Pan Fried was a duo cooked up by Jeff Hibshman and Alane Brown, serving a delicious mix of music. They were active in creating and performing music from 2021 through 2024, and have now disbanded.
The recipe included original songs by Alane, with a sprinkling of well-loved pagan chants. Jeff brought his multi-instrumental skills, playing bass, guitar, mandolin and fiddle. Alane sang and played guitar and ukulele.
Alane is best known for her work with the pagan choir Crow Women. She writes many of their songs and has produced their 4 albums. She’s also the editor of the Pagan Song blog. You can check out her Pagan Song bio here. During the pandemic, Alane used her suddenly free time to write a song every week for over a year. When she and Jeff got together in 2021, they immediately began working up this rich backlog of songs, and their duo Pan Fried was born.
Jeff has been a lifetime musician. He has played rock and roll, country, bluegrass, folk and jazz in a long list of bands. He has played with such names as Bo Diddley, John and Ibby from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Freebo (Bonnie Raitt’s bassist). His bluegrass band “The Badly Bent” won the 2005 band contest at Telluride Bluegrass festival. He enjoyed becoming part of the pagan music scene as a member of Pan Fried.
“It was a time and place where an abortion was not a choice.
She didn’t have the resources, support or skills to claim a voice
No one cared about her dreams”
As a response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, 19 pagan bands joined together to create a collection of feminist songs called The Red Album: Pagan Voices for Reproductive Rights. It raised funds for abortion access. Pan Fried’s track is A Song for Emmeline. When asked about it, they said; “Our song tells of Emmeline and how her dreams were stolen by an unwanted pregnancy. Lack of access to abortion affects real people all around us. Is there a tragic story hidden behind the bright smile of the waitress who serves your coffee?”
Pan Fried performed at Albuqueruqe Pagan Pride and at Pagan Spirit Gathering in the USA and at several venues in Todos Santos, Mexico. Both Jeff and Alane continue to be active musicians, but no longer as a duo. They have remained good friends and are very supportive of one another’s current and future creative endevours.