Live in Iraq

Nell Bryden has the heart of an artist, the mind of a storyteller and the restless soul of a troubadour. These traits are in the genes of the native New Yorker – her parents are a painter and opera singer. But the self-belief and tireless work ethic that have seen her travel 300,000 miles to play 1,400 shows over the past seven years are all her own.Along the way Nell Bryden has picked up numerous fans, a few good friends, and a lifetime of tales to tell. Greewich Vilage “Shake The Tree” is the latest chapter on that journey. Born from personal experience, and sung with the heartfelt passion that’s her trademark, its 11 new songs signal a new turn in a career that’s been the result of talent, hard work and more than a little good fortune.In the past she has recorded in Nashville, New Orleans and New York. This time she’s written and recorded her album in and around London: her adopted second home. “A lot of the songs are about starting over, about rebirth and rebuilding,” says Nell. “And finding my way home… wherever that is.” Live in Iraq Nell’s musical education began with childhood cello lessons. Her first dream was to become an opera singer like her mother Jane, a classical soprano who sang at Carnegie Hall. Then she heard Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin and never looked back. Nell Bryden Her worldwide adventures began on a gap year in Australia, where she bought a cheap guitar. She began to write and sing songs on travels that took her to a refugee camp in Thailand and, back in the USA, a drop-zone in Arizona where she made daily free-fall jumps. Shake the tree She paid her dues in the pubs and clubs of Boston while studying for an English Literature degree and, after graduating with honours, polished her songwriting and performing back in New York. Music became even more of a solace to her in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, which she witnessed from her apartment windows in Greenwich Village. Delving into old-time American music, she recorded her debut album in Nashville, tapping into the town’s country heritage for inspiration. “But,” she admits, “I still hadn’t found my voice.” Nell Bryden Music She would find it in New Orleans, where Nell fell in love with the Big Easy’s musical melting pot – “jazz, blues, folk, country, cajun, zydeco. everything except rock!” – and found further inspiration in the resilience of people rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Katrina. Nell Bryden Fans Next came Europe. From her tiny Greenwich Village apartment, Nell booked herself a month-long tour of Ireland, Scotland and Holland. Arriving in a foreign land with “just a suitcase and my acoustic guitar,” she travelled from gig to gig by bus, sleeping on couches that generations of musicians had used before her. “I played 30 venues and all of them booked me to come back.” So she did – time and again. What does it take