Tag: Danny Barnes

BGS 5+5: Sarah Siskind

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Artist: Sarah Siskind
Hometown: Brevard, North Carolina
Latest album: Modern Appalachia

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

I would say my biggest overall influence is The Story, which was an alt-folk duo out of Cambridge, Massachusetts in the ‘90s consisting of Jonatha Brooke and Jennifer Kimball. My dad used to bring cassettes home from the library of albums he would read reviews about and pass along ones to me he thought I’d like.

At the time I was way into Indigo Girls and Tracy Chapman (about age 13 or so), so when he first gave me Grace in Gravity by The Story, it unnerved me a little. But, then I woke up one morning and had to listen to it on repeat or I thought I’d die! So I listened to it on repeat. For years. The songs on that album are ingrained in me now. Dissonant harmonies. Bold chord changes. Strong female perspectives.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

My favorite memory on-stage is when Bonnie Raitt asked me to sing “Angel From Montgomery” with her as a duet for the first time… and then after… she handed her guitar to me and said, “Play one of yours.” I’ll never forget that feeling. I felt like I was flying.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

The most effective ritual for me is to straight up pray. I ask God for peace of mind and for blessings over every note that comes out of my mouth. For Him to guide the show and for me to be a vessel. I also do some floor stretches if I can. When I toured with Paul Brady, I had a mix on my phone I would listen to before every show and it was Snatum Kaur, Lauryn Hill, and Mahalia Jackson; I would do stretches as I sang along.

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

Water, definitely. The county where I live in North Carolina has the most waterfalls per capita in the country. However, I absolutely love rivers. When I’m really stuck, or having a rough day, I go to either the Davidson or French Broad River in Brevard, North Carolina, and trail run or just sit and pontificate. Watching the movement of water brings me back to center. The sound even more so. It reminds me how ultimately small we are in the big picture and that this vast earth was created through suffering way bigger than mine.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

I love this question. I’m a closet chef. If I could have dinner with any musician, I would have a big southern meal of pulled pork, greens, and pintos with Danny Barnes.

Photo credit: Brian Boskind

BGS 5+5: Danny Barnes

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Artist: Danny Barnes
Hometown: Port Hadlock, Washington
Latest album: Man on Fire
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): Possum Grunt. Crawfish Ate Your Face. Why Me Lord. The Crumbled Earth. Dirt Is My Witness.

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

I’d say Stringbean. I saw him in about 1970 when I was nine. The type of work a man was expected to do where I was from was roofing, something in the farming industry or construction, which were really hard and not fun, and here was this guy traveling around the country making people happy with a banjo, and I thought, “That’s what I’m going to do for the rest of my life,” and that turned out true, at least the traveling and the banjo part.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

Well I love poetry, especially William Blake, and I read the Bible a lot, and I’ve read lots of classic novels and philosophy. I got the idea from John Hartford and Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers to make records that were like movies in your head, so I do get quite a few ideas from old movies. I like Westerns and sci-fi, old ones.

If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?

To uplift people when they are really down, especially when you are of an unmoneyed heritage and things are overwhelming and it seems like the cops, society, the church, your family, God, and everybody has it in for you. And also to show that despite all the conventional wisdom on the subject, if you want to make art you can, especially if you must make it!

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I walk on the beach every day when I’m home. I like the salt water. And I like seeing God’s handiwork in the sky and in the plants and animals.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

Well, a normal person only has about four songs based on their life, then you run out of life and you have to start making up stuff, or reading an awful lot. So, pretty much never. I write about some horrible characters, ha ha. Though in my defense, it’s not that they are “bad,” they are just trying really hard to figure out a way to lay their burdens down.

Photo credit: Sarah Cass

Camp Tunefox Immerses New Musicians in Bluegrass and Creativity

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Camp Tunefox strives to bring out the creativity in aspiring bluegrass musicians, even those who are just starting on guitar, banjo, or mandolin. This year’s camp takes place on May 15-19 in Montreat, North Carolina (right outside of Asheville), with teachers such as Danny Barnes, Wes Corbett, Grant Gordy, Clay Hess, Joe Walsh, and Mike Compton. Tunefox’s Bennett Sullivan answered a few questions by email about the upcoming event.

What sets Camp Tunefox apart from other instrument camps?

I’d say our focus on creativity and musicality over pure technique is what makes Camp Tunefox different. The schedule for the camp is organized using daily themes so each day all of the campers will have a focus that they can practice and discuss together. The teachers will teach their material with the theme in mind and the small group rehearsals will be aligned with it as well.

