Bridget Law discusses new project with Tierro, her time with Elephant Revival, and more

Chances are, if you’ve listened to live acoustic music along the Front Range in the last ten years, you’ve heard Bridget Law. The longtime violinist for the wildly popular Elephant Revival can count some of the area’s most iconic venues among the places she’s played, Denver Botanic Gardens, Red Rocks, and the Planet Bluegrass grounds in Lyons among them.

Bridget stopped touring with Elephant Revival 2017, and the band is now on hiatus (though they have some scheduled concert dates in the spring). She told 303 Magazine in November she wanted to tour less and focus on a life more centered around her home and family, which includes her husband and musical partner, the songwriter Tierro Lee.

Bridget went to school not far from Swallow Hill, so her upcoming concert with Tierro and WE DREAM DAWN in Daniels Hall is a chance for her to perform in familiar haunts. The concert offers Elephant Revival fans to see and hear Bridget in a new setting, as well as her former Elephant Revival band mate Sage Cook, a main creative force behind WE DREAM DAWN.

See Tierro w/ Bridget Law and WE DREAM DAWN in Daniels Hall on Saturday, April 14. Tickets and complete show details can be found here.

You’ve mentioned that you grew up close to Swallow Hill, so your concert on April 14 might feel a bit like a homecoming. How did you get started in music? Were you ever a student at Swallow Hill?

I attended the Denver Waldorf School from preschool through 8th grade, which shares the neighborhood with Swallow Hill. I began playing violin/fiddle at the Waldorf School. Although I never actually took lessons at Swallow Hill many students and teachers of Swallow Hill were associates of mine. I did attend concerts there and felt like a welcomed part of the community. I love that part of Denver, it’s a very nostalgic place for me. I’m excited to share the next chapter of my music with my roots!

For fans who might know you from your Elephant Revival days, what can they expect from your upcoming concert with Tierro?

The music is quite a bit different from that of Elephant Revival… but both bands play music straight from the heart! Tierro’s compositions are gorgeous and emotionally evocative and are really moving for both the body and the soul. His use of melody is the perfect home for my playing. I dive into these melodies and dance them through my violin. I also sing a bit, both originals and some carefully selected, obscure cover tunes. I am very intentional about the poetry I choose to sing and offer that in a gentle, spiritual way–much like the delivery of Elephant Revival lyrics.

How did your musical partnership with Tierro get started?

My best friend Katie Gray fell in love with his bandmate Kurt “Tzol” Baumann of Kan’Nal. As a couple they perform as the Sea Stars, which I heard have also played Swallow Hill in the past! The Sea Stars brought me along to play fiddle with them at the first Arise Festival, which Tierro produces. Tierro and I fell in love playing music at the staff party after the festival. We fit so beautifully musically and otherwise that our partnership has grown very deep over the last 5 years! We got married in September of 2017.

You are sharing the bill in Daniels Hall on April 14 with WE DREAM DAWN, which features another Elephant Revival alum, Sage Cook. How have you supported each other as your music careers moved into new projects?

Sage and I are best friends. We believe in each other and love to collaborate! I was really sad when he left Elephant Revival in 2015, but proud of him for doing what was best for his original music. Soon after he started WE DREAM DAWN I hopped on as booking agent/manager. I helped him book tours, connected him with festivals and found an opportunity for him to open for Elephant Revival for a tour over New Year’s Eve. I was so glad and he was delivering his incredible music. I was only able to play with him on a rare occasion because I was busy touring with Elephant Revival, but when I did I loved every second! Now that I am no longer touring the opportunities for us to play together are a bit more often, thankfully 🙂

Elephant Revival formed in 2006. The Front Range has seen a lot of changes in that relatively short time. Could you have developed an audience the same way in 2018 as you did in those early years? What advice would you give to an up-and-coming artist on how to distinguish themselves in a thriving but also busy and sometimes crowded music scene?

Indeed, the music scene has changed a lot. Elephant Revival started in Nederland which is a smaller community than Denver, I think that was helpful. There were less bands and more opportunities back then for sure. But I think it’s still possible to build a band and develop an audience these days! My advice would be to really work as a team to make sure that all members are contributing to the growth of the entity. I would also suggest finding what makes the band unique and accentuating it so that you stand out as something special in a saturated music scene. Be professional, kind and fun to work with–enthusiasm is worth its weight in gold!

Who are some artists that you’ve been listening to of late that you find inspiring?

As far as bands that are currently playing and touring, I love Mandolin Orange, Ayla Nereo, Shook Twins, Intuit and Fruition. The band I listen to the most is the Sea Stars who I mentioned above 😉 I have always been inspired by Béla Fleck, especially his older more bluegrass stuff. But to be honest, my favorite band is WE DREAM DAWN!

Is there anything you’d like to add?

With the recent announcement of Elephant Revival taking a hiatus after the Red Rocks show in May, I want to remind fans who have loved and supported the music for the last decade to please support the side projects of the members. The values and melodic sense that we built Elephant Revival upon are still alive in each of us and there is bound to be some incredible music birthed from this newfound freedom! As mentioned above, the scene is tough these days and it’s really up to the fans to take the initiative to share and go on the journey of the music with us. Please continue the amazing support you have given for the last 10 years by supporting us all in our new endeavors!