Abbie Barrett
myspace.com/abbiebarrett

Local artist Abbie Barrett is one of those local musicians that really puts a smile on your face when you see her band perform live. Whether it be in local coffee shops or packed clubs, she puts on a performance that makes a grand impression.

Growing up in Manhattan she was exposed to the diversity of the music industry but instead of following her muse of working for a publishing company she took a u-turn and got into songwriting and performing in front of a live audience. Her shows are filled with one strong performance after another whether it be a cover by The Band or a song off of her excellent debut Dying Day, Abbie is quickly making her mark in the vastly growing and exciting New England music scene. Abbie will be performing every Thursday at the Precinct at 70 Union Square in Somerville, MA. Each week will see different sets from Abbie as well as different openers carefully chosen by Abbie and her band.

1) How old were you when you started playing and songwriting? Do you remember your first show? Where was your first local show?
I started writing songs about four years ago. (I got a later start than most.) I performed my first show as the feature act of The Cantab’s open mic. It was (and is always) a really welcoming environment and a great place for a musician to have a debut show.

2) So what part of New York are you from and how long ago did you move out to New England and for what reason did you move out here?
I grew up in Manhattan. After college I lived in San Francisco for a year, working as an editor for a magazine, then moved to Connecticut to work as a reporter for a local newspaper. I eventually made my way to Boston, thinking I’d get another job in publishing, but, as it turns out, I’d rather play music.

3) What do you think about the struggles of being a musician in the Local music scene and how have you adapted to that? What are your overall thoughts of your success in the local music scene.
I still feel pretty new to the scene, so I haven’t been able to gauge how far I’ve come. I’m pretty lucky to have gotten the opportunities I’ve had over the last few years, though, so I guess I’d define success as whether or not I can keep our momentum moving forward.

The Record
4) The Song Bang kind of reminds me of walking into an old swampy blues club with cigarette smoke everywhere and a band on stage just giving it their all. The lyrics seem to be about payback for a lover scorned?
Scorned love is part of it. Mostly it’s about how anger can kind of feed on itself—whether it’s love rejected, road rage, politics, or war—so that we almost yearn for that one combative interaction that allows us to explode all over the place. It’s such a strange thing to crave that type of interaction, when it’s so toxic.

5) Start a Fire sounds pretty personal and autobiographical…kind of like the struggle of just making the most of your life and moving on from that struggle? Anything you want to add to that?
I think the decision to become a musician is a struggle for a lot of people, because it’s an enormous risk. Whether you’re up against yourself or those who don’t believe in you, you’re definitely going to wrestle with something. Once you make the decision to do it, then you’ve got another battle to stay true to what you do.

6) Then the very next song Dying Day (title of the album) has this very uplifting feeling and vibe and it’s almost like your telling the listener that this is me.
It’s a little deceptive, because the music really does offer something uplifting and kind of airy. Total downer alert: When I wrote it I was thinking about all the things we don’t get to accomplish before death, comparing it to the life cycle of a single day—what you remember, what other people remember about you, etc. So, while it sounds happy, it’s pretty damn depressing. Sorry about that.

7) What approach did you take in recording the record? Were you going for a vintage sound, did you have an idea of what the record would sound like in your head before you recorded it?
I had a few ideas about what I wanted it to sound like—and plenty more about what I didn’t want it to sound like. The best idea, really, was to enlist Norm Demoura, the producer, to work with me. I think he really understood instinctively what the songs needed, and we ended up having the same vision for the album.

8) Track 6 Disappointing You has a very Travelling Wilbury’s type of vibe…what were you listening to when you were you writing that song?
I end up listening to the same stuff over and over again. I think this song has a Steely Dan kind of vibe, lyrics-wise, and I listen to them a lot.

9) Got a little Light reminds of a song the Band and The Grateful Dead would have jammed on back in 1972. Can you tell me your influence for this song and what it’s all about?
I get the Grateful Dead comparison a lot for this one (and I never get tired of it). This was my attempt to write a super-tight pop song, but it came out kind of jammy, anyway. It’s sort of that post-break-up, finally-out-of-the-depressing-dark kind of song. But with a side of nasty.

Next
10) What are your musical influences and what current artists do you listen to today?
My influences include Neil Young, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Fiona Apple, the Dead, and a whole lot more. I listen to a lot of Radiohead and I love the Fleet Foxes.

11) When is the next record due? Will you be taking a different approach to writing and recording?
I’d like to start recording in the summer or fall. I don’t think I’ll take a too much of a different approach. It’s important to me that we focus on each song as an individual. I really believe in the idea that the song tells you what it wants—what will make it sound its best. That’s what we did with the first album, and I think it worked out well. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. You know?

Un-carefully unedited by Mark Kaye, HearNowLive