The Breanna Barbara Interview
NYC-based artist Breanna Barbara’s second album ‘Nothin’ But Time’ (out November 11 on Fuzz Club) is a raw and immersive trip through the sounds of psychedelic rock and blues, anchored by her forceful vocals and unforgettable songwriting. Sporting a sound that feels classic and of-the-moment at the same time, ‘Nothin’ But Time’ sees Barbara plumb new emotional depths as she bursts through every sonic barrier put in her way. Seeking to create mind-expanding music that’s also firmly rooted in the real, ‘Nothin’ But Time’ reflects Barbara’s headlong journey into the world of psychedelic pop by way of hard-driving blues-rock, warped theremin tones and celestial synths. ‘Nothin’ But Time’ arrives following Breanna’s 2016 debut ‘Mirage Dreams’, a trio of critically acclaimed singles (most recently ‘New Moon’) and a number of collaborations with legendary trip-hop vanguard Tricky. As well as joining his US touring band as lead female vocalist, Barbara also did an official rework of his 'When We Die' track and featured on the 2021 Lonely Guest album, ‘False Idols’. Recorded at Nashville’s Bomb Shelter studio with Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray For The Riff Raff), the album features musical contributions from Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather), Tall Juan, Derry DeBorja (Jason Isbell), and Champagne Superchillin’s Ben Trimble and Charles Garmendia.
(From Barabar’s Bandcamp)
Are you originally from Brooklyn, NY? What was your childhood like growing up? When did you first begin to fall in love with music, more specifically songwriting? Was music relevant around your household growing up? Do you have any siblings?
Hi! I am originally from Edina, Minnesota, but grew up in Brooklyn Center. Both my parents were married and divorced several times with different children from each marriage so technically I am an only child, but I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters, all half and step that I consider my family. I moved around a lot with my mom and grew up in a lot of different places, Wisconsin, Washington D.C., Virginia and Florida to name a few. I think it's what shaped my love of touring and feeling home in motion. I was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to music. My parents were young and just listened to what was on the radio so I wasn't too exposed to much of the greats that I love now. Around 16 I got my first guitar and taught myself how to play through tabs. I think I wrote my first song around 18. That's also the age I first discovered some of my favorite music, old blues and country.
What would you and your friends do for fun growing up? Who were some of our earliest influences in your more formative years? When did you realize you wanted to spend your life making music?
I have a hard time remembering too much of my childhood, but I do remember loving to lip sync Celine Dion and perform for my siblings, probably my first stage hah. I also always loved being in the water. Whether that was a beach or a pool I was a fish. My older sister listened to a lot of R&B growing up so I remember loving Boys II Men & Aaliyah at a young age. Once I moved out I started traveling and exploring on my own and was introduced to the world of older music. I fell in love with artists like Bessie Smith, Hank Williams Sr. and Jessie Mae Hemphill. Delta Blues always really struck me. I think making music has always been a lifeline of survival for me to process my own emotions and therefore it feels like I don't really have a choice on whether I want to make music forever because I really believe I always will. But sharing it with the world and performing it for an audience is something that I am constantly going in and out of realizations of validation. There have been a handful of performances that have stuck with me and ensure that it is the closest to myself & most alive that I feel, and that is a very validating feeling that keeps me thinking I would be very lucky to continue performing as long as I can.
Did you participate in any groups, or outfits prior to setting out as a solo musician? When and where did you make your live performance debut and what was that experience like for you? 2016 saw your debut release of “Mirage Dreams”. Can you tell me about writing and recording this album?
