“A dreamy Christmas waltz with clear uncomplicated vocals, a lovely melody, and a crescendo of twin fiddles interlaced into a tranquil love song -- like a glittering enchanted snowglobe.”  ​

Minna Biggs - composer, vocals, violin
Casey Friedman - acoustic guitar, bass
Taylor Johnson - audio engineer, electric guitar, keyboard, bells  

​Buy or hear it on Spotify, CD Baby, Amazon, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Itunes.

The best kind of Christmas miracle took place seven years ago while wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve; Casey and I realized we loved each other. It’s serendipitous a Christmas song is our first multi-track studio recording of an original composition.  The lyrics and emotion were inspired by the heartfelt yuletide scene in the book Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli. It is a popular book with elementary school age readers.  It tells the story of an orphaned boy in search of a new family.  The musical style of the song was influenced by the gorgeous love ballads of the 1940s.

We loved the music we heard produced by the talented local musician and audio engineer, Taylor Johnson at Lunar Manor. We knew we wanted to work with him.  Lunar Manor resides in the basement of the imposing Valliance Bank Tower.  In the oil boom days of the 1980s it was a posh state-of-the-art multi media facility.  These days it’s a bit more scruffy and down to earth. A handful of local musicians and audio engineers occupy the space. 

​In one of the old photo developement dark rooms with finicky doors, we finished the recording in three sessions, punctuated by turkey club sandwiches at Jesse’s Deli, just down the hall from Lunar Manor.  Taylor Johnson was so much fun to work with, and we’re proud of what he helped us create. ​

In April we got our first gig playing at a grocery store.  It’s an unusual place for live entertainment, but what a brilliant idea; it totally works. Live music makes a trip to the grocery store so much more fun.

We love it; the customers and staff love it.  What a welcome surprise for shoppers. They stand considering an onion, a steak, whatever, beautiful music floats over, and BAM we come strolling into view. There is a double take and then a smile. Little babies riding in carts tune in. Bigger kids do silly dances and clap along, laughing. We cruise through the produce section, down the dairy aisle, through the bakery.  The camera phones come out. Relatives in other states get messages saying, “Look! We have live music in our grocery stores!”

Buy for Less has it’s heart in the right place. They're supporting the arts on the ground level. Who would think that bringing local culture to their patrons would be a mission for a grocery chain?  Remarkable! This sets them apart from most businesses. Thanks Buy for Less / Uptown!

Watch us in action on YouTube strolling through the grocery aisles!

We became a couple before we were a band.  Love shines through the songs we play. The music is fiddle-centric and simple, takes you back in time, yet it’s vibrant and alive. Lately, we are playing where you’d least expect: grocery stores, street corners, neighborhood picnics, marathons, and weddings.   We are strolling musicians who can play unplugged with no stage separating us from an audience.  We love our Wednesday night residency at Sean Cummings Irish Pub on N. May.  We dream of playing in all conceivable venues, especially Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater or the Temple Bar in Dublin Ireland. 

Now let us brag for a moment- we are featured musicians in the new movie Rudderless, a musical drama directed by William H. Macy in theaters fall 2014! It has spurred us to step up with a debut album of original music aimed to coincide with the movie’s release. We are known as a happy duo with a strong rhythmic side, balanced by pretty melodies and a splash of singing. We are focusing more on lyrics and singing for this album.  Our vision is to give the world optimistic music about things that matter, music that is uplifting and fun.  We are looking for a recording studio that feels like home.

Along with this new album and the public release of Rudderless, we also foresee gathering an ensemble of spirited musicians for stage shows.  Who could they be? We are searching the air-waves for the right tune masters.  

Eight months have passed since our last Rudderless blog. We wondered and hoped, would we make the final cut? Rudderless made its debut on the closing night of the Sundance Film Festival in January. Friend and co-star Chelsey Cope ventured up to the festival in snowy Park City, Utah to see Rudderless for the first time.  She brought back good news. We made the cut, and the film had received a standing ovation!  We were excited. People really liked the movie, and we were in it.

Before HonkyTonk StepChild, there was Burlap Tuxedo. That’s when Casey and I first began playing music together. 

The story begins about three years ago with The Rock Bottom Ramblers.  Their high-energy bluegrass rocked. Casey was a big fan.  He hounded them for a year to participate in Acoustic Oklahoma before singer Tracy Ross finally visited the studio.  Tracy’s band was going through a break-up, he wanted to start a new group.

Casey was excited, “I’ll play bass!”  So June 7, 2011 during a massive thunderstorm, they rehearsed for the first time in the huge space above the HornTrader.  Thunder boomed all around intense and ominous while they got their act together.    

Sean Cummings is the real deal traditional Irish Pub, complete with Celtic music, no exceptions. They have live music seven nights a week.  You wouldn’t think there are so many Celtic musicians in OKC, but there are, and here is why:  While many music scenes are exclusive clubs resisting musicians from outside their clique, Sean Cummings' Pub takes a different approach. Everyone is welcome, as long as they play Celtic music, simple as that. It’s a cozy place to experience and celebrate the culture.

Over winter break cabin fever set in, and we decided spur-of-the-moment to head over to Sean Cummings.  Roger Graham, a friend and supporter from the Acoustic Oklahoma days, had a gig there.   We stepped in and chatted with him for a moment.  He said, “It’s a shame you didn’t bring your instruments.”  Casey replied, “Actually we did.”  Roger exclaimed, “What are you waiting for, bring em in here!!” So we played the three Celtic tunes we knew for the pub.  

