Royal Pine

As Robin Aigner and Brook Martinez harmonize "Who's gonna ride this old train?" with naught but a banjo and handclaps on "This Old Train," one is reminded how music can be so simple yet good at the same time. Mixing folk and bluegrass with Aigner's clever narratives, this duo know as Royal Pine shoots out an unpretentious, easygoing winner with "Chanty Town." As Aigner sings, "Swimming in the sweat of the vinyl summer heat/jolly rancher melting in the wayback seat" from "Seventy Seven," it's easy to notice how such little observations can make for great lyrics. - By Evan James

As Robin Aigner and Brook Martinez harmonize "Who's gonna ride this old train?" with naught but a banjo and handclaps on "This Old Train," one is reminded how music can be so simple yet good at the same time. Mixing folk and bluegrass with Aigner's clever narratives, this duo know as Royal Pine shoots out an unpretentious, easygoing winner with "Chanty Town." As Aigner sings, "Swimming in the sweat of the vinyl summer heat/jolly rancher melting in the wayback seat" from "Seventy Seven," it's easy to notice how such little observations can make for great lyrics. - By Evan James

Royal Pine is a Brooklyn-based duo that combines Robin Aigner, a quirky and frequently charming, singer-songwriter who wrote nine of the ten songs on this duo's debut and who plays guitar, banjo and ukelele, and Brook Martinez, a multi-instrumentalist who variously plays guitar, xylophone, harmonica, piano and percussion instruments like tabla drums and washboard. Royal Pine's musical influences include 19th-century parlor songs, traditional folk, European cabaret, country and rock & roll.

In "This Old Train," the CD's opening song, Aigner's protagonist is a 19th century Southern woman who longs to break free from her strict upbringing, something her sister has already done, but who seems just a little bit afraid of the consequences. Aigner's old-timey banjo playing, fleshed out by Martinez's kitchen-table percussion, is a perfect accompaniment to her clear singing. Next is "Portland," in which she captures the anomic feelings of rootlessness in a place where everyone seems to be from somewhere else, and "At the Palace," which observes the spread of popular culture in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism.

One of Aigner's most interesting songs is "Seventy Seven," in which she recounts childhood memories from the summer of 1977 that include her mother's search for romance, the Son of Sam murders--juxtaposed with references to Dr. Seuss' Sam I Am character--and the massive power blackout in New York City.

Although it is Aigner as singer and songwriter who is in the spotlight, Martinez adds much with his creativity on the various instruments that he chooses for each song. - By Mike Regenstreif

Royal Pine is a Brooklyn-based duo that combines Robin Aigner, a quirky and frequently charming, singer-songwriter who wrote nine of the ten songs on this duo's debut and who plays guitar, banjo and ukelele, and Brook Martinez, a multi-instrumentalist who variously plays guitar, xylophone, harmonica, piano and percussion instruments like tabla drums and washboard. Royal Pine's musical influences include 19th-century parlor songs, traditional folk, European cabaret, country and rock & roll.

In "This Old Train," the CD's opening song, Aigner's protagonist is a 19th century Southern woman who longs to break free from her strict upbringing, something her sister has already done, but who seems just a little bit afraid of the consequences. Aigner's old-timey banjo playing, fleshed out by Martinez's kitchen-table percussion, is a perfect accompaniment to her clear singing. Next is "Portland," in which she captures the anomic feelings of rootlessness in a place where everyone seems to be from somewhere else, and "At the Palace," which observes the spread of popular culture in Eastern Europe after the fall of communism.

One of Aigner's most interesting songs is "Seventy Seven," in which she recounts childhood memories from the summer of 1977 that include her mother's search for romance, the Son of Sam murders--juxtaposed with references to Dr. Seuss' Sam I Am character--and the massive power blackout in New York City.

