Tim Barry

For a guy who loves the leisurely rhythms of southern life, its been a hectic couple of months for Tim Barry: hes already toured the states twice with Avail, the cult fave hardcore/rock/punk band hes fronted since 1991; jetted to Europe for a string of solo dates; and put down ten tracks for a solo disc, Rivanna Junction, on indie label Suburban Home. Now, on the eve of yet another stretch on the road this tour, as a singer-songwriter, which includes three gigs in one night in NYC -- Barrys calling from his dilapidated, 100-year-old home in Richmond, Virginia to talk about Rivanna Junction, which will hit stores November 21, 2006. As hes done throughout his career, Barry, 35, built the disc on personal relationships, recording over a two-week span at a pals home studio, backed by an array of musicians, most of them friends or family members. The recording process, he says, was a shit ton of fun. And what made it a lot of fun was having folks come in without knowing the songs, having them hear the songs with clean ears, and then throwing down. In many ways, the recording has little in common with the loud-hard-fast powerchord riffage of Avail. Its a spare, largely acoustic collection of tunes, a melange of old country, folk, and roots rock carried by Barrys crisp voice. You could call it a distillation of the music hes been listening to for many years, as well as a reflection of his blue-collar existence (when hes not on tour, Barry toils as a stage production assistant for a ballet company.) Sonically, the disc snakes and twists like a muddy Appalachian river, changing in tempo and intensity from the joyful hill-country stomp of Trash Inspirations to the piano-driven slow burn of Cardinal in Red Bed, before building to a climax with the propulsive country-rock of Wait at Milano. Its a gorgeous ride, a showcase for Barrys beautiful, bruised heart-on-sleeve songwriting. Guest performers include brother James Barry (piano) and sister Caitlin Barry (violin), both classically trained musicians, as well as local bluegrass star Billy Lux (bass), and frequent collaborators Josh Small (guitar and dobro) and Lance Koehler (drums).