New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Minneapolis-based roots group Barbaro unveils their third and final single "Apples to Apples" ahead of their upcoming album, About the Winter, out October 20th via StorySound Records. Exploring themes of uncertainty and desire, the track is a reflection of love and longing that offers a deeper glimpse into the simmering, ethereal textures that await listeners across the LP. Harmonious vocals by Kyle Shelstad and Rachel Calvert are gracefully complemented by the serene instrumentation of Jason Wells, all of which is brought to life in a music video that combines intimate film footage with extreme elements of nature.
As Shelstad explains: "This song showed us how we can depart from flashy instrumental performances, which can be found on our first album, and focus more on creating a sonic environment that fully envelops your ear in the song."
"Apples to Apples" follows recent single "Gardens," a song that pairs Shelstad's vulnerable and urgent vocal with the refined, slow-blooming interplay of his bandmates. Atwood hailed it as "a spellbinding moment of raw emotion and wonder." Watch the official "Gardens" music video here, as well as the captivating "One x One," showcasing more of the group's atmospheric reimagining of string music traditions.
Barbaro - named after the beloved, tragically euthanized Kentucky Derby champion horse - recorded About the Winter during the winter of 2022 with Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, yMusic) at his studio The Hive, a refurbished barn outside of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Joseph played a pivotal role in the album, engineering, mixing, and co-producing the album with Shelstad, as he helped the band craft a distinctive, enveloping sonic landscape that combined their acoustic instruments with a rich bed of synthetic sound. Citing electronic musician Jon Hopkins as a particular influence, from the shimmering overture of "Apples to Apples" to ghostly bluegrass throwdown "Ike's Farewell," Barbaro conjures up a varied and engaging inversion of roots music orthodoxy.
On About the Winter, Barbaro's pastoral Americana sound feels both traditional and progressive, with compositions that value texture and gesture over technical prowess. The band works in concert to deliver indelible moments: emotional gut-punches, moments of clarity, and submissions to beauty in the face of overwhelming odds.
This fall, Barbaro will take their music on the road throughout the United States on a headlining tour, including stops in Nashville, NYC, two nights in Chicago, and a hometown performance at Minneapolis' Cedar Cultural Center. The full routing can be found below. More details here: https://www.barbaroband.com/
About The Winter follows 2020's Dressed In Roses, which The Bluegrass Situation commended for "brightening the Midwest bluegrass scene." The Minneapolis Star-Tribune praised the "elegant yet understated violin and banjo parts alongside singer/guitarist Kyle Shelstad's Mumford meets
Paul Simon type of songwriting," while Minnesota Public
Radio says that "Barbaro budge beyond the bounds of bluegrass…I find myself leaning into the sound, trying to figure out where this unique blend came from, and where it's going next."
Barbaro Tour Dates:
Wed Nov 1 Des Moines, IA XBK
Thu Nov 2 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway
Fri Nov 3 Nashville, TN The Basement
Sat Nov 4 Atlanta, GA Eddies Attic
Sun Nov 5 Asheville, NC The Outpost
Tue Nov 7 Philadelphia, PA MilkBoy Philly
Wed Nov 8 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Thu Nov 9 Boston, MA Cafe 939
Fri Nov 10 Albany, NY The Linda
Sat Nov 11 Burlington, VT
Radio Bean
Tue Nov 14 Toronto, CAN Monarch
Wed Nov 15 Pittsburgh, PA Club Cafe
Thu Nov 16 Kalamazoo, MI Bell's
Fri Nov 17 Chicago, IL Judson & Moore
Sat Nov 18 Chicago, IL Judson & Moore
Fri Dec 1 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