Funny you ask, when I was younger I did have a band called 'Girls II Women' My friend and I performed one song on a radio show that my mom was a talk show host for. I wish I could find that tape. I also had a little folk band called 'Stubby Fingers' with my friend Kelly when I was living in Saint Augustine, Florida. I played guitar and she played banjo. We played a couple of house shows that I remember really loving. Other than that I would just play at open mics which was always exhilarating. I wrote the bulk of Mirage Dreams when I first moved to New York while attending acting school. I was living in a warehouse where some friends and I built out rooms with scaffolding wood. There were 11 in total and most of them didn't have a window. I recorded them on iPhone voice memos with just vocals and guitar. I had been following the work of a producer I really loved named Andrija Tokic and I sent them to him not expecting a reply and to my surprise he invited me down to Nashville to make a record. He put together a band which some of them ended up becoming my best friends and bandmates. The whole thing was really magical and worked out in a really beautiful way.
When and where did recording take place and how did the deal with No Roads Records come about? Would you mind giving some background to songs such as “The Race”, “Where’s My Baby”, “Daddy Dear”, and “Sailin Sailin”? What was the overall vision and approach to this record? How did you initially go about recruiting folks like Eduardo DuQuesne, Matt Menold and Charles Garmendia?
We recorded the record in about 2 weeks down at Andrija's studio in Nashville, TN. Years later, I had met a group of musicians in Brooklyn and they sent the record to their manager who had just started No Roads. I believe it was their first or second release. All those songs were written around the same time, shortly after my Dad passed away from a drug overdose. So I think they all just came out from what my subconscious was processing at the time. Andrija is a wizard, his style as a producer and friend is something else. He and I both love old blues, country and psychedelic stuff so we were coming from a similar place to begin with but I think he just knew how to enhance my songs in ways that I never even imagined as someone who was just beginning. Overall the vision was to bring my little heartfelt guitar songs to a much bigger place and that he did. And the team he put together was incredible because it truly was a collaborative experience and everyone involved brought their unique talent that made the record exactly what it was.
Before your most recent LP you released a single on Freeman Street Records entitled “Big Bang Blues” in 2021. Tell me about writing and recording those songs and what it was like to work with the great Jack Lawrence on that project.
Years after my first record I had collected quite a few songs and Big Bang Blues was one that I had from the vault during the Mirage Dreams era. I believe certain songs come to the surface when they are meant to and this was one of those. I brought about 17 songs down to Nashville when recording my second record, and Big Bang Blues was one that just kept sticking out. Although I wanted it on the album I thought it needed its own moment and Chuck and Kristen from Freeman street were just starting their label and we got to talking about new music and then came up with the idea of putting out BBB as a 7inch. Working with Jack was amazing, he's such a kind and sweet soul. He played on the whole record as well.
In 2022 you released your wonderful follow up record “Nothin’ But TIme”. What did you want to particularly express and explore with this material? What was your experience working with the folks over at Fuzz Clubs Records? I’m very curious to know some of the background stories to songs like “Diamond Light”, “Weight Of The World”, “Nothin’ But Time” and “Old Soul”.
I knew I wanted to go back down to the Bomb Shelter and work with Andrija again because I had such a great experience the first time and also learned so much as a musician since then. I wanted to explore a more psychedelic side to my sound as well as a more spiritual/ celestial theme. My songs are always going to reflect what I was going through in the moment that I wrote them so I just aimed to tell the truth as much as possible. Fuzz Club was amazing to work with, they were able to organize the whole release and get it way further than I ever imagined. Diamond Light is a song about memory and the way it can be distorted through time, I consider Diamond Light to be some of those shimmering moments that are embedded in our minds but also hold different meanings as you get older. Weight of the World is a song about abortion that I had written after going to a Pro-choice protest in Buenos Aires when Abortion was still illegal. Nothin' but Time started as a love song but turned into an anthem about time being our only currency, which became the album title. Old Soul is about having someone really important to you not seeing, or understanding where you're coming from.
You’ve had some dates with The Nude Party this summer. Were you excited to finally be out on the road after this Covid ordeal? What else is on the table for you this year? Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?
The Nude Party tour was incredible! I am very happy to be touring again, I really love being on the road. We are about to go to Europe in July and then I will probably get back to writing to get ready for album #3. We have a live Ep coming out in June which features Old Soul, Landslide, Nothin' But Time and Diamond Light.
Listen to the New Album + Tour Dates
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