I think most people would not think of a violin as being an instrument that rocks. That preconceived notion is one that is slowly changing in the world of music thanks to such artists as the Dave Matthews Band, Skillet, and Apocalyptica. There is an artist who is taking the electric violin to a whole new level these days and her name is Bridgid Bibbens. If you are not familiar with this young lady and her beast of an instrument called The Viper, then it’s time to educate you on something special that you have been missing out on.
The classically trained Bibbens was a self-professed classic music snob until she, in her words, “crossed over to the dark side.” After that major event, she caught the ear of many big stars in the music industry. She has performed live and recorded with such big names as Christina Aguilera, Jay Z, Josh Groban, Harry Connick Jr., Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. After being sought out by these and other top musicians, Bibbens found herself being asked by fans when she would record an album herself. Well, that brings us to where we are now as her debut album Sugar and Steel has just been released. An album of covers of such artists as The Beatles to Metallica to Christina Aguilera, it really allows her to soar. I recently was able to sit down and talk to her about this achievement and what got her to this point.
Hi Bridgid! So, I guess the million dollar question is: What made you decide to come out with a solo album?
I had actually been getting nudged for the last few years. I’ve done a lot of work with other artists and bands; the music education program as well. The instrument is so unique, plus I have a unique style of playing, so everyone kept asking where they could get my music. I just brushed it off because I never really thought it would be. I didn’t think that anyone would want to hear me as a solo artist. Maybe it was own self-doubt or self-questioning, but I kept putting it off. Finally, I just came to a point where I couldn’t put it off any longer and I decided that it was time to bite the bullet and get it done and take that next step. This album is a mish-mosh of artists who influenced me; who made me who I am as a musician today. The next step is writing my own album, but I have no idea when that may happen. I think I am going to let the dust settle from this one first (laughs).
It’s a very diverse mix of artists you cover on your album. How tough was it to choose those eight? How many did you start out with?
It was really because I wasn’t sure if eight was kind of limiting me, but the artists I chose really do represent me. I had about twenty songs at first and then I decided that I just wanted to cover a song just because I just like it so much, even though I had no personal connection to song or artist. Then, I narrowed it down and every song that made it on the album I really did have a very personal connection with. As I was narrowing them down, I still felt as if I needed a seam to connect them, even though it’s a wide variety of genres. If you listen closely, it has a heavy theme throughout each track. My boyfriend is doing rhythm guitar on it and he is in a death metal project, plus Rob Caggiano from Volbeat and he used to be in Anthrax doing lead. They helped to give the super poppy-soul-tunes an edge and thus the seam was created.
These songs are a bit of an insight into who molded you. You actually started taking lessons when you were three? Do you remember your first performance? 
The first actual one that I remember was for my kindergarten classes in my school. It certainly was not a concert, but I did have around 150 people there; even my bus driver came (laughs). So, I don’t know if that actually counts or not, but I couldn’t tell you the first time I got on stage in a theatre or auditorium. Isn’t that awful? The kindergarten show was for “V day”. We did the entire alphabet and when it came too V, it stood for violin. I remember doing six or seven songs and I couldn’t read music, so it was stuff I memorized. I also remember not being nervous at all and that’s still how I am now, for the most part.
I think we can count that one. There are many bands that perform in clubs and venues today who would love to have 150 people there to see them. That’s better than some do in clubs with alcohol involved! You just substituted alcohol with juicy juice.
Yeah, I suppose that’s pretty good for a five year old!
What type of kid were you growing up?
I think I was always a performer of some sort and that’s still what it is for me. I like talking to my friends who do as well and I ask them if it’s the music or the entertaining or the connection or what? For me, I think it’s the connection that I make with people. I love to entertain and connect with people and I think it’s happened more for me since crossing over from a strictly classical player to the dark side. The classical part was more of a self-involved thing and I have always been very physical and I move a lot when I perform. When I crossed over to doing the alternative style stuff, that’s when I really got to put on a show for people. Some people strive to be in the studio and hate to perform live. They could just be in there putting out album after album, but that’s not me at all; I love to perform.