Although it is Aigner as singer and songwriter who is in the spotlight, Martinez adds much with his creativity on the various instruments that he chooses for each song. - By Mike Regenstreif

Good folk should be sweet, sentimental, haunting and timeless. “Sweet Gabriells,” the obvious single choice from Royal Pine’s full length that has been stuck in my head since it arrived in my mailbox, is all these things. It is a dark folk guitar part underneath a bittersweet fiddle harmony, with a melody that starts from somber darkness, but moves seamlessly into a cute welcome release. The chorus, a plea from a male lover to the object of his desire, sounds especially poignant sung by the sweet female voice of Robin Aigner, which is rich and full of character, cracking in just the right places and hitting all the nostalgia and sentimentality a tone is capable of. Influences of Alison Krauss, Norah Jones, and Ani DiFranco blend together to create a classic familiar sound. The balancing of the cute and sweet with the intelligent and artistic is what really pulls this album off, making it as interesting and artistically relevant as it is purely enjoyable. The songs on Chanty Town span the gammit from slow, somber and sweet, to quirky, upbeat and energetic, as they move from traditional folk to more modern sounds and song structures in a cohesive line that sounds a little premeditated. This self-aware artistic streak holds it together keeping it from being heard simply as a pretty homage to old time music or as contemporary folk with some throw back leanings. The arrangements are mostly roots based, layering a banjo, acoustic guitar, or ukulele underneath a single lead of a fiddle, reverb heavy piano or bells, while eclectic percussion round out the bottom. The songs are striking and more artistic for the crisp and clean production. Each piece of the sparse arrangements comes across strong on their own, blending together but still remaining distinct. With Robin’s voice over the top often combined with a double tracked harmony or the low subtle voice of band mate Brook Martinez, we have a lush and beautiful sound to bring out some good songwriting. - By Dave Cuomo

Good folk should be sweet, sentimental, haunting and timeless. “Sweet Gabriells,” the obvious single choice from Royal Pine’s full length that has been stuck in my head since it arrived in my mailbox, is all these things. It is a dark folk guitar part underneath a bittersweet fiddle harmony, with a melody that starts from somber darkness, but moves seamlessly into a cute welcome release. The chorus, a plea from a male lover to the object of his desire, sounds especially poignant sung by the sweet female voice of Robin Aigner, which is rich and full of character, cracking in just the right places and hitting all the nostalgia and sentimentality a tone is capable of. Influences of Alison Krauss, Norah Jones, and Ani DiFranco blend together to create a classic familiar sound. The balancing of the cute and sweet with the intelligent and artistic is what really pulls this album off, making it as interesting and artistically relevant as it is purely enjoyable. The songs on Chanty Town span the gammit from slow, somber and sweet, to quirky, upbeat and energetic, as they move from traditional folk to more modern sounds and song structures in a cohesive line that sounds a little premeditated. This self-aware artistic streak holds it together keeping it from being heard simply as a pretty homage to old time music or as contemporary folk with some throw back leanings. The arrangements are mostly roots based, layering a banjo, acoustic guitar, or ukulele underneath a single lead of a fiddle, reverb heavy piano or bells, while eclectic percussion round out the bottom. The songs are striking and more artistic for the crisp and clean production. Each piece of the sparse arrangements comes across strong on their own, blending together but still remaining distinct. With Robin’s voice over the top often combined with a double tracked harmony or the low subtle voice of band mate Brook Martinez, we have a lush and beautiful sound to bring out some good songwriting. - By Dave Cuomo

On "Chanty Town," Royal Pine's songs are swaddled in a patchwork quilt sensibility. It's music that invites listeners into a world that is cozy and familiar. But each track is packed with patterns and hooks that demand closer attention and keep you coming back for more. Therein lies Robin Aigner's songwriting skill. The band's lead singer & songwriter has crafted
an album of songs that are sophisticated and folksy. It's a winning blend of heart and mind that sustains itself from start to finish...then from start to finish, again. - By Martin Folkman

