by Kate Crofts
Daily Lobo
Rodney Branigan can play duets with himself.
During his trademark "Schizophrenic Duet" Saturday, audience members shook their heads in disbelief and dropped their jaws to the ground. The 'duet' involves two acoustic guitars played solely by the talented Branigan.
The feat seems impossible to onlookers, and Branigan appears uniquely gifted. He said his ability results from a medical condition.
"I have a condition called extreme dualism," explained Branigan. "Dualism is the brain's ability to multitask using both sides of the brain - women tend to be good at this. Extreme dualism is mechanical. I have equal control over both sides of my body."
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Branigan celebrated his birthday this year by energizing UNM's Keller Hall with progressive folk-fusion.
Audience members celebrated too, rising to their feet in appreciation of the artist's talent and recognizing his potential for continued music-industry success. Successful solo artists in the 21st century must possess several talents. Ideally, some kind of musical ability is involved, but mainstream artists are constantly proving this requirement negotiable.
Other requirements depend on genre. Pop icons need washboard stomachs, raunchy lyrics and contradictory sexual morals. Heavy-metal rockers need to perform high, get dressed in the dark and get their hair styled by someone more stoned than them.
Progressive folk-fusion artists don't really have a vast pool of successors to model themselves from, but if Branigan is anything to go by, their success depends on an engaging stage presence, a spine-tingling voice and ambidextrous abilities.
Branigan's discovered his ambidextrous skill at the age of 12. He had already been a guitarist for four years. It was not until about three years ago that Branigan began to play his guitars simultaneously.
"It was a single moment of discovery," Branigan said. "I was with a student playing guitar and discussing my ambidexterity. He handed me another guitar and asked me to try to play them together. Within ten minutes I had it figured out."
Branigan's unusual talent is definitely a crowd pleaser, but he is hardly a one-trick wonder. His original compositions are moving with their soulful melodies. The lyrics are equally touching and are based on Branigan's personal experiences and social observations.
Branigan cites his track "Middle Class America" as an example of his social perspective. The song comments on the middle class' preoccupation with gaining and maintaining wealth - often at the cost of more worthy causes.
"The last line of the song really sums it up," Branigan said. "'Creating paperwork/ does that seem successful to you?' People in the middle classes often spend their lives working in offices and never achieve anything really important."
With a talent like Branigan's, one might wonder why a major record label hasn't snatched him up. It isn't because they haven't tried.
"I've had offers from a few major record labels - Atlantic, ANM, Columbia," Branigan said. "It's just that their business tactics don't really fit with my conscience."
Branigan said he won't sacrifice his work for potential popularity.
"I'm not anti-commercial, and I'm not stupid," Branigan said. "I know I have a talent that is potentially worth a lot of money. But I like not having to compromise my music for anybody. I want success, but I'd like to get there on my own."
