BYU NewsNet - Local musician Katie Brandeburg goes to her roots to find inspiration

Her brown, wavy hair falls to her shoulders; dark sunglasses cover most of her face; she wears a vintage styled blouse and cardigan over dark skinny jeans, and old, worn out flats complete her outfit. There’s a homemade necklace hanging from her neck and an acoustic guitar is in her hands. Meet Katie Brandeburg.

Originally from Santa Rosa, Calif., Brandeburg, 22, now resides in Provo and attends BYU. She also contributes heavily to the local music scene, both with her unique personality and her acoustic folk-style music.

Brandeburg’s father is a musician and although she grew up in a house filled with music, she said she didn’t always appreciate her dad’s music and his influences, like Bob Dylan and Robert Johnson, until later on in life.

“I didn’t like his guitar playing,” Brandeburg said. “I mean you always think your parents’ stuff is kind of nerdy in high school. I listened to punk rock and Blink 182 — I’ll admit it, and so it wasn’t cool to listen to really old stuff … It wasn’t until I found songwriting that I found my niche and that ended up sparking a really deep relationship with my father.”

Even though she grew up singing, it wasn’t until about five years ago that Brandeburg finally picked up the guitar and learned to play on her own. She borrowed a roommate’s guitar and practiced for eight hours a day, wanting to learn a Lisa Loeb song.

With her soft voice and the gentle plucking of her guitar, Brandeburg has taken some of her father’s influences and created her own charming, acoustic style. Her sound could be compared to the likes of Joni Mitchell, Patty Griffin and Ingrid Michaelson.

“One of my main goals in my songwriting is to not write songs about love all the time or about sappy things and breakups and stuff like that,” Brandeburg said. “Some of my songs are that way but I try to write smarter lyrics and take a complex emotion and simplify it so that anybody can understand it and take it to heart.”

Two years ago, after learning to play guitar, writing her own music and trying to play shows around BYU–Idaho, Brandeburg decided she needed to move out of Rexburg.

“People weren’t catching on to my stuff and I knew that my stuff was good,” Brandeburg said. “I knew that I had something to offer with my music and so I came down to visit in Provo and I went to a Seve vs. Evan show, and I was like, ‘Dang, this place is awesome.’ I talked to a couple people and that made me decide to move.”

Moving to Provo proved to be a positive change in Brandeburg’s life. Since her move here in the summer of 2007, she has immersed herself in the Provo scene.

“Listening to Katie’s music you can hear her dedication and passion she has for her songs,” said Joe Christensen, local musician and friend. “There are not many local female singer/songwriters who take their music as seriously as she does. She has a DIY [do-it-yourself] attitude about a lot of things and I feel like people can feel that as she performs.”

Brandeburg also contributes to Provo in other ways. She works at Mode Boutique, makes ands sells her own jewelry, volunteers at Velour and works at a special education preschool.

Many friends agree that besides being talented and involved in the community, she is a joy to be around and an example to follow.

“As corny as this sounds, Katie is one of those friends everyone needs,” Christensen said. “Every time I see her she is happy, with a big smile on her face. She always seems to have a minute to chit chat and listen.”

Her roommates also enjoy Brandeburg’s company.

“My favorite thing about Katie is how unique and genuine she is,” said Susie Peterson, one of Brandeburg’s roommates. “She really is her own person and she is comfortable with that. I love how confident she is and how she seems fearless about some things, especially with her music.”

Although she has accomplished many of her goals, Brandeburg already has plans for the future. She is currently recording an EP on her own in her bedroom and is expecting to release it sometime in late June. She also has several shows lined up in the next few months.

“I want everyone to have my music in their iPod or in their car,” Brandeburg said. “I’d much rather have 5,000 people that know my music than millions of people because then I can have a life and do my thing, but I really would like to have some kind of happy impact on people, have people remember me and say, ‘Oh yeah, I saw her show, she’s really great.’”