On "Chanty Town," Royal Pine's songs are swaddled in a patchwork quilt sensibility. It's music that invites listeners into a world that is cozy and familiar. But each track is packed with patterns and hooks that demand closer attention and keep you coming back for more. Therein lies Robin Aigner's songwriting skill. The band's lead singer & songwriter has crafted
an album of songs that are sophisticated and folksy. It's a winning blend of heart and mind that sustains itself from start to finish...then from start to finish, again. - By Martin Folkman

Royal Pine
Robin Aigner and Brook Martinez, the makeup for Brooklyn’s old-time, folksy duo, bring a bit of unimpeded passion into their bluegrass, as each virtuoso is apt to change instruments at any given time, bouncing back and forth between churchy jubilation and straight-edge constraint. Each song, usually backed by a metronomic banjo, guitar or ukulele, has the intimacy you’d expect to find on some backwoods porch, smack in the middle of Appalachia. Apparently our quaint mountain folk have exported something other than Beverly Hillbillies stereotypes.

The two met after sharing a stage in New York. Martinez, a native of Pennsylvania, is a percussion high-flier. He’s also known to be addicted to bands, with his name regularly appearing on too many lineups to count. Now, as a result of all his shopping around with so many groups, he’s found something special through his collaborations with Aigner. Her soft, smoky voice guides each song with a smooth, calculated precision, building towards, as they describe their effect, “hypnotic cacophony.” We also have it on good authority that Aigner is a champion hoola-hooper. It’s always nice to have a backup plan. (Kevin Crowe) - By Kevin Crowe

Royal Pine
Robin Aigner and Brook Martinez, the makeup for Brooklyn’s old-time, folksy duo, bring a bit of unimpeded passion into their bluegrass, as each virtuoso is apt to change instruments at any given time, bouncing back and forth between churchy jubilation and straight-edge constraint. Each song, usually backed by a metronomic banjo, guitar or ukulele, has the intimacy you’d expect to find on some backwoods porch, smack in the middle of Appalachia. Apparently our quaint mountain folk have exported something other than Beverly Hillbillies stereotypes.

The two met after sharing a stage in New York. Martinez, a native of Pennsylvania, is a percussion high-flier. He’s also known to be addicted to bands, with his name regularly appearing on too many lineups to count. Now, as a result of all his shopping around with so many groups, he’s found something special through his collaborations with Aigner. Her soft, smoky voice guides each song with a smooth, calculated precision, building towards, as they describe their effect, “hypnotic cacophony.” We also have it on good authority that Aigner is a champion hoola-hooper. It’s always nice to have a backup plan. (Kevin Crowe) - By Kevin Crowe

