On KGNU, fiddler and vocalist Bronwyn Keith-Hynes talked about her upcoming Colorado performances at Midwinter Bluegrass and WinterWonderGrass. She discussed forming her current touring band through Nashville shows and a weekly residency at Dee’s after her time with Molly Tuttle’s Golden Highway, and shared the story behind her latest album, I Built a World, including the title track she discovered by chance on the radio in Kentucky.
Keith-Hynes also reflected on stepping into a lead singer role while continuing to play fiddle, the strength of today’s bluegrass scene, and the experience of recording with top bluegrass musicians. She noted that a new album is nearly finished and that she plans to introduce new material during her Colorado appearances.
(Air date:1/24/2026)
Listen here:
Interview Transcript:
Robin Claire:
I was so pleased to see Dudley Connell on your album. That was great.
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
That was so cool that he agreed to do that. I didn’t really know him at all. I got his number from somebody and just left him a nervous voicemail, because he’s one of my biggest bluegrass heroes. I love his Johnson Mountain Boys voice. Turns out he’s the nicest guy ever.
Robin Claire:
Yes, true. Bronwyn, it’s so great to chat a bit ahead of your Valentine’s Day gig at Midwinter Bluegrass this year. I’m assuming you’re bringing your band?
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
I am. Yeah, I’m so excited for that. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Midwinter, and I just always love playing out in Colorado.
Robin Claire:
I remember that festival being a super fun one. It’s a really great reprieve for all of us in the winter. And of course, you’ve toured quite a bit with Molly Tuttle. What was it like putting your band together most recently?
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
Well, it was kind of a gradual process. I put out my first vocal solo record about two years ago, and I started playing some local shows around Nashville. I did a weekly residency at this dive bar called Dee’s, which has a really good bluegrass scene — that’s where East Nash Grass got their start.
I did that pretty much every Monday in 2024, with a rotating cast of band members, whoever was available. The more I did it, the more the bug bit me. It was just so fun, and I loved playing with all these people.
This year I started touring midway through the year. I got a booking agent, and when the Golden Highway thing wrapped up — we had plenty of heads-up — we were all able to plan what was next. I took some of the people I’d been playing with at Dee’s on the road, and it’s just been building from there.
Robin Claire:
Well, speaking of building — I Built a World is both a song and your latest album title. And from where I sit, you certainly have built a world, and it looks pretty great. Tell us about that song. Where did it come from?
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
I first heard that song on the radio around 2021. I was driving through Kentucky on the way to a friend’s birthday party, scanning stations, and I heard live bluegrass on the radio. I was like, “What is this?”
It was the guy who wrote it — Matt Parsons — playing it live with his band. He’s a local Kentucky musician. The song stuck with me so much that I wrote down some of the words, Googled it later, and somehow found him. It had never been recorded on an album.
I reached out and asked if I could record it, and he was like, “How did you even find this song?” But he let me record it, and it became the axis around which the whole album formed.
Robin Claire:
I love those moments in time where something happens purely by chance.
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
Yeah.
Robin Claire:
Sometimes it feels like things are meant to be — or maybe we just create order from chaos — but it’s cool how it happened.
Are you having fun venturing into singing lead now, along with your fiddle playing? You’ve been singing for quite some time, but you’ve really jumped into that world, and it sounds great on your album.
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
Oh, thank you. I love it. It’s so fun. It feels like you experience the music differently. As a fiddler, I’m always listening to the lead singer and playing around them, reacting. This is different — I’m trying to lead the whole thing. It’s fun. It’s cool.
Robin Claire:
That leads into my next question. I’ve heard from a few folks who really enjoyed the fiddle videos you were putting out during COVID. How does playing twin fiddles affect your playing differently than playing solo? And do you have any tips for fiddle players in the audience?
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
Yeah, Jason and I got to play a lot of twin fiddles during the pandemic when we were stuck at home. With twin fiddle, you’re usually playing simpler. If you’re on lead, you’re often playing a single-note melody, and the harmony player might fill in with double stops.
The more you play with the same person, the more complicated you can make it. But if I’m playing twin fiddle off the cuff — at a jam or on stage with someone I haven’t played with much — I try to stick close to the melody. For endings, I’ll use a stock ending lick that they can intuit, so we’re on the same page.
I also thought it was really cool that RockyGrass Academy has a twin fiddles section in their kids’ camp.
Robin Claire:
Whoa, I love that.
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
I didn’t know that!
Robin Claire:
Now that I Built a World is out, does it feel like a dream — realizing that the cream of the bluegrass crop joined you on that recording? That was a pretty big coup, right?
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
Always surreal. I remember the first day tracking — Jerry, Bryan, Dom, Wes, Jeff Picker — all these people were there, and I was thinking, “Oh man, they all came for my session, and I’m the one who has to sing.”
It was a little embarrassing, but also awesome. It’s a big honor that they had faith in me to do this new thing. I actually have another record pretty much in the can — just finishing touches. Next month I’ll start playing some of those new songs at Midwinter. Jerry came back for that one too.
Robin Claire:
Nice. You went to Berklee College of Music, and so many people from there drove straight to Nashville and settled in. There’s an amazing generation right now holding up the bluegrass scene. Do you feel the tradition is really being carried forward?
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
Yeah, it feels like a really strong moment for bluegrass. There are waves with pop culture, but right now — with Billy Strings and the scene he’s cultivated — it’s amazing. He’s such a deep bluegrass player, and his fans are discovering the genre and listening to everybody else.
There’s a wealth of younger bluegrass talent. Berklee had its bluegrass boom about 15 years ago with the American Roots program — that’s where I met a lot of my Golden Highway bandmates. Now there are so many music schools teaching bluegrass, which brings in young people and elevates the level. It’s a great time to be playing it.
Robin Claire:
Is there a fiddle album or player you go to when you’re looking for inspiration?
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
Aubrey Haynie’s A Man Must Carry On has been a big inspiration for me. Anything Stuart Duncan has played on, of course. Same with Michael Cleveland — I could listen to his albums endlessly. And Tim Crouch gives me a lot of inspiration too. He played on the most recent Shawn Camp album and did some really amazing stuff.
Robin Claire:
Well, Bronwyn, what do you do away from music?
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes:
Oh man — I like going on walks. That’s not much of a hobby. I’ve played pickleball a couple of times and think it’s really fun. We’ve got a court near our house, and I keep telling Jason that once the weather warms up, we should go.
Robin Claire:
We’ll look forward to seeing you on Valentine’s Day weekend at Midwinter Bluegrass. It’ll be a great treat for lovers of great music, great fiddle playing, and fans of yours.
