About The Bramble and The Rose

Clair Anna Rose and Tony Norris first met when Clair was a wee tadpole of a girl attending Sechrist Elementary in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Tony was performing a program of songs and scary stories in the assembly room, and Clair was lucky enough to be in the front row. It's a memory that has stayed with her all these year... Tony's telling of the tale La Llorona.

Just as Tony was getting to the end... and the scariest part of the story, he turned and locked eyes with Clair, and took on the character of La Llorona  walking towards her with wide, crazed eyes and outstretched hands, cocked his head to the side and said, "Hijo?"

About a decade later, Clair Anna Rose and Tony Norris began playing music together, performing at The Flagstaff Folk Festival, The Wine Loft, Heritage Square, The Coconino County Fair, and other venues in the Flagstaff area.

Playing on their beloved guitars, The Bramble and The Rose play an array of folk, bluegrass, americana, and whatever else strikes their fancy! Both are writers and composers of song, and they enjoy singing old time songs, as well as the Rolling Stones.

The duo regularly performs for the The Peaks Senior Living Community, and often performs at Full Circle Thrift, an organization that gives generously to different non-profits in the Flagstaff community, providing support for the Arts! Clair and Tony recorded their first album inside the thrift 
store during an afternoon session.

Tony Norris is an Arizona original—charming audiences of all ages with stories and songs from Appalachia to the Southwest. He farmed with horses, made whiskey, dug graves, worked as a horseshoer and sang at weddings, funerals and hog butcherings. His face is familiar hosting local video productions and Emceeing festivals and events. Tony was honored as the winner of the 2010 Viola Award for Music.  www.tonynorris.com

Clair Anna Rose has always loved to sing loudly, but it wasn't until 2006 when she first began performing before a live audience. A singer/songwriter, Clair has recorded five albums, and written over 100 songs, most of which haven't been tossed into "dud" pile, and remain in her regular repertoire.

When she isn't crooning along to the strumming of her guitar, she can be heard plunking her way through piano arrangements in the garage, writing, training in Shaolin Kung Fu, teaching yoga, taking pictures using 100-year-old rescued film cameras, gluing stuff to stuff (see her art blog Muse Miniatures), belly dancing, figure skating, sewing, or hanging with Perry Paddleton, the terrier that came to stay. She's not afraid of hobbies, that's for sure.