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Burning Bridget Cleary: Bio

Burning Bridget Cleary - Band Bio

 

    “One of the most exciting bands I’ve seen in the last couple of years!”  –Jack Baker, The Irish American News

     “ . . . a rockin’ Celtic sound”!    -irishphiladelphia.org

     “. . .  a highlight of this summer’s Philadelphia Folk Festival”.  - Michael Kornfeld, acousticmusicscene.com

Called “the Allman Brothers of Celtic fiddle bands, only prettier” (Mike Weekly, Pottstown Mercury), Burning Bridget Cleary now features the considerable musical talents of Rose Baldino and new member, Kat Watson, who lead the band with high-energy and tightly woven harmonies in both fiddle and vocals. The driving rhythm and bass end is supplied by Philadelphia native, Lou Baldino on guitar, and percussionist, Peter Trezzi, on djembe drum.

BBC has played hundreds of performances along the East Coast, and produced three CDs.  Their second production, Everything is Alright, was named “2009 Album of the Year” by Boston-based CelticRadio.net.  Their newest CD, Totes for Goats (March 2011), is receiving plenty of radio attention and praise from reviewers.

    "The most noticeable thing in Totes for Goats, in addition to the fierce fiddle playing, is the maturity of the girls' tightly woven vocal harmonies, which have acquired both depth and resonance" (Steve Siegel, The Morning Call).

In May 2011, Burning Bridget Cleary completed a weeklong tour of Ireland where they performed at seven different venues from Dublin to Galway. While there, the band had a "once in a lifetime" oppportunity to visit the rural Tipperary cottage of their namesake, Bridget Cleary, who is remembered as "the last witch burned in Ireland".  A 2012 musical tour to the Celtic region of France, with a ferry crossing to Ireland is scheduled for October 27-November 8, 2012.

 Known for their captivating sound and engaging stage presence, Burning Bridget Cleary is currently one of the hottest young acts on the Celtic and folk music circuits.

Recent /Upcoming Venues:

 

  • The Sellersville Theater (2012)
  • The Colonial Highland Games, Fair Hill, MD (2012)
  • The Philadelphia Folk Festival (2009, 2011)
  • Bethlehem Musikfest (2009, 2010, 2011)
  • World Café Live in Philadelphia (November 2010, March 2011)
  • The Celtic Classic (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011)
  • The Green Lane Scottish-Irish Fest (2006, 2007, 2010)
  • Horses Sing None of It Syndicated Folk Music TV 30 minute feature (March, 2011)
    • The Colonial Theater (with Tempest, Enter the Haggis)
    • The Philadelphia Folksong Society “Influences” Workshop Series (2010)
    • Godfrey Daniels Folk Listening Room, Bethlehem, PA  (2006, 2008, 2011)
    • The Tin Angel  (March & October, 2009)
    • WXPN Live Interview/performances on Gene Shay’s Folk Show  (4 appearances)
    • The Blackstone Valley Celtic Festival, Webster, MA  (2009)
    • The Virginia Highlands Music Festival, Abingdon, VA  (2009)
    • Mayfair Festival of the Arts, Allentown, PA (2008, 2009, 2010)         
    • The WNC Highlands Celtic Festival, Black Mountain, NC (2010)
    • The International Celtic Festival, Hunter Mountain, NY (2011)
    • The Great American Irish Festival  (2011)
    • The Blackstone River Theater Summer Solstice Festival (2011)
    • Our Times Coffeehouse, Garden City, NY  (2011)
    • Spring Gulch Folk Festival (2008)
    • Lansdowne Folk Club, Lansdowne, PA  (2011)
    • Ireland Musical Tour (2011)

Rose Baldino - Fiddle, vocals, banjo

Rose fell in love with the Irish culture at an early age. She began studying classical violin at age eight, and spent two years participating in the Young Musician's Community Orchestra. Since the age of thirteen, she has studied Celtic fiddle music, mainly with teacher/fiddler extraodinaire Deirdre Lochman of the Lochman Family Musicians and Dancers. Concurrently, she began attending traditional Irish music sessions and has studied with internationally known artists at Celtic summer music camps in Asheville, NC and Milwaukee, WI. Her most recent teacher has been Brendan Callahan of Philadelphia.

Rose is now a senior at Temple University, studying Communications. In high school, Rose participated in orchestra, concert, advanced, and show choirs. For four years, she played with the Itinerant Fiddlers at the Goschenhoppen Folk Festival in northern Montgomery County, PA. As part of a father-daughter duo, she and dad, Lou,  provided musical entertainment for Civil War balls, living history events, local clubs,  community, private and business venues in PA and DE for several years before the advent of "BBC".

Rose teaches fiddle lessons to students of all ages and is happily working as an intern for the Philadelphia Folksong Society.

Kat Watson - Fiddle, vocals

Kat Watson lived most of her life in Texas, surrounded by Celtic music from an early age.  Her Dad is a native Scot - and the Texas Watsons’ still make their traditional family shortbread - now in the shape of armadillos!

Kat began studying violin at ten years of age and fiddle-style at eleven. During high school, her family moved to the mountains of central California where she continued playing both classical and fiddle styles as she studied with Mischa Lefkowitz of the L.A. Philharmonic and played with the Tehachapi Symphony Orchestra.  Fiddle teachers included Andy Stein (Prairie Home Companion), Sandy MacIntyre (Cape Breton), Natalie Haas (cello), and Alasdair Fraser (Scottish fiddle).

After graduating with a B.S. in Accounting in 2009, Kat landed an accounting job and moved to Harrisburg. Finding few Celtic musicians in the area, Kat played with several rock groups, polishing her audience skills and developing an exceptional, high-energy performance style.

Kat is excited to return to her Celtic roots and BBC looks forward to exploring new directions with her. 

 P.S. Kat's given name is Katherin (kath-AIR-in), but she's happy to let us shorten it to “Kat”.

Lou Baldino - Guitar, vocals

Lou, a veteran in the music business, had a guitar in his hands at age 5 and began playing professionally at age 12. Throughout the 60's, 70's and 80's, he traveled and recorded with a variety of bands - including 3 years of travel with the famous Platters, as part of their backup band. Lou spent a good part of the 80's playing with the Michael Carney Orchestras out of NYC. With this orchestra, he had the honor of performing in Washington D.C., for the inauguration of President George H. W. Bush in 1988. Lou began backing up Rose's fiddle playing in 2002 and soon became immersed in a love for Celtic music. The rest is history.