Jill Barber

0:00I got Jill Barber here live in the studio. How are things? Things are great. Things are good Things are going great here, too. We're glad to have you in big tour this month. Yeah. Yeah, I'm really happy to be out here Yeah, yeah, big show at the ironwood tonight big show with the iron you played it before I have once before oh no I'm trying to think before the new record came out or yeah, it was yeah, maybe a year ago Something like that. Oh, maybe a little a little less than a year ago. What are the plans? I know the tour wraps up in a couple of days right a couple weeks maybe a week from now Yeah, well, I think we've got tonight and then it wraps up on on Friday night at the end of the week so very nice and then what and then Then I'm heading to Toronto for a couple of days and then back to Halifax for a couple shows and then back to Toronto

0:45This is this story of my life Toronto. It seems like yeah, yeah Making a video in a couple of what's on hard line. Oh, okay. Yeah, there we go Should be fun what do you have any ideas for the video? Do you even have a say in the video or is that all kind of director comes and brings a storyboard? Well a film director pitched the concept and we we liked the concept so what's that concept is gonna be secret? Well, I won't go too far into it But it's we're being shot in Toronto at the the Gladstone Hotel If you know that hotel is a really old old hotel in Toronto, but that's been kind of Refurbished and it's quite lovely now. So that'd be cool Maybe some live shots if you plan stuff or is it gonna be all very artsy kind of a story? I don't know. I don't think there are gonna be any live shots in it I think it's all gonna take place in this hotel cool. Yeah, is it your first video?

1:33No, I put out I made a video for the song Don't Go Easy which features Jim Cuddy So it's it's out there in TV land In TV it pokes its head into a lot of stuff now. Yeah, yeah, that's right You mentioned Jim Cuddy and a lot of people play on the record last Cooper who I had no idea I've seen him play with Craig Cardiff like a gazillion time. I have you yeah Yeah, I have a CD at home to I had no idea played Luke Ducey who was here last week Awesome. Oh, I got John Mulan from In Flight Safety. Yeah, I'm saying earlier. Yeah, where'd you meet up with all these people? On your record. I just asked them and then they can't and then I guess I've met Maybe with the exception of Jim Cuddy I just met and played with all of those musicians over the years and so they're friends of mine And so I just asked them nicely to lend their talents to the record and they they came through Jim Cuddy

2:21I hadn't met but I was working with Basil Donovan the bass player from Blue Rodeo and So he kind of connected us during the during the recording of the album. Well, that's cool. Mm-hmm What was it like recording? I know it's the first full length record about time by the way Yes, what made you do the full length this time as opposed to another EP? You know, I probably would have done another EP just because I really like short records But nobody else seems to and I I put out two EPs prior to prior to this full-length and I guess in a way You know, I feel like maybe to be taken seriously You have to kind of do you have to put out at least one, you know full-length record that sort of shows a broader spectrum of what you do And that why it's called for all time That one full-length record. Yeah, yeah, it could be could be you never know never know hopefully I'll make many more records

3:11But are you writing more? Yeah, I know the record didn't come up too long ago now October or something like that But have you been writing a lot? I'm coming home live. Yeah, couple. Yeah, well, it's cool. What is a set list like what can people expect tonight? Well a little a lot off of the new record a little off of my older EP We always throw in a couple of covers just for like what? Well, you gotta come to the show Yeah Well, okay. Well, I'll whisper it in your ear afterwards. Okay, your listeners have to come to the show. That's true We're doing a couple of sort of golden oldies very nice. Yeah, that's a good way of keeping in secret of but kind of giving away Yeah, full band or just you I'm playing tonight with Les Cooper who produced my record. He's company me. So just I'm performing as a duo Oh, that's cool. Is he on acoustic to or electric slide? He is playing acoustic, but he does a

4:01Really strange thing he gets some really cool sound that it out of his acoustic and he's got some interesting effects pedals And he's got a really old like 1946 or seven Gibson stick guitar that makes crazy sounds so nice. Yeah, he's not a bad guitar player to boot Yeah, he's okay. He's not bad. I said that I can't get him to me. Call for it Your finger pick install just notice while you're playing those tunes. It's very very cool I like very folky very rootsy. How do you how do you instead of strumming? I didn't know there's no pick as well, right where'd that come from? You just start picking up and just start that way just came really naturally. I mean, I'm not a great guitar player well, I just kind of Yeah, I've never really liked playing with a pick I prefer especially with an acoustic guitar I prefer that the sound of kind of the pads of your fingertips on on the strings rather than a plastic pick

4:51But that's just my personal preference and my I think my my fingernails are sounding more like plastic picks every day because they're well well worn calloused fingers, but What was the question? Oh, I don't know it just naturally happened. I guess that's sort of the style that I've developed that to accompany Me and my voice cool. That sounds great. Thanks. I'm wondering your family now you and Matt have become I want to say the king and queen. It doesn't really work. You know married of Canadian indie rock. No more like I'm queen He's the queen's brother. There you go. Yeah court jester Something like that Did you guys ever play together beforehand or was it just kind of you each did your own thing and then both ended up as you know Musicians well, we're really close Matt and I we have we have been you know, especially as team as teenagers

