O’Brien Family Band Strums the oldies

By Ande Wanderer

NORTH DENVER- While many families struggle to find time to eat dinner together, the O’Brien Family is as tight as can be. Not only does the foursome share vegetarian meals, they travel the country and play music together on a daily basis. The Highland Senior Center welcomed the band last Thursday for a country-fried Valentine’s party. The crowd enjoyed old time fiddle ditties and cowboy music, and O’Brien family original’s such as “A Day to Remember,’ a song written in honor of WWII veterans. The dozens of seniors helped to fill the room with song at the end of the performance with the classic, “You Are My Sunshine”.

“I think everyone enjoyed it immensely,” says Mary Madrid, Director of the center. “It’s really nice to see wholesome young people.”

Madrid is referring to pint-sized musical prodigies 12 year-old Kyle, and 9 year-old, Maura O’Brien. Alongside parents Dan and Janette, they have won awards and captured the hearts of crowds across the country performing at festivals, churches, schools, and community centers. Kyle sings, yodels, plays fiddle, guitar and mandolin, He’s also learning the five-string banjo and the Dobro, a resonant guitar. Maura plays fiddle, sings and is learning the guitar and accordion.

The band seems to win awards everywhere they go, both individually and as a group. At last year’s Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival in Arizona, the O’Brien Family Band won first place in the family band contest, and placed second in the old-time band competition. Two years ago, the family took home eight awards from the 31st Annual Ainsworth, Nebraska Country Music Festival. Kyle also won the People’s Choice award. The O’Brien Family Band won second place. At both festivals, every member of the family placed in other competitions as well.

The undeniable leader of the band is guitarist, singer-songwriter and mandolin playing dad, Dan. Mom, Janette plays bass, sings back-up vocals and acts as the band’s web designer, business manager, schoolteacher and caretaker. Dan retired from 29 years of teaching last May. Over the summer, the family sold their five vehicles, including their beloved 1957 Chevy, bought an old Volvo and an RV and hit the road to travel the country, play gigs and visit natural, educational and historical sites of interest. Just this year they have visited the Casa Grandma Ruins in Arizona, Guadalupe National Park in Texas and Carlsbad National Park and the UFO museum in New Mexico. The Highland Senior Center was just one of the several stops back in Colorado.

“I thought it was wonderful, I really did. That’s old time stuff like I used to grow up with,” says Highland Senior Center member, Clara Perini. “We had a band at home. We’d have different players. I played the accordion, my brother played the banjo, another played the guitar, so this brought me back home.

The family clearly enjoyed performing as much as the seniors enjoyed listening, and they struck up a good rapport with the audience. “The kids are so comfortable, so good around older people,” says Dan. “They’re just very at ease with them. That’s good to see. They don’t have reservations because someone is on oxygen or in a wheelchair.”

Dan’s mother, who is immobile and has lived with the family for a decade, will soon be traveling with them after recovering from illness. Janette has been the primary caretaker of “Grandma Bonnie’ for nearly a decade. Growing up with grandma around is part of the reason the children have an appreciation for seniors. “She is the happiest, brightest, sweetest person I know, “says Kyle of his grandmother.

Before making the leap to fulltime traveling band, the family honed their skills hosting open mic nights in around their home base of Evergreen, Colorado. The family, who has played together for three years, has also played at venues such as the Bluebird Theater, The Wheat Ridge Community Center and Swallow Hill Music Hall.

Aside from the variety of classic tunes and originals, the family’s entertaining stage act included jokes and anecdotes. Even 9 year-old Maura joins in on the yucks. At one point she tugged on her dad’s sleeve and said she had an announcement to make. “Someone in the audience is 111 today,” she said with a mischievous grin. The crowd looked around as if they wondered who in attendance could possibly be that old. After a second glance at the note, she said she made a mistake. He was ill today.

The family’s passion for music started with Dan, who has played for 35 years. “Since high school days music has always been my passion and avocation-folk music, bluegrass, blues and things like that. So it’s kind of always been with me, but the family band thing is kind of new.” While he was teaching, Dan merged music and education. As the founder of Long View High School in Jefferson County, he taught the history of rock and roll, jazz, blues and roots music along with a number of notable guest artists such as North Denver’s own Molly O’Brien (no relation, that they know of), Timothy P. of Rural Route Three, Flash Cadillac and blues chanteuse, Hazel Miller.

The children grew up around music and at age six Kyle saw a girl playing fiddle at the Winfield Music Festival and announced his interest in the instrument. That year Santa brought him a fiddle and he began taking lessons at Swallow Hill Folk Center. Janette decided to take lessons along with her son. Maura began playing when she filled in for Kyle, who couldn’t attend lessons one day. While Janette still enjoys the fiddle and the mandolin, she figured tow fiddle players in the band was plenty-she took up the bass to fill out the band.

Last year the family was attending a concert at Red Rocks when family friend, Timothy P. and his band, the Rural Route Three, called Kyle on stage. By all accounts Kyle was entirely professional in front of the large audience. “I’ve been nervous lots of times. But you kind of just swallow that down and concentrate on smiling and have a fun time- that’s all that really matters,” he says. “If you think about it, they’re not going to do anything to you, and if you do good they’ll like it. The worst they’ll do is not clap, and that’s not so bad.” At the Western Music Association’s National Conference last year, Kyle won the title of International Yodeling Champion for the 16 and under age group. They family jokes that no Swiss yodelers were actually in attendance, but he’ll take the title nonetheless.

The family has released three albums under the Raven Records label. Dan’s release ‘Old Cars and Old Guitars’ features original cowboy ballads, bluegrass and blues tunes. Kyle’s 2002 recording, ‘Kyle’s Big Hit’ features the music of Hank Williams, Carl Perkins, and Dan’s original songs. Last Saturday the family released their first family album, ‘A Time To Remember,’ a pick of Kyle and Maura’s favorite family tunes and some of Dan’s new original work.

Las Sunday the O’Brien family played at Northglenn, Colorado’s Mid-Winter Bluegrass Festival. From there they piled into the RV bound for the South Texas Music Festival in Mercedes, Texas. In mid-March, the family will play the Festival of the West in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have bookings across the country set up through next fall. In between gigs, the family will visit natural and historical sites of interest that are related to their school assignments, taught by mom, Janette, a certified teacher.

During baseball season, you may spot Kyle and Maura playing around Coors Field. Dan works as a vendor at baseball games, and the sport is a family passion. A couple of years ago, Kyle spotted buskers around the stadium and asked if he could do it too. He made a wad of cash, especially when Maura, ‘the little girl with the big voice’ joined him. The music clearly isn’t about the money for the kids though. “It’s a really good way to make friends and meet people,” says Kyle, who made plenty of friends at the Highland Senior Center.

With their strong voices, songwriting skills and dexterous playing, it is assured you haven’t heard the last of this talented family.