Kim Barlow

April 2008
The long dark damnedness is done. Happy Spring! It was a good winter, really, though I notice that I haven’t posted anything new here since September. Sign of seasonal indifference, for sure.
Well, here’s what’s new:
Jordy Walker and I have started a duo called Father Daughter.It’s old-time and electro-acoustic experimentation, and we’re taking it to the Sound Symposium in St. John’s, Newfoundland this summer. I’m very chuffed about that. I’ve been fascinated by that festival since I was a teenager and heard about them shoving a grand piano (presumably a nearly-defunct one) off a cliff at Signal Hill as a performance piece. On Brave New Waves, probably. I’ve posted our version of “Single Girl” here. It’s an old Carter Family tune, which I also play with my other new band, Annie Lou.
Annie Lou is an all-girl old-time band consisting of Anne Louise Genest on lead vocals and guitar, me on clawhammer banjo, Lindy Jones from Haines, Alaska on stand-up bass, and Keitha Clark on fiddle. I love this band! We sing lots of harmonies and play all the greatest old dark obscure tunes we can find, plus a pile of Anne Louise’s originals, which are also great, old-fashioned and dark. With the Father Daughter and these gals, I now have two wildly different occasions to hone my banjo-chops. Annie Lou plans to make a record in the fall and hit the touring circuit shortly thereafter. Keep an eye at myspace.com/annielouyukon.
Also in the fall, I will be touring with a large unruly mob of great musicians, the PanCanadian New Folk Ensemble, consisting of myself, Jordy Walker, Christine Fellows, Old Man Luedecke, a cellist, and Jesse Zubot on violin. We’ll play two sets round-robin style, backing each other up on our songs. A string section, harmonies, two banjos, guitars, piano, percussion, and some surprises—you can’t go wrong! I’ll have tour dates posted soon. ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________
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March 2007
ABOUT CHAMP
Hello! I have made a new record. It is called Champ, and it has a picture of a sad pony's furry cheek on the cover. I'm quite proud of this record; it was made here in Whitehorse at the Old Crow studio--I brought engineer/co-producer/multi-instrumentalist whiz Jordy Walker (Hilotrons, Kepler, Christine Fellows) up from Winnipeg, and we started recording last June. Then we both got really busy with other things, and didn't get back to it until late November during a wicked cold snap. We had to wear our boot-liners all the time, and drink a lot of tea. It was a really good time, making these sounds. We made a ragged warm pop band with pretty harmonies, autoharp, prepared piano, outer space noises and a moment of crashy drumming by my young son, and dorky joyful banjo frailing, among other things. These songs are truth and fiction; you can choose. I have had a tendency to tell about little battles that were lost, though Champ is certainly not defeated. Champ is a good pony and I hope you like it too.
(A black and tan is a beer in which a dark beer and a lighter beer are combined.)
In spite of the fact that Barlow has chosen to live in remote northern Canada, she regularly manages to get out, touring from her home-base in Whitehorse, Yukon. Her first release on the Caribou Records label, "Humminah", led her to performances at the Winnipeg, Stan Rogers, and Ottawa Folk Festivals, the Branch Lahave Community Hall, and other major events across Canada. Her sophomore album, "Gingerbread", was nominated for a Juno Award in the Roots/Traditional category in 2002. Her 2003 release, "luckyburden", is a concept album focusing on the lives of the good people of Keno City. Keno is a silver-mining town in the Yukon further north and generally more extreme than Whitehorse. In 2005 luckyburden was released on the Shock Records label in Australia, and Barlow toured there in March of that year, and lived to tell the tale.
Barlow spends a good deal of her time learning new things about science, the navy, and major negotiations from her young son. When not on the road she also teaches banjo, writes music for dance and theatre, and keeps the doors open at the Music Yukon Resource Centre.
NEW PRESS FOR CHAMP
"This sounds real good. Sounds like a record damnit!... It's really musical and lovely and rich and sounds like you're having fun more or less." --Justin Haynes, folk hero
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Exclaim!
March 2007
Champ
It’s another flawless collection of shrewd observations and wry wit from Yukon-based singer-songwriter Kim Barlow. This time, the simplicity of Barlow’s down-to-earth vocals and folk instrumentation are embellished with glistening pop touches that linger in the ears. She supplements capable claw hammer banjo playing with a variety of other instruments, including Wurlitzer, Autoharp and shivers of lovely glockenspiel. Though melodically inventive, the music tends to hang modestly back, allowing Barlow’s crafty lyrics to take centre stage. Underneath her beautiful poetic rhythm lies something deliciously, refreshingly sour — i.e., “Gingerman,” the twisted tale of a cookie man who chews off his own hands and feet in a drunken rage. “No one else can run as fast as one tough cookie with no pants,” sings Barlow, who then whistles sweetly, sounding as though frosting wouldn’t melt in her mouth. With her agreeable, unaffected voice and sly sense of humour, Barlow’s fourth full-length disc warms the spirit like a cup of rum-spiked cocoa during a tundra cold snap.(Jericho Beach)
--By Rachel Sanders
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PopMatters Music Short Takes
our brief reviews of new releases
February 26, 2007
Kim Barlow, Champ (Jericho Beach)
Singer-songwriter Kim Barlow’s latest album continues her strong collection with a gorgeous body of songs. Whether it is the simple, short, and alluring “Pony Camp” or the off-kiltered “Kay’s House”, Barlow doesn’t seem content to rely on adding layers of sound. Instead, she relies on the songs and whatever might be nearby in terms of instruments to get the songs across, as is the case with the light, breezy mid-tempo folk pop ditty “Out of Your Head” and the gentle, precious “But He Don’t”, another charmer. The album never hits a pothole when it comes to quality, even with some songs leaning towards a Celtic feeling during “Jake the Sailor”. Fans of Grey Delisle would lap up these songs immediately, although they’re often not as hushed or whispery, especially the album’s sleeper picks “Things I Miss” and the toe-tapping “Great White Nothing”. And Barlow also shines on the alt.country flavored “Out of the Woods”, which would have fit perfectly on Kathleen Edwards’ Back to Me. Definitely a winner.
—Jason MacNeil
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From The Argosy in Sackville, NB:
If you've liked the new-breed folk coming out of Canada in the last few years - championed by artists like Old Man Luedecke, Christine Fellows, and Baby Eagle, to name a few - then you are sure to love the new Kim Barlow album as well. Champ is also...appealing to the pop sensibilities of many, while retaining an earthy, natural style that is hopeful and fun.
http://www.argosy.ca/view.php?aid=39559