What made you cross over to the dark side? Were you bored and wanting to explore?
It was a very specific event that happened in my life. I’m a really good classical player and I was just out of college and I had a friend who had a friend who played in a band. Well, they told them about me and they invited me to sit in with them. I was a classical snob and I thought all other forms of music were just dumb. I was like please, I can play the Tchaikovsky violin concerto with my hands tied behind my back. These guys can’t even read music, so I will just go in and show them all up. I know that was a horrible approach, but that was my thinking at the time. They were playing a bar in the town where we grew up and I got on stage and was really confident and I hadn’t prepared anything. They were like come up and jam, we’re in E, let’s go. I totally froze! I knew the chord E major and I knew the E scale, but what was I supposed to play? The thought of making something up right there on the spot or without a piece of paper showed me how limited I really was as a musician. I was more of a trained athlete; give me black dots and I can interpret them, but if there’s nothing there, then I have no voice. So, that was when I realized I needed to diversify myself and that my musical growth was severely limited. I had always listened to rock music, but I never connected it to my instrument. I started playing along with some of my songs that I liked and I thought this is kind of awesome. Why have I not been doing this all along? It started growing from there and the whole world opened up and it’s so much more fun now.
How soon after you got your degrees did you venture into teaching?
I immediately went from my undergraduate’s degree in performance to my master’s degree in education and then straight into public school education. I was full time orchestra teacher and I did that for seven years; at that point I connected with Mark Wood. He’s been my biggest electric violin mentor and he had his Electrify Your Strings program going and that’s where I do most of my school work no. We put together a full set of ten tunes and send them to the school that is bringing us in. We send them in a couple of months in advance so that the school can rehearse them and then we come in for a two day workshop. We put on a full rock show with them complete with lights, electric instruments, pedals and a full set. It becomes a huge fundraiser event where they can use my name or Mark’s to sell tickets. You know, most orchestra concerts won’t sell 15-20 dollar tickets, but with our names they can. So it becomes a fund raiser for music program as well. That’s where I do my, quote unquote, teaching now, plus I give Skype lessons too. I do so much of it now because I learned how much was lacking in my own musical growth growing up. If I had been exposed to what I have been now when I was growing up, I would have gone on a totally different path. I love being able to open that world up for the kids now.
As far as kids go, especially little girls, they must look up to you as a role model?
They do, especially the girls, and it’s crazy! It’s something that I don’t take lightly. The boys are always into it for the most part, most are already making that connection, but girls tend to be perfectionist and they may be a little more inhibited musically. A lot of them are afraid to truly express themselves or do it the way they want to because they may stand out and not fit in. It’s a girl power thing and they don’t have to be a slutty little pop star. I teach them that they can still be a bad ass and a girly girl on top of that. You can be a great musician and all of that and it doesn’t matter what societal pressures are put on you. I remember seeing something on Facebook where this little girl was wearing a princess outfit and a Star Wars outfit for Halloween. It’s ok to be into Tonka trucks and wear your pink tutu and tiara. The best part is seeing the awesome transformation because on day one everyone is kind of intimidated and by day two, they have funky colors in their hair and torn up t-shirts and they’re really moving around and rocking it out. It’s great when I hear from them down the road and they tell me that they’re doing their own thing with their own electric instrument.
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What an awesome thing to be able to show them. It’s kind of sad when society makes them think they have to go the slutty route. I think it’s awesome that you show them that they can be themselves.
I mean, there are some current top 40 singers who are true musicians like Adele, Beyonce, and Alicia Keys who don’t put it all out there. Yet, there are many who don’t have actual talent so they make up for it in other ways, like putting the rest of their goods on display. I try and teach them that they can still have substance and be a cute girl on top of that. Adele has her big hair, eye lashes and she’s obviously a little heavier, but she doesn’t need fireworks coming out of her bra, which would actually hinder her.
I totally agree with you! You definitely are somewhat of a pioneer with your Viper. Now, did Mark invent that for you or was it already in existence?
