BARBS is an album
and it's a little bit country
16 year-old me—who would’ve been learning how to slap the bass from RHCP songs on a compact disc at the time—would be shook at learning that 30 years in the future my nearly 46 year old ass just pressed a new vinyl of traditional sounding country music, but here we are. He’s me, and we’re dealing with it.
I’m proud to introduce BARBS, my new album. It’s not streaming on Shartify or Crapple yet, but you can buy a fresh, physical LP right now. Provided you have a record player, you can even listen to it.
In the 90’s I wanted zero to do with country. It was cheesy, and a vehicle for jokes. You could weaponize shame with the question: “Yer not going country, are ya??”. There wasn’t much crossover at the time, let alone the lawless genre blending that defines our modern musical lives. But, time has a way.
The songs on Barbs are observations on characters and situations inherent to life in a small American town. They’re honest, unapologetic, and haven’t tried too hard to be liked at any point, which is what I love most about them. I count them among the best I’ve written, not only because they’re new. Playing them for various friends and family, I’m pleased at the way they invite conversation, bringing the listener closer to the source. I sing most of them in my lowest register, in the relative range and volume of my speaking voice. In that way they’re more connective than they are performative I think—a notable difference from older songs of mine.
A few words about The Making Of
Armed with a few song pieces last October, I drove out to Joshua Tree for a few days with a spartan rig - guitar, mic, notebook, computer. I meant to write until it felt like I had an album. A very special thanks to my friends Ryan and Devon who let me take over their place out there. Ryan also shot the music video for the first single The Troll.
If you haven’t watched The Troll yet, what the hell are you still doing here? It’s the song that sparked this whole thing and really sets the tone. Go watch it. ;)
The original recordings are live, and have a raw energy to them. For a few weeks I considered releasing those as the album. Scott suggested we explore re-recording and adding a few things to one song here in Ojai, just to see. If it didn’t beat the demo we had a good fallback, and in that sense it was akin to playing with house money. The experiment was a lot of fun and both of us knew we had hit on something special. He came on to record and we got to work producing the rest.
Barbs features everyone over at Echo Magic, a group I consider my version of the classic Wrecking Crew: Syd Sidney and Daniel Wright as the rhythm section, Ethan Glazer on keys, Jesse Siebenberg on various melodic instruments, and Scott Hirsch on his bits of funky glue. I even got my wife Daron and our friend Jeni Ivey to sing some backup vocals. There was just one more thing…
As the record rounded into its final shape, I thought there was one important element missing: that lilting, mournful harmonica from Mickey Raphael that you hear on scores of Willie Nelson songs. Listen to the original album version of Georgia On My Mind for a good reference. It’s a truly unique sound on a common instrument, and even though I knew what I wanted I hadn’t a clue how I’d find anyone who could play like that. Mickey was just a kid when he started playing with Willie and the Family around 1970. Since then he’s played with just about everybody in (and out of) Country/Western, and he’s currently touring and recording with Chris Stapleton. Dude is a legend.
I said to Scott, “Fuck it. I’m gonna write to Mickey and ask if he’ll do it…you never know.”. We shrugged in agreement, and I sent it off. A day or so later, I got his reply:
Ho Lee Fuk. You really do just have to ask sometimes. Wild.
I sent him a link to the music and a few weeks later he sent back his parts on 4 of my tracks - The Money, The Champ, The Young Lover, and The Old Friends. As The Dude would say, his work really ties the room together. It’s so so good and you gotta hear it. I got to talk with him by phone a couple times and the guy was so nice and generous with his time. It’s one of those moments in life that’s perhaps everyday, nbd stuff to him but relatively rare and particularly huge for me.
The records were pressed and manufactured close to home by Fidelity Record Pressing in Oxnard, CA. Sweetest folks down there, and their products and facility are excellent.
A bonus perk of going with a local presser is being there while the sausage gets made.
Check the scene:
I’d love to think that these will go fast. I only made a limited run and unless Stapleton somehow brings me on tour with him next year, it’s quite likely I won’t press more once they’re gone.
It’s a special set of songs, it sounds incredible, and I hope you’ll dig it for a long time.
A release show with the full band is in the works too. Details coming soon, but for now please pencil in Sunday, September 7th in Ojai to join us for a proper celebration.
Love, B
Let's goooooo!
✨✨🎧🔥🔥