THE BARR BROTHERS opening for KARKWA at Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor West), Saturday (September 17), 9 pm. $12. HS, RT, SS, TM. See listing.
When Rhode Island brothers Brad and Andrew Barr moved to Montreal in 2005, they weren’t trying to emulate other progressive expat American musicians like Arcade Fire, Colin Stetson or Tune-Yards. Rather, their reasons were romantic.
“We played a show here in Montreal with our old band the Slip in 2003, and the club caught fire in the middle of our last song,” guitarist/vocalist Brad recalls. “While we were out on the street waiting for the fire department, we met this wonderful girl who later became my brother’s wife and our manager.”
Brad’s percussionist sibling Andrew spent a year pining for her before tracking her down, which led them to relocate and reinvent their sound as the Barr Brothers. By chance, they ended up living next to harp player Sarah Pagé, and the sound of her practising inspired them to bring her aboard. Usually, when a rootsy, blues-influenced band boasts a harp player, it’s someone playing a tiny mouth organ, not a mammoth, impractical stringed instrument like Pagé’s.
“I never intended to have a harp player, and if I knew then what I know now about dragging it around, I might have thought twice.
“One of the highlights of our day is walking into a club with it and seeing the soundperson’s expression. It’s a real testament to Sarah’s abilities and talents that we even consider carting it around. But I’m grateful for it. It’s strange and a bit eccentric and really fits our sound. It’s as if the songs were made with it in mind.”
While the music on their upcoming self-titled debut album is based on traditional folk and blues, their execution is anything but. Andrew uses a percussion rig more suited to world music or avant-garde jazz. They bring a pump organ on tour. And Brad’s favourite new instrument is a guitar-like object made out of an old fishing tackle box, which he loves despite the constant adjustments its soft metal requires.
“I’d say it sounds like a Model T Ford would if you could string it up and amplify it.”
He’s also known to employ a crowd-pleasing trick that involves playing his guitar with a thread, just one of the reasons the Barrs are quickly getting a reputation as one of Montreal’s top live acts.
“I think it’s an old Gypsy violin trick. You tie a piece of sewing thread onto the guitar or violin string, and as you pull on it, your dragging fingers vibrate the guitar strings. It sounds a little bit like a bow, but rougher and broken.”
benjaminb@nowtoronto.com