Mark has been selling it to the public since the early to mid-90s and he built the predecessor to them before I was even born. The instrument practically sells itself because it’s so unique. A lot of pros and big bands are playing it and you can run it through anything and it sounds like a beast.
I am going to show my lack of technical expertise, but why did you choose a seven string as opposed to a four or five string?
It allows me more creative flexibility, plus it gives me the entire range of a bowed string section; upper range bass, full range cello and violin. There are people who buy these so they can say they have more strings, but they only use the upper four. I can play full guitar solos in the right range with a seven string, but I had to work my way up to it. Now, I can’t imagine not having seven strings.
I almost hate asking this, but I know I am not the only one thinking it: Has it been hard for you to sell yourself and get people to take you seriously before they actually hear you play? I’m thinking that a lot may look and think, “Oh here’s this hot chick with a prop or gimmick.”
Yeah, because I am a girl and a girly girl on top of it, some people think it’s just a shtick. I mean, it does look like a beast, but it’s also hot pink and sparkly. It all changes when they experience it live. I don’t even think that my YouTube clips really show what I can do. I can set myself up and tell the sound guy what I need and they look at me like, “oh it’s the cute girl, let me do everything for her,” but I can tell them exactly what I need – unlike a lot of females who play electric violin and can’t.
Are you going to do a good YouTube clip, maybe a promo clip for the album?
Yes, a guy did some headshots for me not too long ago, but he really specializes in video. If I do one, I’d like to do one for “Blackbird” because I think it’s the most unique track. So, hopefully in the next couple of months I will make that happen.
How did you become a Bugera girl?
Well, Bugera and Wood Violins are two of my big endorsers. I’ve gotten emails from guitar players who saw me recommend Bugera and they got one and loved it. It was frustrating being an electric violin player because there is no standard sound yet. I couldn’t listen to someone and say that’s what I need. I went into Guitar Center in New York where I lived and I would go in with my Viper and people would hover around me when I was trying out pedals. I needed a bad ass amp, so I plugged into every single thing they had. I had tested everything from $100 to $3000 amps to find the sound that I had in my head. I bought my first Bugera and then people started tweeting about it and were saying to check this girl out because she must be the Bugera girl. They actually approached me and asked if I would represent them even though I already have one. I have been so impressed with everything I have tried of theirs – plus it’s very affordable too.
Affordable is always a good thing, especially when a beginner may think that being able to afford one is a mere dream. Speaking of dreams, I would love to hear your dream collaboration list.
Right now my number one would have to be Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters. I’ve had a Dave obsession for years! After that, it would be Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and, oh my god, Metallica would be a massive one.
Do you remember the first album that you ever bought?
The first one that I had was different than the first one I ever bought. I got a Fisher Price record player for Easter one year and I had a huge thing for Michael Jackson when I was little and I even wrote him a letter telling him even though you don’t know me, we are going to get married when I get older. Anyway, I got a Thriller album and a Jackson 5 Greatest Hits album with that record player. The first CDs that I bought were through those Columbia House inserts in the paper where you pay a penny. Do you remember those? Well, my first ones that I received were Alanis Morissette and Pearl Jam. I just saw Alanis a couple months ago live and my 9th grade fantasies came true. She was amazing and she still has it. She had everyone in the audience wrapped around her finger.
As far as performing live goes, will you be doing any live dates to promote your album? 
We’re planning a release concert event, plus I am working with a string quartet band and we’re working on getting our first shows together. We will be doing covers of speed metal artists as well as newer type artists like Avenged Sevenfold and maybe some RUSH covers as well. That has been getting most of my creative time lately and I’m really excited about it.
Well, I guess that pretty much wraps us up then. Did I miss anything that you’d like to mention in the article or in closing?
No, you pretty much nailed it. This has been a lot of fun! I hope everyone will check out my album and I hope they like it. Also, big thanks to you and RockRevolt for wanting to talk to me!
To connect with Bridgid Bibbens, click on any of the links above, or below:
www.facebook.com/bridgidbibbens