Tunefox is an app company and we have online content that will help support the students’ learning at camp. We’ll be launching a new feature and the campers will be the first ones to experience it in May.

How do you decide upon the instructors?

We wanted teachers that reflected both the tradition of bluegrass and pushing the envelope. Most of all, the teachers at camp are creators at heart. They’re people that have studied with the great bluegrass artists, either with their records or in person, and they bring that knowledge and passion with them to every gig, teaching event, or recording session.

I also am looking forward to learning from each of the teachers. As a professional musician, I know more than anyone the value of hearing a different perspective, be it musical or academic.

Your 2019 theme is Cultivating Individual Creativity. What does that mean to you?

It’s what I strive for every day! These days I’m writing more music in an attempt to further discover who I am. The creative process is a vulnerable, yet revealing space. At Camp I want the students to be inspired to look in themselves to not only technically play music but play it with intention. Bluegrass can be intimidating and when you label yourself as a ‘bluegrass musician’ it seems you have to play a lot of notes really quickly. I want the students to leave camp knowing themselves a little bit better. And I’d like that for myself, too.

What can a someone who is new to the instrument expect to learn at Tunefox?

[New players] will be immersed in an experience where they will learn foundational concepts like rhythm and chords but also be encouraged to create, improvise, and explore what music means to them. I think beginners can do this from the start. We’ve all listened to music before and we have a taste of what we like and dislike. So when you approach learning an instrument, you bring that discernment with you. It’s important to learn the fundamentals but when it comes to choosing songs to learn, pick what you dig most. Eventually, this will translate into ‘your sound.’

What is it like, from your perspective, to see these beginners develop their ability?

It’s exciting. The smallest breakthrough by a student gives me so much joy. All of the teachers resonate with this as well. Camp Tunefox will be a hands-on experience, giving students even more of an opportunity to make these breakthroughs with the guidance of experts at hand.

 

Photo courtesy of Tunefox

 

Discover more about Camp Tunefox and the Tunefox app at tunefox.com

3×3: Danny Barnes on Wet Dirt, Old Cats, and Hot Sauce

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Artist: Danny Barnes
Hometown: Port Hadlock, WA
Latest Album: Got Myself Together
Personal Nicknames/Rejected Band Names: My punk rock name is Buzz Autopsy. Blind Banjo Death. Wave of Fury. Cronald Dump. I Left My Kidney in San Francisco. Skate Beirut. Homeschooled Death. Abe the Cop. The Camaro Burden …

If Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Mohammed were in a band together, who would play what?
The beloved Meher Baba says these were all incarnations of the same person, so likely a solo act … with banjo … playing to an empty room.

If you were a candle, what scent would you be?
Wet dirt.

What literary character or story do you most relate to?
Jude the Obscure in the Thomas Hardy novel. It's about the music business.

What's your favorite planet — and why?
The earth — the flat earth with the firmament roof over the top as described in the ancient texts.

What's your best physical attribute?
My ability to get the hell out of places quickly without forgetting anything. It's a super power.

Who is your favorite Jennifer: Lawrence, Lopez, or Love-Hewitt?
I don't think I could pick any of these out of a police lineup. So I'd have to go with Lopez just because I knew this guy that had a fake name of Vladimir Lopez. He's in jail now … for a very loooong time.

Cat or dog?
I have an old cat that showed up at my house that I like pretty good. But I've always had dogs. I relate to dogs more than people. Seeing a person get run over by a bus doesn't really affect me, but I can't stand to watch an animal suffer. Here's a poem: Well, I like good dogs even better than people. They don't drive slow in the left hand lane. The dogs and the people got a good thing going. They come when you call, if you know their name. My dog Skillet speaks English.

Rain or shine?
I like the rain and the damp. I feel like music sounds better when the barometer is low and the air is thick and dense with moisture and oxygen. When I first started going to the UK, I fell in love with the weather and the side effects of it — like the way folks tend to read more in that scenario. Hence, I moved to the northwest U.S. because of the maritime climate, in part. For my music, I kinda have to have a fairly educated audience or something, otherwise I'm explaining my references so much it doesn't leave much time for banjo music.

Mild, medium, or spicy?
Spicy all the way. Indian food and Mexican food (vegetarian, of course). My buddy Max makes this green hot sauce that is super hot and awesome, and when I go hang out with him, if he doesn't have any made up, I like to joke that I'm going to split then and come back some other time.

Photo credit: Monica Frissell