A little bit country, a little bit
rock & roll, a little bit cabaret,
gypsy and Americana, too!
That’s the sound of Royal Pine.
The brainchild of singer/
songwriter Robin Aigner and
multi-instrumentalist Brook
Martinez, Royal Pine plays
original old-timey folk songs ,
written by Robin, layers ’em with
guitar, banjo, ukulele, then adds
tabla, washboard, harmonica,
piano, xylophone and more.
Robin’s dewy lead vocals plus
Brook’s haunting harmonies
round out the hypnotic cacophony.
Royal Pine is based out of
Brooklyn. A native of Hastings-on-
Hudson, New York, Robin started
writing songs at a young age, but
kept them pretty much in her
head, playing them for an
appreciative audience of imaginary
pals. Years later, she became
an adult, took up smoking, quit
smoking, and--needing something
to do with her hands--took up the
guitar. Robin has been an integral
part of the N.Y. music scene ever
since as a performer, a booker, a
music writer, and a champion
hoola-hooper. She writes songs
via recordings on her circa-1992
answering machine.
Brook hails from Ambler,
Pennsylvania. He teaches drum
and is in myriad bands, including
Brook’s Qawwali Party, for which
he translates, charts and plays the
melodies of Pakistani legend
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in western
instrumental format. Brook cofounded
POP!, Percussionists of
the People, in 2004, an interactive
workshop that seeks to expand the
cultural awareness of today’s
young people by exploring
traditions of percussion from
Africa, Brazil, Cuba and the US.
The kid does a mean Michael
Jackson impression, too.
Royal Pine songs have that
small-town intimacy of Gillian
Welch and Patty Griffin combined
with the worldly-wise and wit of
Tom Waits and Lucinda Williams.
The music is eclectic, irreverent
and smart. The shows are
theatrical and mesmerizing. The
sound is best classified as neo-folk:
it builds on traditional music,
adding just enough edge and
nontraditional instrumentation to
make the music timely and
interesting. This is folk music for
the unafraid.
This is not your mama’s folk.
We interviewed Robin and
Brook while they were on the road
heading south in their Winnabago
...
LOAFER:So are there a lot of
old-time mountain music pickers
in Brooklyn?
ROYAL PINE: Oddly, there are.
There seems to be a big trend in
recent years toward old-time
music in New York, especially in
Brooklyn. City-wide there are
about five monthly jams, and there
are variations on the traditional
jams, too, like a monthly Johnny
Cash/Hank Williams night.
LOAFER:You guys have
separate lives, so to speak, as
independent musicians. Does your
solo stuff resemble Royal Pine
music, or does it have a different
flavor and feel?
ROBIN: Well, I was pretty much
solo till I met Brook. So we started
building on my solo material; so
for me, I sound similar when I
perform by myself, but Brook
brings all these other sounds to
the music - which is fantastic,
because it takes the music to a
whole other level. But I'm also in a
traditional old-time band, and I've
been recently dabbling in gypsy
music - so that stuff is really a
departure from our band.
BROOK: I'm a percussionist by
trade, so to be doing all this
singing and playing all these
instruments that are new to me
(banjo, ukulele, xylophone) is
really different than what I
traditionally have done on my
own, or with other bands. In fact,
my other big project is Brook's
Qawaali Party - a 14-piece band
for which I translate and chart the
songs of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan -
so that is totally different.
LOAFER: You've become
friends with the everybodyfields.
How did ya'll get together with
them, and how have they helped
you break onto Southern stages?
ROBIN: The Everybodyfields
literally changed the course of our
career. We were driving an old
Winnebago through the south last
year - spending all of our time
trying not to crash a big house on
wheels and all of our money on
gas. We were on our way to
Memphis, played a gig at Johnson
City's Down HOme and Jill
Andrews happened to be in the
house that night. She really liked
our set, bought our CD and gave
us some flattering malarky about
never buying bands' CDs after
their shows - well, we were
flattered. Anyway, Jill and Sam
Quinn really impressed us with
their music and they convinced us
to ditch our Memphis plans (a 10-
hour ride that probably would
have taken 20 in our rig) and
instead go with them to Merlefest,
which we did. Well, many latenight
jam sessions later, we have
formed a really solid friendship
with them and have shared bills in
Tennesse, New Hampshire and
New York. Aside from just being
great musicians, and warmhearted
people, they have hooked
us up with gigs and radio
appearances and have exposed us
to a wide audience down here that
we might not have been able to
reach. So we're incredibly grateful.
We've learned a lot from them,
and are continually - Interview by Mike Clark

