Vocals and Guitar
Leslie Braly was born in Alabama, spending her childhood in Mobile and Birmingham. In her twenties, she started writing songs and playing in bars and honky-tonks around the state. Leslie's songwriting is a rootsy Americana style heavily influenced by her southern upbringing. She moved to Washington with her husband in 2000 and spent the next few years focusing on starting a family. In 2007 Leslie met John Owen, when their oldest daughters became friends in kindergarten, and together they formed Pineola.
Photo © Don Mason
Guitar and Vocals
Born and raised in the Blue Mountains of Oregon, John started playing in local rock and country bands at age 15. In his early twenties he studied with classical guitar master Christopher Parkening and jazz guitarist John Stowell. In this century he has had the opportunity to learn from dobro greats Rob Ickes, Andy Hall and Orville Johnson, as well as, bluegrass flatpickers like Kenny Smith and Tim Stafford. His musical past includes numerous bands and styles including jazz, Afro-pop, reggae, rock, blues, country and roots-Americana.
Photo © Don Mason
Bass and Vocals
Originally from Lewiston Idaho, Josh has played in a number of bands around the Pacific Northwest including Sherilyn Segrest, The Reluctants and Portland based Superxxman. As with Leslie and John, Josh's connection to Pineola also originated with the friendships between his daughters and the other kids of Pineola members. We are lucky to have him layin' down a carpet of funk
for us.
Photo © Don Mason
Pedal Steel
Hailed by Jake Uitti in Seattle Magazine as Seattle's Master of Mastering
, Ed Brooks is best known for his genius mastering skills on recordings by such names as REM, The Decemberists, The Head and the Heart, Fleet Foxes, Death Cab for Cutie, and Pearl Jam, to name just a few. Ed's involvement with music encompasses more than just audio engineering though - he plays music too.
Ed loves making music as much as he loves listening, and his instrument of choice is pedal steel guitar. His broad musical tastes, his passion as a musician, engineer and listener, all combine to deliver an aesthetically pleasing, elegant, and smart musical result, whether in the mastering studio, or on the band stand. Pineola is grateful to have him in our ranks.
Photo © Don Mason
