Rollinsville - Brandy Ray vividly remembers the date on which her current primary project, Brandywine and the Mighty Fines, performed live for the first time: March 6, 2020. This is because, a week later, COVID-19 caused the world to shut down. The band could finally kick themselves into gear once regulations were lifted, starting with a handful of gigs and booking more and more as they cemented the lineup.
The core lineup of the band consists of Brandy on mandolin and vocals, her husband Joshua Ray on guitar and vocals, and Matthew Schexnyder on guitar and vocals, with all three serving as the primary songwriters as well. Early in the band’s run, Emerson Lamm contributed banjo and Lena Dow contributed bass and vocals. Currently, Maya Fabrikant will often contribute vocals and fiddle, Joe Gibb will often contribute bass, and Neil Mitchell will often contribute drums. However, the Rays and Schexnyder are the consistent core members.
The name started as an in-joke from Brandy, or “Brandywine” herself. Due to her extroverted personality and excitement for interacting with others, as well as her consistent role in behind-the-scenes management, the band has crafted themselves around her being a central role. She jokingly called the other members the “Mighty Fines” because they have ultimately had longer experiences performing music. Gibb studied bass, and Joshua and Schexnyder have played guitar for most of their lives.
However, Brandy had only started playing the mandolin a year before the band formed, having dabbled in music only occasionally throughout her life before then. Joshua knew Brandy loved to sing, so he bought her a mandolin and encouraged her to explore a new avenue of her musicality. She hasn’t looked back since.
Even before Brandy started playing the mandolin, though, she had enjoyed writing songs. She has a vast background in writing, earning her undergraduate degree in journalism and teaching various forms of creative writing for eight years. Since she has exposed herself to many different styles and genres of writing, she has found inspiration in many places. Now, with the Mighty Fines, she and the other songwriters are able to contribute their own ideas freely.
Often, one of the primary songwriters will work on a song independently, then bring it to the group and collaborate with everyone else to refine it and create arrangements. All three primary songwriters contribute in unique ways. Brandy has called Matthew the band’s “poet laureate” because of his particular composition style, Joshua often writes nostalgic songs based on his life experiences, and Brandy focuses on more traditional themes present in country, folk, and bluegrass. She has found herself often drawn to murder ballads, a particular tradition of folk songs that focus on exactly that gruesome occurrence.
Along with the Mighty Fines, Brandy also co-leads the Colorado Estro-Jam, a monthly picking event that teaches women how to enter the jam scene in the state. She co-produces the Boulder County Jingle Jam with her friend Tom Buswell, which celebrates its third year in December 2024, and a spin-off group of the Mighty Fines, called Mighty Holler, consists of her, Joshua, Gibb, and Gibb’s wife Elle Michelle on vocals and banjo and as a songwriter.
Brandy loves the connection that forms and the exchange of energy that occurs between herself, the other band members, and the audience, and she hopes that the audience will end up being moved by at least one of the songs that they play, whether it’s through a deep connection or simply feeling joy hearing the material.
You can see Brandywine and the Mighty Fines performing live at Howlin Wind Brewing and Blending, located at 51 A Main Street in Rollinsville, on Saturday, October 12, 2024, starting at 5 p.m. If you want to learn more about the band, be sure to check out their website at themightyfines.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram, and see live performances on their YouTube channel. Three songs from their early days, “Wanderin’ of My Dreams,” “Ball n’ Chain,” and “Where the Willow Never Weeps,” are available wherever you get your music.
