Winnipeg area musician Del Barber returns to the Geomatic Attic, Tuesday, Oct. 22 in support of his new CD “Easy Keeper,” a record he never though
t he’s ever get to make.
“I’ve been busy being a dad and trying to reconcile that with touring and not being there,” said Barber, who has a busy tour schedule booked into 2021.
Barber underwent a period of soul searching when he parted ways with True North Records and his manager, around the same time he settled down on his wife’s parents’ farm in southern Manitoba.
“I didn’t think I would get to make music again, so a lot of songs come from that point in time. I’m always writing. But people still want to hear from me,” Barber continued, adding Rolling Stone magazine just published an interview with him abut the new album.
“That’s the first time they have ever paid any attention to me so that’s like the Holy Grail,” he said.
No Depression magazine, the go to source for alt country and roots magazine, also interviewed him.
“I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years and people are starting to listen,” he said.
“ I only allow myself one, maybe two songs to write from that first person perspective. I’d rather exercise a more empathetic perspective that keeps my ego in check as a white male who has the Holy Grail by the tail. Like they know which way the world should turn. I live on a beautiful farm. I have a beautiful family,” he said, adding he’d rather write from a third person perspective about blue collar people who see the world with their unique perspective.
“ It’s more fun to create a character. There are a lot of other songwriters who can write from their own point of view and not have it come across as sanctimonious. But I’ve never been good at that,” he said.
The new CD is very stripped down, but Barber is bringing a full band to fill out the sound.
“ I was in Nashville and saw Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives. It was so inspirational. They could do loud, in your face electric music, but they could also do really laid back music and not just in ballads. So I’ve been experimenting with different ways to play my music live,” he said.
He will be joined by new guitarist Austin Parachoniak, drummer Ivan Burns and bassist/steel guitarist Ryan Funk.
“I’m really excited about it. I hope people will come out and see it,” Barber said.
Tickets are $30 for Geomatic Attic members, $35 for non members,. The show starts at 8 p.m.