           
 One bright morning, back when Casey and I were still playing in Burlap Tuxedo, before there was a HonkyTonk StepChild, we were cruising down May Avenue.  We were passing the Dunkin’ Donuts when I misread a sign,  “Coffee Jesus!?” I exclaimed.  “No,” Casey explained, “that says Coffee Jobs, but I like that.  Coffee Jesus has a ring to it.”  

The Hollywood movie Oklahoma had been buzzing about was just a few steps away, in a hallowed out shell of a hundred year old shopping mall. Bare brick walls, high tin ceilings, and timeworn wooden floors were brimming with camera gear, and people. It was organized chaos stumbling towards magic.

Extras were corralled along the back wall, sitting on folding chairs, finishing their boxed lunches. Everybody wondered who everybody else was. 

Recording at a studio has been on the top of our list for a while.  We’d been looking for some sort of direction, a sign.  It came one Sunday on the Plaza.  We were playing out front of Warpaint Studio when Derek Knowlton, the owner, emerged.  He said, “Hey man, you need a foot tambourine.”  He soon brought one. Casey put it on his foot and jangled out the beat.  Derek listened for a minute. 

A couple days later Derek sent a text.  He had a new recording studio in the basement of Warpaint, and wanted Casey to check it out.  Casey responded, “How about we just record something?”

In the time between the callback and the shoot, Casey’s beard and hair had reached a larger-than-life fierceness I had never before witnessed. Friends were heckling him on Face Book.  It was a conundrum. He was afraid to trim up, since the Rudderless people had loved his look, but was growing more desperate to use the buzz clippers everyday.   It was spring turning to summer, the day before we headed to Guthrie, and Casey figured out a compromise. He buzzed the beard, but left his noggin undomesticated.

We also fretted about our clothes. We were supposed to bring three or four choices for the wardrobe people.  We were given no direction except that we couldn’t wear red, white, or logos.  The morning of the filming we bucked up, picked out some clothes, loaded our instruments, and set out north for Guthrie.

Thirty-five minutes later we were meandering around old town Guthrie, trying to locate the fictitious Trill Tavern. Instead we found a parking lot brimming with sparkling clean motor homes and trailers: the Rudderless camp!  It was the first hot day of the year.  Gas powered generators clamored and air conditioners hummed.

We checked in and both received a clipboard full of papers to sign.  It was surprising to be assigned dressing rooms. On two doors, black stars were emblazoned with the words ‘Violinist’ and ‘Bass Player.’ 

Wasting no time, a young woman from wardrobe rummaged through our clothes, and settled on what we would wear.  She commanded Casey to roll up his sleeves and tuck in his shirt, something I had never seen him do before.  

Tulsa musician JJ Cale passed away yesterday.  We couldn't let a day go by without learning one of his songs.  Here it is. Our tribute to JJ Cale:

Late one Friday night, Casey and I were taking a break from busking, having a beer downstairs at JJ’s Alley.  Jeff Rodgers, owner and fellow musician, had just finished his set and sat down beside us.  We discussed many topics in a friendly exchange.

Our thoughts turned to ‘Rudderless.’ Jeff told us Macy and his crew had visited JJ’s Saloon recently.  He was a little star-struck, like many in OKC, and hopeful that they would shoot some scenes there. 

He was crestfallen to learn that the bar where we were filming a scene was in Guthrie, and that it was built from scratch for the movie.  We had heard that many technical aspects made shooting in a genuine working bar problematic, from beer labels and brand signs, to composing a scene spatially.  Still, Jeff was hopeful he could somehow be a part of the movie, maybe as a bartender or an extra.

If you live in Oklahoma, you may have heard about the movie recently filmed here called ‘Rudderless.’  This is the story of how Casey and I got to play a part in this movie:

It was early April. I had the day off, and was still in bed, while a few feet away Casey was at his desk logged into FaceBook. Kari Hirst Starkey, who once ran a place called the Yippee Yi Yo Café, had posted a link on Casey’s timeline.  It said something like, “Want to make your friend famous?  If you know a bass player or tuba player, please share this opportunity with them: Auditions today at Freihofer Casting for the movie
‘Rudderless’ produced by William H. Macy!”  

I used to enjoy the cute squirrels scampering in the world around our house.  They are like the little monkeys of North America.  But now when I look at them, I feel like throwing rocks or getting a pellet gun. 

Casey and I were taking a break, leaning back in the plastic lawn chairs, catching up after work on a gorgeous spring afternoon, when this little bit of something fell on me.  I looked up to see a squirrel hurrying away on the branches.  Casey said, “Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to tell you, this squirrel has been carrying around a big bone up in the trees for days, gnawing on it, and making these weird sounds. He dropped it over there.  Go take a look.”  I did, and there was a long thin bone scraped up with teeth marks.

A week later Casey was pruning some trees along the river. He noticed our neighbor James’ lawn was overgrown, and went to ask if he should mow it.  Walking up to the door he saw the mailbox overflowing with letters, packages on the porch, and there was no answer at the door.  If Casey had any sense of smell, he would have called the police right then, but he returned to his chores along the river bend.  The suspicion that James was dead inside became overwhelming, and he called the police to do a well-fair check.