A little bit country, a little bit
rock & roll, a little bit cabaret,
gypsy and Americana, too!
That’s the sound of Royal Pine.
The brainchild of singer/
songwriter Robin Aigner and
multi-instrumentalist Brook
Martinez, Royal Pine plays
original old-timey folk songs ,
written by Robin, layers ’em with
guitar, banjo, ukulele, then adds
tabla, washboard, harmonica,
piano, xylophone and more.
Robin’s dewy lead vocals plus
Brook’s haunting harmonies
round out the hypnotic cacophony.
Royal Pine is based out of
Brooklyn. A native of Hastings-on-
Hudson, New York, Robin started
writing songs at a young age, but
kept them pretty much in her
head, playing them for an
appreciative audience of imaginary
pals. Years later, she became
an adult, took up smoking, quit
smoking, and--needing something
to do with her hands--took up the
guitar. Robin has been an integral
part of the N.Y. music scene ever
since as a performer, a booker, a
music writer, and a champion
hoola-hooper. She writes songs
via recordings on her circa-1992
answering machine.
Brook hails from Ambler,
Pennsylvania. He teaches drum
and is in myriad bands, including
Brook’s Qawwali Party, for which
he translates, charts and plays the
melodies of Pakistani legend
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in western
instrumental format. Brook cofounded
POP!, Percussionists of
the People, in 2004, an interactive
workshop that seeks to expand the
cultural awareness of today’s
young people by exploring
traditions of percussion from
Africa, Brazil, Cuba and the US.
The kid does a mean Michael
Jackson impression, too.
Royal Pine songs have that
small-town intimacy of Gillian
Welch and Patty Griffin combined
with the worldly-wise and wit of
Tom Waits and Lucinda Williams.
The music is eclectic, irreverent
and smart. The shows are
theatrical and mesmerizing. The
sound is best classified as neo-folk:
it builds on traditional music,
adding just enough edge and
nontraditional instrumentation to
make the music timely and
interesting. This is folk music for
the unafraid.
This is not your mama’s folk.
We interviewed Robin and
Brook while they were on the road
heading south in their Winnabago
...
LOAFER:So are there a lot of
old-time mountain music pickers
in Brooklyn?
ROYAL PINE: Oddly, there are.
There seems to be a big trend in
recent years toward old-time
music in New York, especially in
Brooklyn. City-wide there are
about five monthly jams, and there
are variations on the traditional
jams, too, like a monthly Johnny
Cash/Hank Williams night.
LOAFER:You guys have
separate lives, so to speak, as
independent musicians. Does your
solo stuff resemble Royal Pine
music, or does it have a different
flavor and feel?
ROBIN: Well, I was pretty much
solo till I met Brook. So we started
building on my solo material; so
for me, I sound similar when I
perform by myself, but Brook
brings all these other sounds to
the music - which is fantastic,
because it takes the music to a
whole other level. But I'm also in a
traditional old-time band, and I've
been recently dabbling in gypsy
music - so that stuff is really a
departure from our band.
BROOK: I'm a percussionist by
trade, so to be doing all this
singing and playing all these
instruments that are new to me
(banjo, ukulele, xylophone) is
really different than what I
traditionally have done on my
own, or with other bands. In fact,
my other big project is Brook's
Qawaali Party - a 14-piece band
for which I translate and chart the
songs of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan -
so that is totally different.
LOAFER: You've become
friends with the everybodyfields.
How did ya'll get together with
them, and how have they helped
you break onto Southern stages?
ROBIN: The Everybodyfields
literally changed the course of our
career. We were driving an old
Winnebago through the south last
year - spending all of our time
trying not to crash a big house on
wheels and all of our money on
gas. We were on our way to
Memphis, played a gig at Johnson
City's Down HOme and Jill
Andrews happened to be in the
house that night. She really liked
our set, bought our CD and gave
us some flattering malarky about
never buying bands' CDs after
their shows - well, we were
flattered. Anyway, Jill and Sam
Quinn really impressed us with
their music and they convinced us
to ditch our Memphis plans (a 10-
hour ride that probably would
have taken 20 in our rig) and
instead go with them to Merlefest,
which we did. Well, many latenight
jam sessions later, we have
formed a really solid friendship
with them and have shared bills in
Tennesse, New Hampshire and
New York. Aside from just being
great musicians, and warmhearted
people, they have hooked
us up with gigs and radio
appearances and have exposed us
to a wide audience down here that
we might not have been able to
reach. So we're incredibly grateful.
We've learned a lot from them,
and are continually - Interview by Mike Clark

