Exclusive Stream and Q&A: Tim Barry

It can be a challenge writing about folk-punk singer/songwriter (and former Avail frontman) TIM BARRY. Things like album sales and chart positions don’t matter to him, so it’s difficult to treat him as if he’s just another guy in a band. (For example: Right before this interview, he was "deep in the woods hunting Civil War relics.") Later this month, Barry is releasing his third solo album, 28th & Stonewall, a collection of songs that he never even originally intended to be an album. One song (which we’re exclusively premiering), “Prosser’s Gabriel,” a historical account of a failed slave uprising in Barry’s hometown of Richmond, Virginia, even drew the attention and praise of the descendents of song’s real-life protagonist. You won’t find anything like that written on a CD packaging sticker. Listen to the song below.



INTERVIEW: Tim Karan

PHOTO: Chrissy Piper



Before going into this album, did you have any specific goals or directions you wanted to take it?

Actually, I did not. I had accumulated a backlog of roughly 30 songs early in 2009. Some were written on 2008’s Revival Tour, but most of them were written during a three-week period last January. I don’t know why I had a sudden burst of creativity, but I did and I rolled with it. When I knew there was enough music to pick and choose from for a new album, I set up a real casual studio schedule at Minimum Wage Studio in Richmond, Virginia. Instead of blocking out a week to track and a week to mix back-to-back, I simply set up a couple days here and there throughout the entire summer. Eventually I felt comfortable with a number of songs and how they fit into the sequence of an album and called it done.



What was your inspiration this time around?

The inspiration for 28th & Stonewall is much the same as it is for all of my music. Lyrical content is derived from life experience and stories told or passed down to me while interacting with folks I know or meet. I’m a firm believer in living–unplugging the internet highway and TV and getting out there and seeing for myself. With that said, there’s a ton to write about when personal perspectives are changed and when you’re surrounded by interesting people. In a nutshell, the inspiration for the new record comes from living and sharing.



Is there any sort of overriding theme for you?

The themes of the songs vary. I write about a failed slave insurrection in Virginia in the song "Prosser’s Gabriel," which ends with a challenge to the city of Richmond to erect a monument to him and other slaves who are buried beneath a parking lot owned by Virginia Commonwealth University. I poke fun at people for going to college in the first-person joke song "Downtown VCU." I handle some relationship issues in a few, sing a couple songs based on freight train culture and so on.



You mentioned the message behind “Prosser’s Gabriel.” What motivated you to write that song?
The premise of the song is to exploit the reality that [Richmond] boasts monuments and entire sections in well-maintained graveyards to our wealthy ancestry, but there’s little to nothing for those who broke their backs to make them well off. The inspiration for the song was drawn by the reality that there are parking lots in this city and sections of interstates that run through this city that are paved over slave burial grounds. A friend of mine who is a popular musician recently told me that this song would make me famous. But fame is far from what I want. I’ll work tirelessly to assure that those enslaved by my race of people are treated with absolute respect today. I’ll one day see a well-manicured graveyard in all spots where those oppressed are laid to rest and that there are monuments erected to those who struggled to free themselves. The inspiration for the song "Prosser’s Gabriel" comes from justice.



Is it true you were contacted by Prosser’s relatives to attend their family reunion?

I was contacted by the family historian who had archived footage that was found on the internet to be shown at their family reunion. They included the words to the song "Prosser’s Gabriel" in their program and also played a pre-release version on the song at the gathering. I had a prior commitment to play a show and didn’t attend. That’s my problem. When I make a commitment, I follow through. Even if I want to be somewhere else. The worst part is that show’s payment guarantee was a pizza and a bottle of moonshine. All I got was the pizza.



Some people have called this your most personal album. Do you agree?
No, my last album, Manchester, was brutally revealing and personal-more so than any that I’ve made in my life. In a lot of ways, looking back on [that album], it’s downright depressing. I had been dealt some serious blows personally while I was writing that one. This one is less personal as long as the listener understands that a handful of the first person songs are telling others’ stories, not mine. Although [“11/7”] is so personal that at times I have trouble hearing the reality of my own words.



You also opened up the instrumentation to include a full brass band on a few songs. Was that something that you intended while writing the songs or something that seemed to fit after the fact?

There are two songs with a full brass band. I intended to have horns in one–"Will Travel." The other, "With Ease I Leave," came up during the sessions. From its start, I thought that one would be perfect for [frequent Ryan Adams collaborator] Daniel Clark to hammer out on keys. But I chose brass in the end. I am so darn lucky to be surrounded by amazing musicians from Central Virginia who frequent Minimum Wage Recording Studio. No BS! Brass Band records there and they were open to try out playing on those two songs. In the end, they really took incredibly simple songs and created mood and energy. But it doesn’t stop at them. Every single person who plays on the album leant such talent that it’s unbelievable to me. I love to write songs, but I’m not much of a musician. These folks really make the album what it is.



What’s next for you?

Tour, tour, tour. [I’ll be touring] Canada, the U.S., Australia, then more U.S., Europe and God knows after that. It’ll be a long year on the road. Oddly, I’m more than halfway through writing another album– not including all the backlogged leftovers from the last one. We’ll see what happens. I have a huge life outside of music and will never let it overwhelm me. alt

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