December 9 2013 – We hope you are aware of the Philippines Benefit Show happening on Thursday December 12 2013 at The Phoenix. The headliners are Saga but the charity show features a wide breadth of talent. One of the bands we are very excited to see has been added is the David Barrett Trio. We took the opportunity to talk to David Barrett himself and find out more about him and his band. Here is our Emerging Artist Spotlight on the David Barrett Trio:
1. Hey David, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. Let’s start off with the obligatory introductions. Who’s in the band and what instrument does everyone rock?
DB: I play guitars, Jason Farrar is on bass, and Alexander ‘Sascha’ Tukatch is our drummer.
2. How about the history of the band, when did you get started and how did it happen?
DB: I was playing solo guitar and thinking about another record which I thought would be a guitar record produced by Alex Lifeson. In 2010, Al and I went over the material on and off for a period of 6 months in which he kept insisting I put a band together, because he thought it would come off better that way. I immediately thought of Sascha and Jason and it has become a band in the truest sense.
3. Who are some of your musical influences?
DB: Early on Led Zeppelin, Mike Oldfield, Rush, and Yes for prog rock, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, and Tommy Emmanuel have been big guitar influences. Also composers like Arvo Part and Steve Reich. Pat Metheny’s always been a huge influence too.
4. So based on the above how would you describe your music to someone that has never heard it?
DB: I always say it’s an instrumental progressive rock power trio. I always preferred the trio format over anything else as a listener and a player.
5. You recently released a song with Michael Sadler of Saga on vocals, why did you guys decide to bring in a vocalist and why Michael??
DB: We opened for Saga a while back and Michael offered to work with us, so we took him up on it and played him a few things, he really liked the song Coppermine, so we tracked it and finished it a few months ago. Michael is a great guy and a great singer, so it just seemed like an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.
6. Your website lists Alex Lifeson of Rush as your producer, how did that come about and how involved is he in your overall sound?
DB: Alex heard my solo album The Dead Arm, and sent me an email saying he liked it but also that I would benefit from working with an outside producer to give me a better perspective. Al was most helpful as an executive producer going over the material in preproduction, working on arrangements, so that helped us define our direction as a trio, that was his biggest contribution.
7. What does 2014 hold for you?
DB: We are working on a DVD of our live show from our CD release party last spring. We’ve developed most of the material for the next record and have started trying to decide how to approach that.
8. Imagine that you were asked to be the opener for any band’s world tour (both current and historical). Which band and tour would be your dream opening gig.
DB: Current would obviously be Rush or Yes, historically The Les Paul Trio, dream opening gig would be The Rolling Stones, but maybe that would turn into a nightmare, lol.
9. What is the future of the music industry? With the concept of the album and physical CD’s facing extinction, how will we be consuming music in 10 years? Are the economics feasible for emerging artists?
DB: Good question, and I’m not really sure, mostly the question now is, how do you monazite what you do?
10. Where can people purchase or listen to your music?
11. At the end of 2012 we published our picks for top 10 albums of 2012. Lists like those are always a reflection of personal tastes so if you were making the list what are some albums you would you have had on it?
DB: Not sure about the exact year of release but I can tell you ten albums I’ve bought in the last year or so:
1. Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day 2. Yes – Fly From Here 3. Rush – Clockwork Angels 4. Van Halen – Different Kind Of Truth 5. Steve Vai – The Story Of Light 6. Steve Howe – Time 7. Saga – 20/20 8. Jacob Moon – Fascination 9. Sit Down, Servant!! – I was Just Trying To Help 10. Steve Costello – Vol. 112. Any closing remarks for our readers?
DB: See you at The Phoenix Concert Theatre December 12th!
Thanks so much David. Do not miss the David Barrett Trio at the TO Rock-Aid benefit show for the Philippines disaster relief.
The band’s website is here and as you would expect they are on Twitter and Facebook. In the meantime check out their video below from YouTube.
