Intro // Scott Pingeton
Questions // Adam Sharp
The Barr Brothers' debut comes in at #5 on my list of favorite albums of 2011. With sonic swings from whispered folk to belted blues it is as fully-realized a debut as you will hear, but that shouldn't be surprising given the fact that the Barrs have been touring the world and putting out acclaimed albums as The Slip for years. The circumstances surrounding the album sound like one big, serendipitous accident as the band moved to Montreal to follow love, and found their harpist through a lucky act of the real estate gods. The record came together naturally, and with a little help from The Low Anthem and Elvis Perkins, among others. The end result is nuanced, measured, melodic and hands down one of the best folk records of 2011.
The Barr Brothers - Beggar In The Morning
Through the powers of the internet we were able to have a virtual conversation with the Barrs about the album, their new hometown and what success means for them.
VV: How would you describe the evolution in sound from your other band, The Slip, to that we hear from The Barr Brothers?
Brad: I don't necessarily consider the Barr Brothers as having evolved out of The Slip. They're two independent creative endeavors with their own personalities, evolving at their own separate paces. I believe that whatever personal growth or evolution we've experienced as individual musicians and songwriters plays out in both bands. And both bands are influenced by each other. You could say that there's been an evolution in the kinds of venues the Barr Brothers seems to be adapting to, soft-seat theaters and places with balconies and stuff, but at the same time, that just gives me a greater appreciation for sweaty gigs in stinky little bars.
Andrew: A lot of The Slips music came from 3 musicians in a room improvising together, creating motifs and building them into song structures, usually putting lyrics onto the music as the last step in the process. We'd play the songs on the road, let them simmer and then record them in a flash when we had time in between tours. The Slip incorporated samplers, synths, whatever it took to make the song a kind of kaleidoscope of electric sound. And then there was live improvisation, lots of live improvisation. The songs on The Barr Brothers record were all written by Brad before the band was formed. We had moved to Montreal and were enjoying a different pace of life and a certain amount of anonomynity as well as the experience of being strangers and having to find our way in a new place. Brad was writing a lot and we began playing this music at some little venues around town with harpist Sarah Page and bassist Miles Perkin. We experienced playing music at very subtle dynamic level. We also became focused on a balanced acoustic sound where the harp and the pump organ and drums are more or less happening onstage at a volume that would work unamplified - like in a kitchen. There is a lot more meticulous arranging that goes on with this band but there is still plenty of space to take risks, to fall flat on your face, or reinvent a section of music with a spontaneous idea.
VV: We know that Montreal is where the fateful concert took place that set the ball rolling for what has become The Barr Brothers, but what exactly prompted the move to Montreal a year after that show?
Andrew: I met a lovely girl who was working as a barmaid that night in Montreal. When the venue caught on fire and we were all pushed out into the rain under the flaming statue of Elvis Presley, I had the chance to introduce myself to her. It took me a year to find her again after that night, I lost my address book in Ireland, she quit her job and moved. I must have called that club a hundred times and then one day, a year later she happened to walk into the club as I called. I spent a year going back and forth from Boston before I moved in with her in Montreal. Brad and I had both fallen in love with the spirit and the coffee in Montreal so he came up soon after. Meg and I live together now in Montreal and she actually works with our management company, so she's a big part of this bands whole creation myth I guess.
Brad: Yeah, needed a change after 10 years in Boston, always found that Montreal just kind of agreed with me on many levels. So when Andrew decided to move up there to be with Meg, I hopped right on board.
VV: You feature a number of guest appearances on your album (Miles Perkin (Lhasa DeSela), Elizabeth Powell (Land of Talk), Nathan Moore, Jocie Adams (The Low Anthem), Emma Baxter and Elvis Perkins). What is your relationship with those that appeared on the album and how did they end up as part of your record?
Brad: I can think of no better way to celebrate the things we love in this world than to make music with people we love, who are also some of the people that inspire us musically and otherwise. Its everything at once, a very gratifying experience. I believe that the big hearts inside those people you mentioned are a big part of the spirit of this record, and helps it shine.
Andrew: Yeah, just reading those names makes me feel like the luckiest guy on earth. We are really fortunate to have befriended so many great musicians in Montreal. Brad and I built a studio in an old boiler room basement where we are always working on something. Friends will drop by the studio to check in, make some noise, lend a guitar, borrow a marimba or whatever. So if we're working on a song, chances are our friends will end up on it somehow. Lizzy Powell shared a room at the studio with us for a while, her voice is one of the most rare and special voices that I've heard. The Low Anthem are old friends of ours and when they were in town playing with Elvis Perkins everyone came by after the show and recorded, some of it ended up on one of their records and Jocie and Elvis ended up on Cloud. As a whole, we really had no plan for making this record, but as songs got to a certain point and the band wanted to start touring, we realized that we had enough music recorded to make a record, and in a way it told the story of our first few years in Montreal. 4/ One thing that always intrigues me is the songwriting process, and given the layers and instrumentation involved in your songs I’m fascinated to learn how they are created. Can you describe how you typically write songs?
Brad: All the songs on this record, with the exception of maybe Give the Devil Back His Heart, were written on an acoustic guitar in some kitchen or bedroom or hotel room. I wrote most of them without a band in mind, as I was in a kind of estranged state at the time, taking a break from the Slip, and just beginning to familiarize myself with the city and the people here in Montreal. All the songs have different stories, as far as how long they took to write, what kind of space I was in, day or night, how I was feeling. Once Andrew and I met Sarah and Miles and, later, Andres, it seemed like the songs had been written for this kind of ensemble, where the harp, with its subtleties and dynamics and range and possibilities, could really take the music to higher place without cluttering the songs. From there, recording them was mostly pure fun. The songs have the power to stand alone. So they dictated to us what they wanted from us as far as instrumentation. I'm curious now how the next record will go, now that the band is central to much of the song writing process.
VV: What song are you most proud of on The Barr Brothers? Why?
Brad: On some days, all of them. On other days, none of them! There are some moments or lyrics that stand out to me, that I feel very fortunate to have captured. It’s usually those that took the least amount of effort to come up with, almost conjured out of the blue, like a dream. As a result, I have no recollection of how they arrived in our laps.
Andrew: Yeah, they're all like children. I love them all unconditionally and sometimes they each drive me crazy in their own way
VV: You’ve garnered a lot of critical acclaim for your debut album and have been crossing the country on a tour that’s seen rave reviews - for you, though, what does success mean?
Andrew: To me success is being able to communicate yourself to an audience in a way that feels natural and honest. You know, whether or not people like what your doing, it seems like you are succeeding if you are able to communicate yourself in a way that is fullfiling to yourself. When you are living the art and checking in with yourself on a moment by moment basis, change is going to happen and that helps feed the creation of new ideas and new music. I think we all recognize that trait in people that we respect, you love what they are doing and you also realize the potential that is in them to change and continue to communicate new ideas with you. Everyone can really feed off of that and it gets spread around. I know that involves lots of listening. They say we have two ears but one tongue because really we should be listening twice as much as we talk. The ability to communicate, receive feedback, grow, stay open to change and to continue to communicate, that feels like success.
Brad: Yes.
Huge thanks to the Barr Brothers for taking the time to give such thoughtful answers to our questions. Please support the band by buying the record (just $5 on Amazon!) and going to one of their incredible live shows.
Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 8:00AM 
The Barr Brothers' debut didn't exactly come out of nowhere, but it certainly exceeded my high expectations. Seamless shifts from hushed vocals and plucked harp to ragged bluesy bluster, with gorgeous sweeping melodies throughout. 
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