Interview with Brad Barr

We had the pleasure of interviewing Brad Barr over Zoom video! Brad Barr - the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of The Barr Brothers and The Slip - recetly released The Winter Mission, Barr's brand new instrumental solo guitar album through Secret City Records. For more than 20 years, Brad Barr has been counting the number 216. It's a mysterious number that seems to show up everywhere—from clocks and license plates to Ouija boards and receipts—and now it's also sewn the fabric of his new album, like the 216 stitches on a baseball. Inspired by artists like Caetano Veloso, Mississippi Fred McDowell, D'Gary, and John Frusciante, Barr set out to make music that was naked and unprocessed, but also occasionally loud—alive with a sense of wakeful intimacy. The number 216 was a constant theme. The guitarist first encountered the so-called "magic square" during a teenage acid trip; in the years since then it's become a talisman—one of the few areas where Barr feels mystical, sensing a genuine order in the universe. These songs pay tribute to that order—from 216's lofty mathematical and astrological properties to its function as an area-code (for Cleveland). Barr spent decades developing his visceral approach to the guitar, first with The Slip and then across three records with The Barr Brothers. The Winter Mission—the follow-up to The Fall Apartment, Barr's 2008 solo debut—had its origins in a commission from Michael Wolk, Artistic Director at New York City's All For One Theater. It "felt like a gift," Barr recalls—to have a sound he could explore all by himself, away from the road, during COVID's strange intermission. Brad Barr is the lead singer and songwriter of The Barr Brothers, a folk-Americana band that's been around for over a decade. They have toured with The War on Drugs, Calexico, Shakey Graves, and Patrick Watson. Their TV performances include The Late Show with David Letterman and CBS This Morning Saturday. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #BradBarr #TheBarrBrothers #TheSlips #TheWinterMission #Instrumental #NewMusic #zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB https://www.bringinitbackwards.com/follow/ Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! https://www.facebook.com/groups/bringinbackpod Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/