Bryna Golden: A Sound of Her Own

Bryna Golden

Who:
Bryna Golden, 41

Where:
Westminster, Calif.

DX:
Unidentified neuromuscular disease, 20-plus years

What:

Singer, songwriter and keyboardist for Babylonian Tiles, a "dark psychedelic" band. Also called acid-goth, her music combines Middle Eastern, 1960s psychedelia, progressive rock and post-punk influences.

Released three internationally distributed CDs, went on five U.S. tours and played numerous shows. Currently working on new material for upcoming recordings with plans to continue performing.

How:

Started by playing the keyboard in post-punk bands and writing songs as a hobby. Looked for a band for which she could create musical arrangements, direction and sound. Found Babylonian Tiles in the Los Angeles underground music scene by 1989. Needs the support of a desk chair while performing, and hypoventilation has made singing difficult.

Bryna says:

"As my health problems became worse and more troublesome, music became an outlet into which I could channel my feelings. And at a time when I was becoming more limited in what I could do, playing music was something that gave me a sense of accomplishment and an arena in which I could feel good about myself, where I didn’t have to try to be like everyone else.

In fact, I did everything I could to make myself stand out."