Fans of Americana had a chance to enjoy a bill of acoustic harmonies, folksy storytelling and good old-fashioned sturm-und-twang when Brooklyn, N.Y., duo Royal Pine and Tennessee-based The Everybodyfields paired up at The Stone Church last week. Royal Pine opened the show and clearly adhered to standard folk conventions, despite claiming “an unconventional take on folk music.” Though they may substitute a number about New York City’s Blackout of ’77 for a standby like the “Wreck of the Old 97,” their use of banjo and washboard, as well as their references to Arkansas, ministers and walking lonesome miles, would have made the patrons of any ’60s coffeehouse audience swoon. - by Jill Silos

Fans of Americana had a chance to enjoy a bill of acoustic harmonies, folksy storytelling and good old-fashioned sturm-und-twang when Brooklyn, N.Y., duo Royal Pine and Tennessee-based The Everybodyfields paired up at The Stone Church last week. Royal Pine opened the show and clearly adhered to standard folk conventions, despite claiming “an unconventional take on folk music.” Though they may substitute a number about New York City’s Blackout of ’77 for a standby like the “Wreck of the Old 97,” their use of banjo and washboard, as well as their references to Arkansas, ministers and walking lonesome miles, would have made the patrons of any ’60s coffeehouse audience swoon. - by Jill Silos

April 21, 2005
The inner wanderer

Royal Pine mixes old-time music tradition with N.Y. living


By Rusty Marks
Staff writer

You can take the girl out of the holler. But can you bring the holler to Brooklyn?

New York-based folk singer Robin Aigner is trying to find out. Mixing quirky, contemporary lyrics with old-time accompaniment, the 38-year-old songwriter has created a style of music she refers to as “indie-folk gypsy Americana.”

Aigner and her sidekick, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Brook Martinez, bring their band Royal Pine to The Purple Fiddle in Thomas at 7 p.m. Sunday (cover $5) and Charleston’s Empty Glass Café at 9:30 p.m. Monday (no cover).

Aigner grew up in a quiet New York suburb, where a nagging sense of wanderlust was not helped by a boring, nine-to-five job.

“I was pretty uncomfortable in the corporate world,” Aigner admitted in a telephone interview from New York. By her 20s, bored and perhaps a little disillusioned, she decided to drop out to concentrate on writing songs.

There was just one small problem — she didn’t know how to play the guitar. She taught herself to play by learning old-time music, in part because the simple chord structures are easier and partly because Brooklyn’s nurturing old-time music community took her under its collective wing.

Aigner played with a few old-time bands around Brooklyn before striking out on her own to record a solo CD, titled “Volksinger.” The disc is a mix of cowboy-inspired ballads and Appalachian-sounding melodies, but with quirky lyric twists. Aigner’s oft-quoted ditty “Stone Cold Mamacita” gives a pretty good idea of what to expect from the songwriter:

“I’m a stone-cold mamacita / with an ex-pat hippie papa / we got a lot of terra cotta / and we’re a long way from home ... We live on wit and vino rojo / in our orange El Camino / our perro’s name is Pedro/ we’re a long way from home. ...”

“Sometimes I’ll try to write really old-timey stuff,” Aigner said. “I’ll want to write a country song or an old-timey song. But it’s hard to escape the influences we’re around today.”

Aigner’s lyrics are full of images of cowboys, anti-heroes and lonely wanderers, juxtaposed with contemporary concerns like insomnia or the vagaries of modern relationships.

“There’s definitely an element of the escapist in the songs,” said Aigner, who admits she’d wander off and live in a cabin if she thought she could get away with it.

“There’s the wanderer, the person in me who wants to travel the country in a Winnebago,” she said. “What you get is this kind of old-time tradition I have, and the contemporary vibe I get from being in Brooklyn, and the world aspect that Brooklyn brings to it.”

It’s almost as if, Aigner muses, Woody Guthrie were alive today, writing songs while trapped in Brooklyn’s concrete cage.

“[Woody Guthrie] did live in Brooklyn for a time in his life,” she pointed out. “I think the difference was in riding the rails and being the pioneer. That’s how he grew up, and then he moved to the city.

“I’m kind of the reverse.”

ONLINE: www.robinaigner.com

To contact staff writer Rusty Marks, use e-mail or call 348-1215.

