
Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.
EVENT PREVIEWS
State Theatre New Jersey presents Itzhak Perlman in Recital
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Itzhak Perlman in Recital on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 3:00pm. Perlman, joined by his longtime recital partner Rohan De Silva, returns to STNJ in one of the most anticipated events of the season as he celebrates his 80th birthday. The program will include Mozart's Sonata for Violin and Piano, No. 3 in B-flat Major; Franck's Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major; Dvořák's Sonatina in G Major; and others to be announced from the stage.
Two Generations of Jazz: Pianist Caelan Cardello and Bassist Rufus Reid at April Jersey Jazz LIVE!
"I find it wonderfully satisfying and enjoyable to make music with Caelan. The evening will go like the wind, and it is unfortunate we have only one set, but there will be more opportunities. Don't be late!"
Krakauer & Tagg's Good Vibes Explosion comes to OCC's Grunin Center on Sunday
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College will come alive with the energy and extraordinary sounds of Krakauer & Tagg's Good Vibes Explosion on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 3:00pm.
Berlin Under A presents "Roots Rock Women" on April 16th
(NEW YORK, NY) -- Berlin Under A presents "Roots Rock Women" on Thursday, April 16, 2026 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. The lineup includes Debra Devi, Faith NYC, Stephanie Marie & The Double-Knit Players. Doors are at 5:30pm.
The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Susan Werner
(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Susan Werner on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 7:30pm. Over the course of her twenty five year career, Susan Werner has earned a reputation as "one of the most innovative songwriters working today" (Chicago Tribune).
State Theatre New Jersey presents The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 7:30pm. This is the ultimate ABBA tribute, touring through North America for the past 20 years. The audience and the press all agree that "This is the closest to ABBA you'll ever get!"
Bergen Institute for the Creative Arts at Bergen Community College presents Back to Bergen on April 16th
(PARAMUS, NJ) -- The Bergen Institute for the Creative Arts at Bergen Community College presents Back to Bergen, a new live music concert series featuring none other than the college's own music program graduates performing original music and classics. Held Thursday, April 16, 2026 at the college's Ciccone Theater, the inaugural installment will showcase the program's success at producing top notch musicians across a variety of genres from classical and jazz to R&B, pop and rock.
WilloLand Duo performs on April 16 as part of Westminster Conservatory Noontime Series
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- On Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 12:15pm, Westminster Conservatory at Nassau will present the WilloLand Duo. The performers, Kevin Willois, flute and Patricia Tupta Landy, piano, are members of the teaching faculty of Westminster Conservatory. The recital will take place in the Niles Chapel of Nassau Presbyterian Church (61 Nassau Street) in Princeton. It is open to the public free of charge.
MPAC presents Patti LaBelle on April 17th
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Legendary vocalist Patti LaBelle comes to Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. Beautiful, simply does not describe the incomparable force known to the world as Patti LaBelle. Through the years, the songbird's name has become synonymous with grace, style, and class.
Killer Queen to Perform at Scottish Rite Auditorium
(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- Killer Queen, the award-winning UK-based Queen Tribute featuring the incredible Patrick Myers as Freddie Mercury, will perform at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 8:00pm. The group's ambitious twelve-week 2026 US Tour runs from April 16 to October 23.