5:41He was a really big influence on me He he started playing guitar. He's a few years older than I was gonna ask you okay Yeah, and so he started playing guitar and I kind of wanted to follow in his footsteps and everything he did So I copied him and wanted to play guitar as well so when he started writing songs I started writing songs and so on and so on and kind of it's I don't know it's sort of Translate is sort of translated into a career and music for both of us because No, no, no, we both just really loved it and over the years it you know became a really strong hobby of ours and And then we started doing it both we started doing it professionally When we were going to school playing local clubs and that kind of thing and and now we find ourselves strangely

6:26Both making a career out of music and I think my parents are maybe scratching their heads a little bit They don't know what they don't know how it happened to where it came from You know the kids have seen the country and seen the world and I heard you did the first UK tour the other month Yeah, how was that it was amazing? What's it you get time to see the country or it is just gig hotel gig hotel? Enough time to sort of soak it I mean you certainly see the insides of a lot of clubs, but that's fun, too I mean that's it's just it's pretty it's a pretty fun way to see a different part of the world and you know I the thing I enjoyed most was just I met tons of people on that tour and hung out with you know hung out and And spent time with all sorts of people in in all the different cities I played and so I kind of got to know some of the people Which I mean it's funny as a as a tourist and a lot of the a lot of cases when you go to a new country

7:18you might go to all of the sort of cultural Monuments and you check out museums and our in galleries and that kind of thing But you don't maybe you don't get right in there. I feel like with music It's it's like this there's total in into the inside of at least the nightlife of a place Which is kind of cool each party lot there? Yeah, you know, they like to I like to party and the shows are early which is great there, too because there's lots of time to sort of Hang out afterwards. Yeah, most shows started seven or eight o'clock Was it you that was saying I was reading something that you think it was you saying that shows need to be earlier and more accessible to all age kids and oh, yeah, I think I've said that a bunch of times I really feel strongly that that's the way it should be you Know, especially for people that older people that work and people with kids and that kind of thing

8:04They should get a chance to come out and see a show on a on a Monday night Like tonight, you know if they want but if it starts at 10 or 11 o'clock, it makes it kind of difficult What time are you on tonight? Earlier than that Well Jim Bryson who is is going on first. He's going on at A to clock and then I think I'm going on at 9 30. Oh, it's not bad. Yeah. Cool. Yes It's not it's not too bad, you know, we're we're getting we're getting getting earlier and earlier. Yeah We talked about hardline earlier and and just how I mentioned I got is that free single the week on iTunes Yeah, and I'm wondering how you feel about downloading and how it's changing and you put out your first record I'm sure there's a lot of thought going to the track listing and the artwork and all that stuff and Seems that iTunes as good as it is and it got that tune out there to me, but you're not gonna have a full record anymore Right. Well, I don't know. I feel I just I guess I feel

8:55I feel like people people get music in so many different ways whether it's going out to see a live band or You know listening to a soundtrack to a movie when you're watching the movie or downloading a record or just a story your favorite song off iTunes and I Think you know, I think it's great. I think it's great. And yeah, I do put a lot of thought into Into things like artwork and track listing and that kind of thing and I think that the people it's still That that really matters a lot to are still buying the records and still really appreciating that and See a lot of value and in buying records and I'm one of those people I I think I download off iTunes occasionally But I still like it's still like, you know

9:41Doing it the old-fashioned way and buying a record and kind of going through reading the lyrics and that kind of thing You go to the stores and Halifax people recognize you ask you for autographs on CDs and stuff The that happens more in Halifax that it happens in Calgary Tell you that much but yeah, I you know, I found a lot of support From from people in Halifax and in the Maritimes generally people who've been really supportive Doesn't take much to feel like a big star in the Maritimes It seems like a very tight-knit music community it is it is it is a real cool much much like Montreal I'm sure and broken social scenes going on Toronto. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, but I think it's the best in Halifax Can I say that and Calgary you can say that? Our scene is pretty good here too. Yeah, I'm sure it is sure it is. You just got to meet some bands Let's go through those songs you played for us your brother's tune right when you played. Yeah

10:33It's a song called the story of your life and it's the title track off of his last EP It's just a song. I really like it's pretty song and I kind of like it so thought I'd play that one cool and I Wouldn't oh, yeah, and in perfect time, which is a song off of my last EP which you requested so I thought I was happy to play that Okay, well tell me about that one What comes in your head when you think about song I I wrote that song When I was back when I was living in Kingston, Ontario going to school Queens. Yeah, that's right and I think I was probably Procrastinating writing an essay or something like that when I wrote that one in the morning. Yeah, that's right and Kingston's a pretty rainy rainy town

11:22So when I play that song I think of Sitting in my old chair in my old room in Kingston, you know with the rain coming down outside Cool. Yeah, and the last one you played I saw when I'm making love to you. That's right. I read that title even I was like, oh my You said you said earlier you thought that was ballsy. Yeah, the title is song like that. Well, cuz it's very it's very It's in your face. Yeah talking about sex. Yeah, well, I love all about our love making Maybe that's just your interpretation, you know, I'm just talking Anyway, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't know I never I just a few people have remarked that it is but I don't know Just talking about love All my songs talk about love. Okay. Yeah cool five quick questions one more answers. Okay toast

12:14Sorry, oh you're gonna ask questions. Yeah, yeah, okay. I plotter CDs CDs Leninger McCartney Mm-Lennon, alcohol or marijuana Red wine. Oh good answer song you've written your most proud of in perfect time is one of them for sure Oh, I picked a good one then yeah, you did you did and one word Jill Barber. I Am supposed to say one word to describe myself your music that I already just toast is definitely hopefully not Romantic oh there you go. Good word. I like it