If you go

Royal Pine, featuring Robin Aigner and Brook Martinez, performs 7 p.m. Sunday at The Purple Fiddle in Thomas (www.purplefiddle.com), cover $5. Call 463-4040. The band appears at Charleston’s Empty Glass Café (www.emptyglass.com), 410 Elizabeth St., at 9:30 p.m. Monday, no cover. Call 345-9893. - By Rusty Marks

April 21, 2005
The inner wanderer

Royal Pine mixes old-time music tradition with N.Y. living


By Rusty Marks
Staff writer

You can take the girl out of the holler. But can you bring the holler to Brooklyn?

New York-based folk singer Robin Aigner is trying to find out. Mixing quirky, contemporary lyrics with old-time accompaniment, the 38-year-old songwriter has created a style of music she refers to as “indie-folk gypsy Americana.”

Aigner and her sidekick, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Brook Martinez, bring their band Royal Pine to The Purple Fiddle in Thomas at 7 p.m. Sunday (cover $5) and Charleston’s Empty Glass Café at 9:30 p.m. Monday (no cover).

Aigner grew up in a quiet New York suburb, where a nagging sense of wanderlust was not helped by a boring, nine-to-five job.

“I was pretty uncomfortable in the corporate world,” Aigner admitted in a telephone interview from New York. By her 20s, bored and perhaps a little disillusioned, she decided to drop out to concentrate on writing songs.

There was just one small problem — she didn’t know how to play the guitar. She taught herself to play by learning old-time music, in part because the simple chord structures are easier and partly because Brooklyn’s nurturing old-time music community took her under its collective wing.

Aigner played with a few old-time bands around Brooklyn before striking out on her own to record a solo CD, titled “Volksinger.” The disc is a mix of cowboy-inspired ballads and Appalachian-sounding melodies, but with quirky lyric twists. Aigner’s oft-quoted ditty “Stone Cold Mamacita” gives a pretty good idea of what to expect from the songwriter:

“I’m a stone-cold mamacita / with an ex-pat hippie papa / we got a lot of terra cotta / and we’re a long way from home ... We live on wit and vino rojo / in our orange El Camino / our perro’s name is Pedro/ we’re a long way from home. ...”

“Sometimes I’ll try to write really old-timey stuff,” Aigner said. “I’ll want to write a country song or an old-timey song. But it’s hard to escape the influences we’re around today.”

Aigner’s lyrics are full of images of cowboys, anti-heroes and lonely wanderers, juxtaposed with contemporary concerns like insomnia or the vagaries of modern relationships.

“There’s definitely an element of the escapist in the songs,” said Aigner, who admits she’d wander off and live in a cabin if she thought she could get away with it.

“There’s the wanderer, the person in me who wants to travel the country in a Winnebago,” she said. “What you get is this kind of old-time tradition I have, and the contemporary vibe I get from being in Brooklyn, and the world aspect that Brooklyn brings to it.”

It’s almost as if, Aigner muses, Woody Guthrie were alive today, writing songs while trapped in Brooklyn’s concrete cage.

“[Woody Guthrie] did live in Brooklyn for a time in his life,” she pointed out. “I think the difference was in riding the rails and being the pioneer. That’s how he grew up, and then he moved to the city.

“I’m kind of the reverse.”

ONLINE: www.robinaigner.com

To contact staff writer Rusty Marks, use e-mail or call 348-1215.

If you go

Royal Pine, featuring Robin Aigner and Brook Martinez, performs 7 p.m. Sunday at The Purple Fiddle in Thomas (www.purplefiddle.com), cover $5. Call 463-4040. The band appears at Charleston’s Empty Glass Café (www.emptyglass.com), 410 Elizabeth St., at 9:30 p.m. Monday, no cover. Call 345-9893. - By Rusty Marks

http://www.royalpinemusic.com/press.html - Royal Pine web site

http://www.royalpinemusic.com/press.html - Royal Pine web site