New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Acclaimed Americana singer-songwriter-storyteller DEL BARBER released his new album PRAIRIEOGRAPHY on April 15 via True North Records and critical praise has poured in, while several tracks from the collection have been added to playlists at AAA and Americana stations nationwide. The Canadian musician has also added new U.S. tour dates in support of the release. PRAIRIEOGRAPHY is available now on iTunes, Amazon, and on vinyl here.
In his review of PRAIRIEOGRAPHY, Jonathan Bernstein of American Songwriter raved, "The result, a sprawling, fourteen song concept record that celebrates the Canadian prairie of Barber's childhood, is the most fully realized, triumphant album of the songwriter's young career." (4/14/14). The
Boston Globe's
Stuart Munro wrote, " turns geography into poetry." (4/13/14) Elsewhere, Jon M. Gilbertson at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel drew comparisons to one of DEL's biggest influences: "Winnipeg singer-songwriter proves that the American frontier spirit applies to all of North
America with a roots-music fourth LP that nods to Ian Tyson's ." (4/14/14) The praise for BARBER's new album is also flooding in from across the border. The Winnipeg Free Press touted, "…the country/roots troubadour paints vivid pictures of small towns and the hard-working people who populate them. His portraits aren't rendered in misty, pastel-hued watercolours; they're rougher, grittier. Barber lets the brush strokes show…Barber's plainspoken-ness is complemented by warm, textural soundscapes." (2/4/14)
Several tracks from PRAIRIEOGRAPHY have also delighted the ears of radio music programmers. Album highlights including "Living With a Long Way to Go," "Farewell, God Bless You, Goodbye" and "Big Smoke," among others, are being played at AAA stations such as WNCW in Spindale, NC, WNRN in Charlottesville, VA, WUIN in Wilmington, NC, WTYD in Williamsburg, VA and
Maine Public Radio, to name a few. Americana stations WAMU in Washington, DC, KDNK in Carbondale, CO, WERU in Blue Hill, ME, WMKY in Morehead, KY, Wyoming Public
Radio and more are also spinning songs. PRAIRIEOGRAPHY is currently #75 on the Americana chart and climbing.
Produced by BARBER and his trusted steel player Bill Western, the two used digital and analog recording techniques to channel the classic records of past heroes, while still standing firmly on his own. In order to take his creative process to new heights, BARBER undertook a painstaking approach to achieve an organic sound: he recorded the reverb inside a 150-foot grain silo. "We had to disassemble the studio, scale the walls of the silo, hang microphones and a speaker," BARBER describes. "We amplified the instrument, like the pedal steel, into the silo and recorded again, then the track would have to be synched up with the song."
This creativity in production carries over into BARBER's songwriting style. He sings from the heart about his roots, telling tales from the road, and offering incredibly personal and sincere observations of the world around him. There is an unexpected blend of old-time country and Cajun boogie on "Living With A Long Way to Go," however he maintains his characteristic storytelling style with "Farewell, God Bless You, Goodbye," a story about a young man trying to escape the hum of the city. "Walking In A Straight Line," written in the present tense, chronicles a trip he took to the Yukon from Winnipeg via the Rockies. On "All That It Takes,"BARBER enthuses, "Sometimes three chords and a light heart are enough to make a good song. We really wanted to incorporate a few songs, like this one, on the album that would lean on heavy grooves and simple soul-driven rhythm sections."
BARBER will continue touring Canada throughout the month of May, returning back to the U.S. on May 25 for a show at The Ice House in Minneapolis, MN. He will also stop in Ann Arbor, MI, Chicago, IL, Houston, TX, Austin, TX and Fredericksburg, TX. All tour dates are listed below.
DEL BARBER Tour Dates:
Thu 5/8 Fredericton, NB Canada Wilser's Room
Fri 5/9 Saint John, NB Canada Bourbon Quarter
Sat 5/10 Moncton, NB Canada Plan B
Sun 5/11 Halifax, NS Canada The Carleton w/ Catherine McClelland
Sat 5/24 Blackfalds, AB Canada Abbey Centre w/ Serena Ryder
Sun 5/25 Minneapolis, MN The Ice House w/ Jadea Kelly
Tue 5/27 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark w/ Jadea Kelly
Thu 5/29 Chicago, IL ELBO ROOM w/ Jadea Kelly
Thu 6/5 Houston, TX McGonigel's Mucky Duck
Fri 6/6 Austin, TX Cactus Café w/ Betty Soo
Sat 6/7 Fredericksburg, TX Luckenbach Dance Hall w/ Max Stalling.
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